The blizzard is over. It’d ended hours ago.

“Hey, Tohya. Are you there’”

Roaming through the endless white scape is a figure armed only with a flashlight. His walk is lean. His posture straight. His breaths deep, but relaxed.

“I’m sure you’re still somewhere there.” The man says. “I wanted to apologize. About how we settled things. I’m sure I could’ve handled things better. I was… more desperate than I was willing to admit. It’s been decades. You were right. You’ve had this body more than I have. Everyone… has a sense of pride, to some extent, I guess.”

He sees the tail of the plane in the distance. It’s still sinking.

“Titanic’s got nothing on you, buddy.” The man sits down, turning the light off. “Tohya? Hello? They both survived. Broken, bruised, bitten… But they didn’t kill each other. That’s not bad, right? It would’ve been a pickle if the girl actually killed him. She would’ve probably pushed it all on me. What would YOU have done if that happened? Probably not what had to be.”

The man lies down, his hands under his head. “I won’t rub salt in the wound. I apologize.”

The night sky looks empty. No stars. Not even the moon. Not a single cloud, either. No whirlpool for a God to descend through and punish him, then.

“Can I admit something terrible to you, Tohya?”

The wind howls.

“…I really wish. That she loved me, in spite of it all.” He closes his eyes. “Not the boy from six years ago. This. The murderer. I imagined us riding off into the sunset. I imagined she’d stop crying, in spite of knowing she couldn’t. I wished she’d just kiss me. My witch. My beautiful, perfect witch.”

He covers his eyes. “I liked her letters. She had very pretty handwriting.”

His arms plop back down, onto the snow. “Do you think she might’ve survived? We did. Didn’t we, Tohya? Do you think she’s somewhere out there? What would she say if she saw me today?” He laughs. “…Well. It probably wouldn’t end well. Would she even go by ‘she’ today? Aw, who cares. I’d still try. It’s always worth to try. Right, Tohya?”

He pulls himself up.

“Right.”

He stares off into the horizon, spotting distant lights. Must be the rescue ships.

The man wipes the snow off him.

“I’m not good with the quiet moments. I keep thinking about Jessica. And George. But it always starts with Jessica. Tohya? Are you there? I really need you to say something. I’m starting to see her again. Tohya? Hello…?”

He stares blankly into the horizon.

“Hrm. What does gold go for these days, anyway?”

THE END

Written by: DWaM

Cover art by: selkie (@selkie_lynn on Twitter)