Call of the Void

Episode 1

How My Life Turned Upside Down

Chapter 1

The Void’s First Call

The walls were buzzing as music blasted through the rooms of the quaint house. I stood in the corner, glass of water in hand, as drinks, laughter, and stories danced from mouth to mouth about the centre of the living room’s dance floor. This was going to be challenging.

Don’t get me wrong, I like a good party. Just last month – on my seventeenth birthday – I had a bunch of mates around. Maybe sixty people showed up, danced on my deck and ate the plethora of snacks I had out. I spent most of my time dancing – that’s where I came to life. People I didn’t know too well? Meeting somebody new and making a friend? Not so much where I shone. I scanned the room, looking for a potential partner.

I’d never believed in destiny – fate, coincidence, divine circumstances, that sort of thing – although I’d hoped it would get me through this awkward ordeal before any of my close friends rocked up. I didn’t judge people who legitimately believed in divine power. They clung to the idea that the universe was planned-out, and that you were just meant to do certain things, or that those things were just meant to come to you. To me, it seemed like a concept well grasped by those without motivation or inhibition, those who always saw holy intervention over coincidence in the most mundane of circumstances, and discredited the work of surgeons to the divine hand.

Still, I hoped for it. A man could dream that life would be handed to him. I remembered a conversation I’d had with my Dad about this, as he lay sprawled out on the couch after a long day of work, still in his detective uniform, with a glass of red in one hand and the dog curled by his feet. He glanced at me with his knowing eyes and smug grin and told me that there’s no greater joy in life than being alone at a party.

To be quite honest, I never remembered how we got talking about being alone at a party, but that was Dad, always full of unsolicited wisdom. "You get to make whatever you want out of the night. Don’t know anybody? Great, be totally yourself, be whatever you want to be. The world’s an odd place, you’ll find yourself pushed into the right corners. It works like that."

This corner seemed fine, at least until I gained some confidence. I peered outside. Through the window, the party continued in and around the pool. I’d considered going in, and the invitation even said to bring bathers, but I didn’t see myself as cool enough to breach that crowd. It was Penelope Papas’ 18th birthday, private school girl, very cute. Her friends were all way above my league.

The invitation had taken me totally by surprise. To James Grey, it had read. I know it’s been a few years since we’ve really chatted, but I’d love it if you’d come around to my eighteenth on the 10/1/1998. There’ll be a few people from primary school there too. It’ll be fun. Deliver your RSVP to this address. I’d walked the journey to deliver the letter, welcoming the opportunity to procrastinate from this summer of homework. Penelope’s house was in a much wealthier suburb than mine. The walk had led me into the broad, glimmering shade of wide European trees. On the walk tonight, the mid-summer breeze failed to tussle my hair thanks to the palmful of gel slicking it back. The fences were all high and white, with little speaker boxes by the gate that you had to ring to be let in. My best friend Tom and I used to play ding-dong-ditch with the buzzers on this street when we were little. I’d chuckled at the memory – he was the only one of us brave enough to do it, and it wasn’t even a challenge for him.

Penelope’s house was set apart from the others by the bouquet of balloons jailed to the front fence. I pressed the buzzer beneath them, and her gate opened itself, allowing me into the extravagant garden. It was an immaculate spectacle in the dying light of dusk. Various spotlights projected rainbows onto blossom and birch trees, which stood tall in the garden beds surrounding the path. I stepped onto the porch and waited.

I heard footsteps skipping towards the door, past the buzz of the bass rocking the house. When it finally swung open, I remembered why I’d had a crush on Penelope back in primary school. She held herself by her tiptoes on the door frame, teetering on massive heels. When she recognised me, her blue eyes popping behind her long, platinum hair, she shook into excitement.

James Grey! She proclaimed, wrapping herself around me. My hands froze and my face blushed red. I didn’t know how to respond to the hug I wasn’t expecting, and with every passing moment it became even weirder for me to lean into it. I couldn’t afford a faux pa.

Hey Pennie. I laughed awkwardly, pulling a hand into my pocket and searching for her card.

It wasn’t there.

Hit with panic, I inspected my other pocket, then my back pocket, then the first pocket again. Finally, I resorted to the pocket of my left ass-cheek, the last place I’d ever put anything, and there it was. Well, if not reciprocating a hug in time wasn’t awkward enough, handing somebody a birthday card which had been rubbing on your ass has got to be a close second. It was a hand drawn card, too. A little more sentimental, I seemed to think. Saved me money, too.

