Every afternoon, Siris would go to the graveyard to talk—not to himself—but to anyone that would listen. He believed the trees would ponder his musings and would eventually respond, but the trees remained unconcerned.
When he was young, Siris couldn’t talk to the other kids at school due to a form of narcolepsy that prevented him from most interaction. He tried to be calm and collected, but joy or sadness or anger would overtake him, paralyzing him, and sending him crashing to the ground. Siris, a mere child, was sent away from regular schooling and forced to attend a home for “exceptional children.” His parents were not permitted to see him; this would cause Siris to cry and once again, fall into a bastardized sleep.
The other children were exceptional, Siris supposed, but he had to remain isolated from the others as they played with their toy trains, dolls, and other lovely things. One day, one of the girls noticed him peeking from his room, and she became extremely curious.
Harlowe wasn’t placed into the home. She was the daughter of the owners, but she played with the children just as she would with anyone else. Harlowe wondered why she hadn’t seen Siris before, and she smiled as he looked embarrassed, retracted, and returned to his personal solitude. She wouldn’t be having any of that, she decided, and darted into the room before the door could shut.
“What do you want?,” Siris said as less of a question and more of a reason for her to leave.
“I want to know why you don’t like us.”
“I like you just fine. It’s you that doesn’t like me.”
“That’s just ridiculous, but I’ll leave you to whatever you were doing in here.”
As she was leaving, he tried to maintain his composure. As young boy do, he grabbed her hair, yanking her back to face him, but as he did, he felt something. Something that didn’t belong. Two small bumps on either side, resembling miniature horns, made him recoil. She looked shocked, and tears welled up in her eyes. “Please don’t tell. Please don’t tell,” she quietly begged. Siris nodded, and he fell. When he awoke, she was gone, and she was not to be seen again for many years.