InsaneJournal

I've Seen Fire, and I've Seen Rain, I've Seen Sunny Days That I Thought Would Never End
Who: Edward and The Inventor (closed)
What: Edward comes in contact with someone he last saw over 50 years ago. His scars are gone and his hair is combed, but he knows more about the world than his creator thinks he does.
Where: The Castle on the Mountain, Suburbia
When: Day 25, from 7:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M.
Rating: PG-13 for angst
Status: Finished



Edward did not need to sleep, but when the Inventor slept, there wasn't much else to do. So, when he woke up, the first thing he noticed was that his face didn't feel uneven and itchy as it often did, or as flexible. His lips weren't as stretched, and seemed to settle naturally into a pursed pout. He blinked several times, feeling the newness of his lids somewhat abrasive compared to the wear-and-tear that happened after fifty years. His scissor-hands were safely bound with soft cloths to prevent him from cutting himself in his sleep. He stood from the sitting position he had fallen asleep in, toddling on stiff legs toward the Learning Room. His breath caught when he saw the Inventor already up and happily tinkering with a humanoid machine.

"Ah. Edward. Wonderful to see you this morning," the Inventor said, his blue eyes crinkling into a crescent moon shape. "You're walking well this morning. Here... let me help you with those."

"Thank you," Edward replied automatically, as the Inventor removed the cloth padding from the shears at the ends of his wrists.

"I have a special poem to read to you today, Edward."

Edward had missed hearing poetry, so he lowered himself (his balance slightly off) into a chair while the Inventor pulled up his stool and reached for the big book he read from so often.

"This is one of my favorites," the Inventor said happily, opening to a bookmarked page. "You will not understand this, Edward, my pet, but you may find it interesting. It is different from what we have read before.

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;--
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me. "

Edward smiled. The poem already made him think of Kim. He could see the sea sometimes from the highest window in the mansion, which meant that Kim was also near it, and Kim loved him. She had said so.

"She was a child and I was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love--
I and my Annabel Lee--
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me. "

Edward continued to smile. Maybe it grew just a little wider. Kim might have been a child now, before Edward came down into the world, while the Inventor was still alive. She was like an angel, and the mention of wings made Edward glad. It made him think of the way she danced in the snow and grasped at the delicate snowflakes, things Edward could touch without destroying.

"And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud by night
Chilling my Annabel Lee;
So that her high-born kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea."

Edward's smile faltered slightly. This was a different kind of feeling... it made Edward think of Kim maybe being cold, because of the snow... it made him think of Jim taking her away. He didn't know what a "sepulchre" was, but it sounded like a van with a sliding door. Edward already hated it.

"The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me:--
Yes! that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of a cloud, chilling
And killing my Annabel Lee."

Killing? Edward's smile was completely gone now. The Inventor didn't notice, caught up in the climax of the poem.

"But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we--
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in Heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:-- "

Edward blinked back tears. He wanted to go, right now, to Kim, and take care of her, and hold her, and be by her side. Tears started to leak out of his eyes as he thought of her, and they increased in frequency and intensity as the last stanza went achingly on.

"For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea--
In her tomb by the side of the sea. Edward, what's wrong?" The Inventor stared at him, looking frightened and surprised. "Edward, are you... sad? Do you understand what this means?"

Edward swallowed and nodded. "I understand. I'm very sad. The poem is about death."

The Inventor closed the book slowly. "Edward? What do you know of death?"

"It takes people away. They are still forever. Sometimes they are in pain first. Sometimes there is blood, and sometimes there is screaming..." he was crying freely now. "Why do people die?"

"Edward..." The Inventor crossed the room, putting a hand over Edward's leather-bound wrist. "Edward, I... had not meant for you to learn about that, so soon. I don't know how you know what you do, but please... do not let it upset you too much. Death is a part of life. Everyone dies. Someday, I'll die, and leave you with what you need to live without me."

"Will I die?" Edward asked, not caring to tell the Inventor that he had already broken his promise by dying before he could give him hands.

"Edward... life is what you make of it. You can live for a long time, or a short time, but what matters is how well you live. You know about death, and if you choose to let it make life mean more... then that is wisdom. You'll have grown and become bigger by understanding something bigger than yourself."

Edward nodded, his tears continuing to fall, but they weren't bitter or afraid. Hearing the Inventor say that it wasn't bad to die made things a little better. "Where do people go when they die?"

"A better, happier place. Another world... another dimension... somewhere where everything is happy and there is no pain or sadness. A place with angels."

Edward smiled.