So Distant, Yet So Bright
Percival never did anything like this. Breaking rules was nothing he had ever even considered doing. His brothers did all the time and he knew how mad his parents got at them. They would sneak out to see their girlfriends and always get caught. Percival had to devise a plan not to.
He would leave his house around 7:30 which means he would be at the bay at 8. During the winter everyone falls asleep earlier than usual. He would have to be quiet as to not wake anybody. And he would be home early enough that no one would suspect his absence. It seemed foolproof to him.
Just as planned, everyone was asleep by 7:30. He put on his shirt and his cloak and silently walked down the stairs and through the door until he was outside. He carried a lantern with him so he could see the path and started his journey.
It was colder than he expected but he still trekked on. He could not leave Oliver alone after he said he would be there. By the time he reached the village, his face felt frozen. Luckily the bay was only a short way from here.
When he reached the rocky outcrops of the bay, he saw that Oliver was already there. The usually light waters now looked like a dark blue velvet as the stars shone into it. For all the 11 years of his life never once has he managed to see the bay at night. It was more peaceful now than during the day. Maybe he would have to come back some other time when it was night.
But alas, he wasn’t here for the bay, he was here for Oliver. Who knows how long Oliver had been waiting. Percival didn’t want him to wait anymore. He walked over to the place where he was sitting and sat next to him.
“Good evening, Percy,” Oliver said, handing Percival a blanket. “Good evening, Ollie. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.” He replied, putting the blanket over his shoulders. “I don’t mind waiting,” Oliver commented, trying to make Percival feel at ease. It wasn’t hard to tell how tense he was. After all, this is the first time he was ever breaking rules, it was cold, and he never wanted people to be upset with him.
Percival scoffed at this. “I don’t like people waiting for me. It’s highly rude.”
“If it helps, I only got here a few minutes before you did.” Percival looked more pleased with this response. He finally looked up at the sky to see all the stars. Never having been stargazing before. He was honestly dumbfounded on what to look for.
The sky was remarkably clear, just to think it had been snowing in the afternoon. Oliver had brought a star map and a lantern with him. Obviously, he had been more prepared than Percival was.
“What exactly are we supposed to be looking for?” Percival asked after a minute of silence. “Constellations, I guess,” Oliver mumbled whilst looking at the map. He had heard of constellations before. There was a book in the village library that he had checked out long ago that explored them in detail. He was never allowed to look for them. His family always went to sleep before he could get a good view of the stars.
Percival took a peek at the map from over Oliver's shoulder. He couldn’t really tell what it was saying just by looking at it. It was far more complex than the one in the book he checked out. Oliver seemed to understand it though.
They sat a minute in silence while Oliver studied the map. He occasionally looked up at the sky but then his attention turned right back to the map. The sound of waves crashing and of various gulls laughing and squawking to break apart the silence between the two of them.
After what felt like an eternity, Oliver tapped on Percival's shoulders. Directing his view to the sky, he focused on where Oliver was pointing. It seemed that he had finally found a constellation.
“That one’s Orion,” Oliver explained, “He’s quite easy to see because of his belt.” Percival nodded as he stared at the constellation. He could vaguely remember the story behind it that was told in the book. Not enough that he could confidently recount it. Oliver seemed delighted that he finally found a constellation.
“The bright star right next to it is called Sirius, right?” Percival asked, prompting Oliver to look back at his map. After a few seconds of examination, he nodded. It made him happy that he could recall that, Even if he didn’t recall much about constellations, knowing that made him feel smart.
They spent the next thirty minutes or so trying to find more constellations to varying degrees of success. Some were easier than others admittedly, but soon they did get a bit bored with the searching. Not wanting their night time adventure to end, they decided to relax and take in the sky while they had the chance. A few minutes of silence was broken by Percival asking a question.
“Where are you from?” Oliver looked confused. “What do you mean?” Percival shrugged and replied, “I know you’re not from the village and you’ve never told me where you live.”
Oliver thought for a minute. He was from the eastern cities and everyone had told him how much many people from the villages hated the eastern cities. Was it worth it to tell him the truth? Even if it meant that Percival would think differently of him? He could easily lie and say he was from another village far away. But he knew Percival would value the truth.
“I live in the eastern cities,” Oliver said looking down at the rocks. “Oh,” Percival responded, trying not to sound perturbed by this. “What is it like over there? I’ve never been to.” Oliver looked up to meet Percival's gaze.
“It’s different from here. Everything is so proper and lavish. It gets kind of boring after a while.” Oliver explained.
“It can’t be that bad. At least you needn’t worry about food or clothing or anything.” Percival rebutted. He would do anything to make sure everyone in the village was comfortable so it was horribly rude for Oliver to say that to him.
“I guess I am lucky but I do get quite lonely. They don’t let me do anything so I don’t get to appreciate it a lot.” Oliver explained as his gaze turned to the sky. “Sometimes I just want to be free.”
“I understand that,” Percival replied. Sometimes he wishes he could leave and start a new life. In a new village without any expectations from his family.
A sudden gust of wind came with a chill. Percival scooted closer to Oliver to see if he could offer a bit of warmth. Oliver obliged and put his arm around him. They sat like this for a while despite the presence of the sickly wind being all but gone.
“You know, I didn’t have many friends before I met you,” Oliver said after a few moments of silence. “I thought the only reason you were in the woods the day we met was that you were with friends.”
“And they abandoned me that same day. They were never really friends. It is like everyone wants something from me but never sticks around.” Oliver explained. Percival could hear a tinge of sadness in his voice. “I would never do something like that.” Percival offered comfort to Oliver. To his friend.
“I know you wouldn’t. You’re the only real friend I have.” Oliver could feel tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He never thought about how lonely he was until tonight. It was quite a sad situation he found himself in. Everyone wanted to be close to him for some reason or another. Whether it was for politics or money, it was never about companionship. Percival was different in that regard. The only thing he wanted from Oliver was someone to talk to.
Suddenly, he felt Percival hug him. Holding him closer than they were before. He couldn’t hold his composure after that action. He cried onto his shoulder but Percival didn’t mind. He wanted Oliver to know he wasn’t going to be like his other friends. Nothing was ever going to come between them.