Oh, James, you didn’t have to. She smiled. Here, come in. Penelope stepped aside, ushering me through. Her heels clacked harshly on the hardwood floor. I don’t think there’s anybody here yet who you know, but give me about fifteen minutes to put this away and say hi to some people, and I’ll be able to show you around.

Thanks, Pennie. I damned my inability to show up to anything even casually late. If I was willing, or able, to be cooler, maybe I’d have at least an acquaintance here already instead of beating them all here. My breath became shorter, constricting. Sweat came to my brow. I would have to meet somebody new and go out of my way to be charming. I hoped Dad was right about the world.

That is how I found myself stewing in the far corner. I could have joined any group, really, I considered. In the centre of the room some people were dancing. How odd would it be to dance over and say hi? But no, it’s more likely that I’d be some weird intruder. I’d be that guy – the guy who tried to outdance your group of friends. I hummed, looking to my watch. It had only been five minutes and my world was already collapsing. I sighed, and peered to the snack table. Nothing better to take your mind of crippling social anxiety than filling your face with garbage.

But there, I saw her.

Standing by a plate of fairy bread, guiding the sprinkle-coated treat to her mouth with the poise and restraint of a queen. Her dress was long and proper, and she held herself tall in it, standing fully but not pompously. She scanned the room my way, turning her face, revealing its sharp lines and bold features. She had an ancient beauty, not a girl you’d call pretty, but a woman you’d call commanding. Her face held power. On her chest, a gold locket shimmered in the disco lights.

I had to talk to her.

Her eyes passed over mine, assessing the crowd. Deep and blue, I felt myself fall into them, streaming into an endless, gentle abyss. Thrown into space itself. I soared past stardust, flying in the slingshot of a giant black hole, radiating in a soft, green glow. I reached out and touched its horizon, speckles off green lapping about and splashing off my fingertips. The world was a bliss glide. Here there was only happiness, and I was a part of it.

There was a clank, and something smashed into my ankle, wrapping around it. A chain had flung from the black beast’s centre, yanking me back. I lost my momentum, I lost the sparkles of stardust, and I fell with the heavy, metal links into a stark oblivion.

I shook my head from the daydream. That was crazy. Not unusual, though. Often, I found myself drifting into strange dreams whilst fully awake. As I came to, I noticed her looking at me too. Her brow was scrunched, she gave me that look reserved for people who you knew, but you weren’t sure how you knew them, or if you actually knew them at all. As soon as we’d caught each other glaring, we snapped our heads away.

I had to talk to this girl, but I’d gone ahead and made it weird. How could I approach her now that I’d been caught staring stupidly, and creepily? Girls didn’t like creeps. Hell, I wasn’t even attracted to this girl, but that’s how I’d come off, right? I’d just be another weird dude for her night. No-siree, that would not be James Grey tonight. I’d have to think of another way to strike a conversation. Call me the king of hyperbole, but deep in my gut, in that space which drives the soul, I knew I had to talk to her, or my life would miss some integral meaning – even if it was only consequential for one night. I turned, wracking my brain for some answer, only to be confronted with a beaming, radiant smile.

Ah! I stumbled in surprise. Penelope flicked her long locks aside.

Sorry that took so long. Penelope said, that smile still as strangely persistent.

That’s…okay. I fumbled the words, still picking myself up.

I’ve got somebody to introduce you to, over there, by the snack table.

She pointed and I followed her finger, turning slowly, hoping to the dear Lord of Cheeses that she would be pointing to the girl I’d found myself staring at. Low and behold, where her finger and intentions met, the other girl was placed. Was this the strange operation of the world? Was this some strike of destiny?

This would be a story for Dad, if only he was alive to hear it.

Before I knew it Penelope was walking me over, through the crowd to the snack table. Natalie! She called, and my woman of intrigue turned. Her blue-green eyes darted between Penelope’s and mine. She appeared just as shocked and nervous as I was. We must have been two stunned mullets – two deer driving cars, caught in each other’s headlights. This would be a collision.

This is my friend James Grey, I met him in primary school. James Grey, this is Natalie Athanas. She’s a family friend. She pushed the two of us together, smiled, and proceeded to reach between us, dipping each finger in a cheese ring before skipping off. There was a pause, where we were each caught in each other’s stare. My heart was racing, my forehead was sweating. I’d been pushed here, somehow, and I had no idea what to do with it.

