’Should I tell her now?’ Leon stared at Lily’s amber eyes, the goodbye he had to deliver lodging in his throat like a jagged stone. ’No, I can’t change her happy mood.’
"Co here!" he said, forcing a playful growl, and grabbed her, tickling her on the sides.
Lily shrieked with laughter, squirming in his grip. ’She can’t handle it. I can’t let her know. She has to find out,’ he scread in his thoughts.
He giggled, tickling her relentlessly for another five minutes until both of them beca breathless.
"It’s ti to go to sleep," he said, his heart heaving as he released her.
"I want to sleep by your side today," Lily stated, her face still shimring with joy as she bounced on the mattress.
"Nah," Leon said, standing up. He playfully scooped her up and cradled her against his chest. "Okay, let’s play a ga."
"What ga is that?" Lily asked, her expression shifting into curiosity. "Is it the ga we used to play whenever Dad ca back from work?"
At the ntion of the word Dad, Leon’s fragile heart crumpled into uncountable pieces. A fresh wave of loss washed over him like water.
Leaving now felt like hitting two birds with one stone.
He forced a smile on his face. "Mm, yeah, that ga," he said, gently pricking her nose with his pinky finger. "But this ti," he paused, staring into her trusting eyes, "ehh, don’t co search for . I will co search for you."
Lily’s face brightened with understanding. "Hide and seek!"
"Exactly," Leon said, the words tasting like ash in his soul.
He carried her on his back and ran a laughing marathon down the quiet hallway. Their footsteps were muffled.
He skidded to a stop in front of Li i’s closed door, both of them giggling.
"Shh... shh..." Lily placed her index finger on Leon’s lips, her own laughter subsiding into a whisper. "Mom could be asleep. Don’t go and wake her up."
"Let’s go then," Leon whispered back, setting her down and holding her small hand in his.
Just as he stretched his hand for the handle of their mother’s door, Lily yawned. A huge, jaw-cracking sound echoed. She rubbed her eyes with her right arm.
"Leon, I want to sleep," she mumbled, the excitent draining and getting replaced by the heavy drag of exhaustion.
Leon’s heart clenched as he led her to her own room, which was adjacent to their mother’s. He stood by the door and watched her climb onto the large bed until her tired, smiling face turned toward him.
"Leon, co and hug before you go," she said, spreading her arms wide.
Leon walked over and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Lily leaned into his left ear, her soft puff of breath prickling his skin.
"Make sure you sleep early," she whispered, then yawned again. Her body went limp against his, but she fought it for a second and brought her lips closer. "I will co there early in the morning."
Her body went slack as her words ended on a sigh.
Leon held her for a little longer, his eyes burning. ’I hope you beco happy when you see what I will leave for you.’
He swallowed hard, then gently laid her back against the pillows, carefully tucking the cloth around her body.
He walked to the door, stood there for a while, then turned and watched her. With extre slowness, Leon pulled the door shut until it clicked with a soft thud.
He inhaled deeply, feeling the hallway’s empty pressure. He doubled his steps the mont he neared his mother’s door.
He stretched his hand, but before he could touch it, he noticed the door was already ajar, her humming voice echoing in a sweet tone.
"Leon."
Li i sat in her wheelchair by the open window, a night breeze stirring her hair when Leon pushed the door open.
In her hands, she held a red cloth that looked to be freshly woven by hand.
"Co closer," she said, her blind eyes seeming to track the movent.
Leon moved to her, knelt by her side like a child, and rested his head on her lap. He inhaled the scent of her soap and the faint sll of her.
"Mom," he tried to speak, but Li i lifted a finger and placed it gently on his lips.
"Shh. Don’t waste our energy speaking," she said, her hand on his lips trembling slightly.
’How did she know where my lips were?’ he wondered.
"Take this," she said, raising the red cloth. She stretched her arm out toward the open window as if presenting sothing to him.
Leon stretched his right arm, guided her hand, and gracefully took the cloth. "I’m here, Mom," he said, tears welling in his eyes.
"I know," Li i replied in a voice that sounded strange. "I can see your father smiling at us from the skies."
’Dad?!’ Leon’s body stiffened. He tilted his head slightly, following the direction of her unseeing gaze.
He stared into the empty, star-flecked sky and saw nothing but the night.
"There is nothing there," he said softly, placing a comforting hand on her back. "Let take you to bed. You’re tired. Dad is no longer here." He stood up and made the move to help her up.
Li i shook her head firmly. "No, Leon, look. He is right there, staring and still smiling at us." Her voice grew more insistent, tears snaking down her cheeks.
She raised her hand and kept pointing with conviction to a spot Leon hadn’t looked at.
Leon squinted and looked again. And there, under the black, moving clouds, he saw the single, unblinking eye he had seen from the hospital window above Alchemania. The very eye that seed to be haunting him for days, weeks, and months.
’Is that Dad?!’ he scread in his thoughts, his heart hamring against his chest as he blinked rapidly.
He looked at his mother’s tear-stained face, then whipped his head back to the sky, clenching his jaw.
His jaw loosened when he saw the spot empty.
"Take this and wear it around your neck whenever you miss us," Li i said, pressing the red cloth into Leon’s hands.
’Does she know I’m leaving?’ Leon looked at her, stunned. "Mom," he tried again, his voice cracking.
Once more, she quieted him. "Shh. Don’t say anything. I know it." She yawned. "Help to my bed, my son."
Leon obeyed, carefully lifting her from the wheelchair and carrying her to the bed, then laying her down.
He arranged the pillows under her head with a tenderness that felt like breaking.
Li i’s hand shot out and held onto Leon’s. Her blind eyes stared at his, almost as if she could see.
"Don’t worry about . Worry about your sister while you’re away." She paused, then coughed heavily.
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