his eyes. I could also see that he had no intention of fighting it, which I guess, I could understand. He didn’t want to suffer any more than he already was. He just wanted his last moments here on earth to be his. I could respect that, but it didn’t make that pill any easier to swallow.
I wave his thanks off for the other night. The nights we spend together are just as much for me as they are for him.
“I’m doing pretty good. I was just here to pick up some frosting for Freya’s birthday when I ran into little miss here. She needed help getting down some pink frosting.”
He grins, looking down at his granddaughter lovingly. The happiness radiating from him is something I haven’t seen in a long while. It brings a smile to my face.
“Yeah, my daughter, Selene, is back in town from Pasadena, so little Luna will be around more often.”
Once again, hearing the name Selene strikes something in the back of my mind. Flashes of green grass, the soft sound of the creek, and the distinct scent of something floral and fruity are there, but it’s faint, tickling at the back of my mind. This happens often when I hang out with Gavin. I remember her from around town. She was younger and smart. Incredibly beautiful in a shy, wallflower kind of way. Oh, and she was obsessed with the moon. I remember specifically she’d always wear a moon necklace. It was her quirk. Really, it was the only thing that reminded me of her. The girl with the beautiful doe eyes who loved the moon.
“Did you get the strawberries, Papa?” The little girl’s voice echoes.
Gavin chuckles. “Sure did, squirt.”
“She’s a cute kid.”
“Yeah.” He sighs, a small smile twisting across his lips as he watches her hop in place with excitement. “Her dad isn’t in her life, but I swear, if you knew Luna, you’d know that doesn’t slow her down.”
A chuckle escapes my lips. “Oh, I believe it.”
“See you around, End,” Gavin says, taking Luna’s hand in his and turning back down the aisle where he came from. Because his granddaughter is such a character, as they’re walking away, she shoots a smile my way, mimicking her grandpa.
“Yeaaah, see you around, End.”
With a quiet chuckle and a shake of my head, I turn back toward the frostings, and say to hell with it, grabbing the same pink frosting that Luna wanted, and head to the checkout.
After dinner and cake at my parents’ place for my sister’s birthday, I opt to call it a night and head home. I have to be up early for a job tomorrow. We have to work on the foundation for an add-on on a home renovation. They’re expanding by about a hundred feet, which leaves more wiggle room for us to work.
On the drive home, I slow the company truck as I near the creek. For whatever reason, I’ve always been inexplicably drawn to this creek. There’s nothing super special about it. There are some large logs scattered across the greenage, and wildflowers decorate the grass during the spring or summer. During the winter, it’s nicer to look at in my opinion. Once the snow covers the thick blades of grass and the creek freezes over, it looks like a painting of what one would envision a winter wonderland to look like.
Over the years, though, the water has changed in color from a dark blue to a murky green. The Dunsmuir teens have taken to throwing garbage in it instead of the fucking trash cans.
The moon gleams over the water, practically calling to me for reasons that are unknown. I make the quick decision to park the truck on the roadside and hop out, wading through the long blades of grass toward the sound of rippling water. I pause upon the figure lying in the grass. My steps slow as I get closer. Part of me wonders if it’s a homeless person—I wouldn’t be all that surprised if it was. But when I make out the small, feminine figure, I toss that thought out altogether. At the sound of my footsteps, the woman shoots upright, glancing at me. I jerk to a halt, my eyes widening at the sight of who it is lying there.
“Endymion?” she whispers, shock written all over her face. I’m slightly taken aback by her face. I remember a lot about the young girl I share a birthday with. She was the town’s good