How do you do? I asked, cringing as I said it.

Very well, thank you. Natasha said. James, was it?

Yes. I smiled. Natasha?

Natalie.

Oh… I cringed twice as hard. Lovely to meet you, Natalie. I burned her name deep into my brain. Natalie! "So, Natalie, how do you know Penelope?"

Well, my Mum used to tutor her, so I was always around here in high school. She said. How about yourself?

Just Primary school, really. I smiled, dragging my feet through the tension of nervousness. At least she was nervous too – or, she could have just been bored. It was hard to tell. Then I realised there was a silence. Was I supposed to go on? I didn’t want to screw this up now. So much for destined conversation. So…where do you go to school?

I just moved to Leslie Grammar. She said. I moved from down by the beach to live with my Dad for year twelve. My jaw dropped, my heart raced, and I’m sure some stupid smile crawled itself to plaster across my face.

Cheese! I’m from Leslie Grammar, I’m in year twelve! I exclaimed.

What? She chuckled. No way.

Yes way. I beamed. That’s so cool. It’s almost like destiny, I mused. If you counted meeting somebody who you go to school with as divine intervention. So, what, do you live around here? I asked, before I realised how weird that sounded. ‘Because we could catch the train together, if you do.’ Was where I was leading, but that wouldn’t have been obvious to her.

Actually, I do. She smiled. I mean, I’m on the other side of the train line, but I walked here.

Ha! I blurted. I’m also from that way. I’m surprised we didn’t bump into each other on the way.

"Oh, you got here way too late for that. She scoffed. I was ten whole minutes early. Or, five minutes late, as I call it."

And she was uncool, too? This couldn’t be. My nervousness had burst into elation. My otherworldly strong compulsion to talk to this girl had resulted in a maybe-friend!

Are you catching the train to school, then? I asked, and then before she could answer. Because we could catch the train together, if you like? She paused, considering the offer.

That would be lovely, James. She smiled, and outstretched a hand to be shaken. Before they touched though, she withdrew. Only if you get to school half an hour early. I’m not about turning up right on time, you know.

Try an hour early. I smirked, and our hands met for a done deal.

We continued chatting, the party swirling around us. People came and went, buzzing through their evenings, churning between places and creating stories, but none of it mattered. The world moved on, but Natalie and I were caught in a stasis. We moved to the nearby couch, engrossed in each other’s words. She used to live with her mother by the beach, but moved up to do year twelve at a private school, living with her father and maternal grandmother, whom she called her Yamitse. I didn’t know what language that came from – nor did she – but we connected on having ethnic grandmothers. Hers being Yamitse and mine being Baba. She’d been dancing since she could walk, surfing from even younger, and spoke Greek at home. I tried to impress her with my early morning rowing, my stories of music and school, and my Italian-Macedonian heritage.

I checked my watch. Lord of Cheese, it’s almost nine-thirty, and I haven’t had a dance. I gawked, standing. Do you want to dance? I don’t care if you don’t, I’m going to anyway.

To this music? She huffed, rolling her eyes. It’s sing along garbage.

And what did you have in mind? I quizzed.

You’ll see. She stood. She strode through me, across the room, over to the cabinet by the sound system. She cut a path straight through the dancing girls, not a care in the world, and reached for a CD high in the stack. She pressed the eject button, right in the middle of the current song. My jaw went slack. Such a faux pa drew boos from the crowd, but they bounced off her skin. She pushed play.

Bass was plucking. Low and steady, and asynchronous. It jived, with the drums panning in over the top, right in each beat where the bass wasn’t. My head clucked like a chook, my feet moving themselves. Ooh! I nodded, Damn! The groovy had me, entranced even before the guitar swooped in, spear tackling my soul. I was alight now, limbs moving.

Damn Natalie! I laughed, strutting into centre floor.

I know. She said smugly. Her body moved fluidly, swaying between beats. She had inertia to her rhythm which was hard to ignore, like a tidal force. She swung her arms around.

Then there was a splash, my leg wet. I paused, and between Natalie and I, my cup of water had fallen off its perch. It wasn’t unknown for my dancing limbs to make drinks fly, but I was certain I didn’t hit it, and Natalie was nowhere near close enough. I’ll have to clean that up. I’ll be back. I said. But great music choice!

