The Sorrow King by Andersen Prunty

Author:Andersen Prunty [Prunty, Andersen]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Grindhouse Press
Published: 2011-03-25T22:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

Doombuzz

In the weeks before Steven’s graduation, Connor floated. He didn’t know why. For once, he felt like maybe he shouldn’t try and analyze why he was in such a good mood. Perhaps it was the weather. The tumultuous spring was passing, bringing in a pleasant precursor to summer. Or maybe it was because he knew Steven was happy. He hadn’t met his girlfriend. He knew Steven probably wouldn’t even call her a girlfriend but he could see the happiness on the boy’s face when he went out for his night walks, not admitting he was going to see the girl. But Connor knew. And there he went again . . . analyzing.

He left work early whenever he could, skipping days here and there. He took walks around the neighborhood throughout the day. He went to a garden center and purchased some flowers for the garden. He mowed the grass and read, thinking maybe life wasn’t so bad. He tried not to think about anything bad. That one night, chasing some ghost that was most assuredly just the figment of his imagination around the neighborhood like a crazy person . . . and then going into the house only to have an argument with Steven. It all left him feeling like he was on some kind of brink. Amazingly, the next morning, he woke up feeling curiously alive and liking the feeling.

Sure, he wasn’t entirely comfortable. Part of him believed it was some kind of cosmic setup, like a comfortable carpet was being woven beneath his feet so it could be yanked out sometime in the near future.

But that was badness and he didn’t want to think about any of the badness.

Even when Steven came home looking as sad as he had when his mother died, he remained strangely upbeat.

It was around three in the morning. He had given up waiting for Steven ever since finding out he was out with a girl rather than brooding or contemplating suicide. The only reason he was still up was that he had been sleeping in and had, earlier in the afternoon, became highly involved in a book.

“What’s up?” he said to Steven when he opened the door.

Steven didn’t say anything. He just looked at him and then went into his room. Connor went to sleep shortly thereafter, full of suspicions but not allowing himself to analyze. The next day, when Steven didn’t go out for his evening walk, he knew what had happened.

Steven came out to turn on the TV and sit on the couch.

“You know,” Connor said. “There’ll be other girls.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay. Then we’ll talk about something else.”

“I don’t want to talk at all.”

“Come on, talking will do you some good. You haven’t gone to school. You can’t just . . . not talk.”

“Sorry. I’m not feeling too chatty.”

“Fine.”

“Why are you in such a good mood, anyway?”

“I don’t know. Well, I think I do know.”

“Could you enlighten me?”

“Okay. Are you ready for this?”

“I’m ready for anything.”

“Life isn’t that bad.

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