We Aren’t Ready For This

Enki gazes at the stranger as something stirs beneath the heavy gauze of his memory. Once vibrant baby blue eyes are now dead and dull, the shine of coat absent as all trace of life seems to have fled from the boy. A part of him yearns to question this wolf as to why they seem to bring up feelings of familiarity but, for now, he inquires if they need any help. The question is repeated back in a slow, grumbled way that speaks of… something. Since he had learned of his mother’s death, emotions have become a foreign concept, something half remembered and just as easily forgotten; so, the frustration goes unread by the grieving boy.

Eyes blink sluggishly as he awaits an answer from the wolf whose pink coat seems eerily similar to his own. The silence that stretches between the pair slowly becoming pregnant while Enki remains unaware of any tension that may be hanging there. As the stranger finally speaks, the boy’s baby blue eyes slowly widen and he jerkily nods his head in agreement, curious as to how they know the name his mother had given him. He is not left waiting long for an answer as it is explained that Ghoul is his older half-brother and the slow, deliberate way that Ghoul talks to him is completely missed by the broken boy.

Time passes as he gazes at his brother, blank and empty while his brain attmepts to connects the dots. After a few moments, Enki’s voice shakily says, “Recluse. You are her son too.” Suddenly, the dead expression shifts, giving way to a deep heart-rending sorrow and the boy chokes out, “Why did she have to die, Ghoul?” It is the first time, since he had learned of the news, that the boy has felt any emotions and he is quickly remembering why he had locked them away. The pain that he feels is real as his chest constricts and he sucks in a breath, the world spinning with dizzying lights as tears burn hotly in his eyes. Why did she have to leave him? It is a question the boy still is seeking an answer for.


"Enki Klein"