You know it. She bode me farewell, still entranced in the music. I turned to the kitchen, towards the hall, to see two very familiar swaggers strutting my way, my best mates Tom and David. I waved, elated to see their familiar faces.

My friendship with Tom and David was forged through years of schooling. Tom’s grin, constantly plastered on his face, stood in the place of his soul. His feet moved with a jaunty bounce - his red, curly locks following with the same arrogance and cheek. David, next to him, looked to have just walked out of an op-shop change room. To his taste, vintage was the only description. If others couldn’t have it, David wanted it. Unfortunately, he often lacked the confidence to demand what he wanted – which was unusual for a handsome man of dark skin, great height, and a British voice.

Mate! I called to them. "My Cheese, I almost died. I had to meet people."

Jimmy boy! Tom called back and danced his way over, mimicking my style. He laughed, and we all shook hands.

Behind Tom, I noticed Penelope making her way down the hallway to us.

I didn’t think you would come. I said. It’s already nine-thirty.

How long have you been here? David asked. It’s still so early.

Well, about an hour I think. I looked at my watch.

Who’ve you been hanging out with for an hour? Fairy bread? Tom asked, grabbing a slice from the table next to me.

I chuckled. No mate, you think I could walk up to a tasty piece of fairy bread and start a conversation? That’s too much pressure for me, man. I joked with him, grabbing a piece. But no, I met the girl over there, I said and pointed to Natalie, who was still dancing to herself. She’s pretty cool. She’s just moved to our school, so we’ll see her around, I guess.

They each subtly glanced to Natalie, and turned back to me with shocked faces.

Penelope walked behind Tom, her arms grabbing him in a surprise hug. He coughed up sprinkles as she squeezed him tight, then slung her way around him, into our circle.

So glad you boys could make it. She said, her gaze locked on Tom. I’m going into the pool, but you should join me. And with her hand lingering on Tom for way too long, she pulled herself away, out the back door. David was gobsmacked.

Man, it’s the Tom and James show tonight, boys. He huffed.

Knowing James, it’s probably just the Tom show. Tom said, puffing his chest.

"Hey, I just made a friend tonight. I backed away from the implication. Nothing more. Tom show it is. Don’t let Pennie get away, man of the hour."

Don’t worry. He grinned. I wouldn’t dream of it. And board-shorts in hand, he ran out the back door.

The party wrapped up just past the turn of midnight, long after darkness had set on the late summer night. Natalie and I sat for most of it on the edge of the pool, teasing our feet in the water, talking on whatever else we could. I offered to walk her home, and she accepted, wanting somebody to be with through the moonless streets. We said bye to the birthday girl, and thanked her mother for having us over, before ducking into the dark outside.

We quickly came to the railway line. Natalie and I lived on the other side, and to get there we had to go through a cobblestone alleyway and into the old underpass. We were walking by the tracks, on a street which was a busy thoroughfare by light. Shadows of trees crawled in the wind, darkness dancing across the houses on the left.

Natalie was tense, I could sense it. She’d been silent for a long way, now.

What’s up? I asked her. My voice died strangely before my face, not even breaking the eeriness of the still-aired night.

"I don’t know, something feels wrong about this. It’s too quiet, you know?"

It’s also two in the morning. I joked, I think that’s expected. When I looked up again, I saw a shadow figure dart between two cars. It gave me such a fright that I ground to a halt, frozen.

Don’t you get that feeling when you know people are around? She asked me, grabbing my hand to pull me along. I could see her hunching – stalking, even – as we toed towards the alley underpass. I know people are around…

Shoes screeched in the alleyway, followed by the dull thud of flesh on stone. A man grunted loudly, then men’s voices started growling, their speech inaudible. Frozen, my first instinct was to run away, and I stomped my foot down to flee before my world fell in on itself. My very being screamed at the idea of running, squirming in my gut. Strangely, every urge, every compulsion, was telling me to stalk closer, to see what was happening. Just like that compulsion which guided me to meet Natalie, I felt that I had to obey it. Doing anything else would be wrong. The two of us, in unexpected unison, stalked closer, clinging to the corner of the alley. We peeked around.

There were four men in the alley, standing under the singular pool of dirty, orange light. One was being held up against the wall by two men in pinstriped suits. Another man in a red suit stood in the middle of the way, facing the hostage and growling. His nose was held high, his complexion dark and mysterious, his posture mighty against the frail victim.

Do you know what family means, my friend? He spoke in a thick French accent. The Argols are about family. You don’t want protection from the angry mobs and racists out there? That’s your decision, but don’t drag the rest of us down that hole...

Argols? I shuddered. That was a name that my police detective father had taken home with him.

Natalie, we shouldn’t be here. I whispered, grabbing her arm. These guys are in a dangerous gang. And they don’t use guns, they use…

The man reached across his body and unsheathed a sword. As he drew it, the leading edge erupted in flames, creating a wall of yellow fire down the blade’s sharp side. The flame was liquid; it oozed and spewed from the tip of the weapon and dripped onto the cobbles. He swung it into the ground. It spat a line of fire directly between the victims’ legs, the asphalt of the gutter melted, and tar bubbled at hostage’s feet.

…Flamethrowers! I squeaked, but I couldn’t bring myself to look away from the situation, let alone fathom leaving.

The big man in the suit swung the sword around his body – fire recklessly flying over the floor.

Now tell me, He demanded as he stabbed the ground. The tar melted to make way for the hot weapon. Why shouldn’t we kill a rat like you?

Movement in the distance caught my eyes. In the far shadows, lurking by the underpass, I saw a light blue glow – a pair of rectangular cyan eyes with a glowing partition between them, spying. As soon as I’d seen them, I noticed another pair; pink circular lights, onlooking from above the fence. Then I saw a purple pair, a darker blue pair, a yellow pair; all glowing eyes stalking in the darkness.

They were all moving, ducking in and out from behind the shadows, except the cyan pair, which stood their ground firmly at the end of the lane. They were bobbing up and down, as if the owner was walking closer. There was another eruption of flame from the hilt of the grounded sword. The blinding light was enough to distract me from the eyes, and when I went to look back they had all disappeared. The red suited man ripped his sword from the ground and held it to the throat of his victim, the flame illuminated the fear of death strewn across his face.

From down the alley there was a sound like something between swatting a tennis racquet and a laser gun. A cyan bolt of energy, like a rod of light with three glowing rings down its length, came careening through the air. It slapped the sword wielding man across his face; his head spun from its impact and his body followed. He tumbled to the ground. The sword’s flame immediately extinguished, and the weapon smashed into the asphalt where it shattered like glass.

From a tree above the laneway a shadow-figure dropped and landed in the darkness with a metal clank. The shape was humanoid, but jagged – sharp, with spikes and hard edges. Its arm quickly entered the circle of orange light and grabbed the furthest of the pinstriped gangsters holding the hostage. It’s arm and hand were armoured, its wrist was skinny, and its fingers too slender and long to be human. Before I could analyse anything more, the arm pulled away and the man fell into the shadows. The last gangster standing dropped the victim and drew his own weapon - a long, wooden staff which seemed to come from nowhere. Before he could use it, a shadow, moving too fast to illuminate, rocketed past Natalie and I from the street and grabbed him on the way through. The man was drug across the stones, into the darkness

The victim didn’t look too much more relieved than he did before, as he was backing himself up to the wall for safety against the shadowed terror. The owner of the cyan eyes bobbed through the blackness, then stepped out into the edge of the light. Like the other figure, this one appeared humanoid, but covered in sharp and hard-edged armour. They had a large, silvery chest plate and shoulder coverings. On the ends of the shoulder plates were little lightning bolt ends. The same little bolts adorned its yellow helmet, like horns. The helmet was sleek, with a cyan partition up the middle which branched into eyebrows above its eyes. The line of its jaw continued outwards into two mandible-like spikes. 

The man’s eyes opened wide. He peeled himself from the brick wall and fell to his knees before the armoured man.

"Na Fara." He hailed. I didn’t recognise the language.

"Yefarka di mis. The figure replied, Sur san Suneva."

I finally had the energy to turn away from the scene.

"Suneva…" Natalie and I both whispered aloud at the same time.

I knew that word too. But where from?

Before I could express this to Natalie, I felt something behind me – like a disturbance in the gentle breeze. The shadow of a dark figure loomed over my shoulder. Reluctantly, I turned to face the demon-like being. Its bright, rectangular, orange eyes illuminating my face.

I don’t think it’s safe for you here, it said calmly, with its smooth voice.

Natalie and I shrieked. We ran off down the street, back into the darkness.

Chapter 2

Skeletons in the Attic

Suneva, The Argols…I mulled it over before I went to sleep that night. It was obvious I was meant to stumble into that frightening scene with Natalie, if only to remember those words. But why?

I’d seen the image of the yellow armoured man before, too – the guy with the cyan eyes. I couldn’t be certain, but I thought the image came from a little, red book Dad read once. I hadn’t seen the book before or since, but I remember that striking figure being on the cover. I fell asleep with both the images swimming in my minds’ eye.

We kept Dad’s stuff in a box in the attic. Our house was modest. It had a long hallway, which connected the front door to the kitchen and dining room out the back. Mum slept up the front, and my sister, Simone, was with me in our own hallway. Halfway along the hall, across from the TV area, hung a string from the roof. If you pulled on it, the attic ladder would come crashing down to the floor. There were dints in the floor boards from where it kept landing.

That red book would be up there. It felt almost silly to chase these answers, especially this way. I had not been immune to the crazy and spectacular in life. There had been many occasions where I didn’t believe my own eyes, so why did I believe last night so intently? Was it because Natalie was as scared as I was, or because I felt that it had to have been genuine? And why did I feel that I needed to know those words? What I did know was that in the bizarre night, a stream of intense gut feelings and compulsions, led me to meet a girl with whom I would witness something otherworldly. It wasn’t the weirdest thing I’d ever seen, but I still felt that I had to know more about it. I couldn’t leave those compulsions unchecked. Something was at work here, demanding my attention.

Still, Natalie and I didn’t talk at all after the events we witnessed the night before. The whole journey home, we ticked our brains over just to keep our hearts pumping. I said goodnight on her doorstep, and she thanked me for walking her. We exchanged the pleasantries of ‘it was wonderful to meet you’, and then I went on my way.

I passed the study on the way to the attic. Simone, my elder sister by two years, sat hunched in the dark room over a bright screen. Her furious fingers typed away, tongue hanging out the side of her mouth, revelling in her grin. I could only assume she was making another blog post. Ahead-of-the-times, that was Simone. We were one of the only houses with an internet connection in nineteen-ninety-eight, and she damn well made sure to use each byte of bandwidth posting her opinion on far-left image boards, spurting paranormal madness on her connected blogsite. Feminism, demons and ghosts, those were her strangely disconnected points of expertise, plastered on an image board which covered topics from functional Marxism, social activism, all the way down to the paranormal and spiritual.

Updating your loyal followers? I asked as I passed.

I’m on to something today, James. She grinned. Evidence on the scale that we’ve seen.

I’d like to see it, then. I said, and without a hint of sarcasm to the tone. Simone and I had a shared childhood experience which formed a contract between us – an infinite clause of belief. Never would we doubt each other’s outlandishly crazy claims. It was well deserved, too. I’d never mock her for her beliefs – I did love her, after all.

Oh, you’ll see it, right after the world does. She yelled as I walked off. They’ll all believe us, James.

I got under the attic’s trap door and pulled its release string. It took a forceful tug to undo the latch, but once it released I had to jump clear. The sliding ladder – probably the most lubricated and well-engineered in the world – careened down its rails like a runaway train and crashed into the indents in the floor boards. It shook the house, summoning the family dog, Errol, right away. He circled around the base of the ladder as I climbed it, watching curiously.

The air in the attic was thick and unsettled. A shroud of darkness hung in the room – separate to the shadows which leaped between boxes in your peripherals. Not even the light from the singular, circular window could cut into the haze. The sun’s rays were strangled once they passed the glass, and thrown to the floor like dead insects. Dust hung in the room like treacherous fog, dancing unpredictably and settling in a thick coating over everything.

I crawled past the many boxes to the back wall, where there was a large, wooden chest. As I made my way towards it, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. There were eyes in every particle of air and every shadow, all focussed on me. It was the same feeling which struck me each time I came here for Dad’s stuff. It didn’t surprise me anymore, but it was still creepy.

I pressed the button on the large, wooden chest’s latch. The lid popped up pneumatically, just enough to get your fingers under the crack. I slowly swung it open the rest of the way, revealing items I had sorted through many times.

On top of the pile was his white golf visor, which he wore religiously every Sunday. Under that was his wedding suit, and some other clothes which he would lounge around the house in. In retrospect, it was weird to preserve his lazing around clothes, but looking at them always jogged my memory of him. It was comforting.

I could see the way that he would shuffle onto the back deck, wine glass in hand, and