Eli's own screams rang in his ears along with the intruder he literally ran into. He pushed the person away with all of his strength, the other not budging. The force of his own push sent Eli falling back onto the center isle floor. His screaming cut short as he went oof from the impact.
The intruders screams stopped as well and he heard a faint whoosh by his ear. The candle suddenly relit behind him.
"Wait a minute.."
The intruder spoke!
"Eli?"
The intruder knew his name!
The intruder knew his name?
Eli's head whipped around towards the candle light and he gasped in shock.
This wasn't an intruder!
"Reuel!"
---
After an initial moment of shock, The two now sat outside back in the courtyard between the church and the orphanage.
Eli looked over the person he knew as Reuel.
Eli was only six when he came to live at the orphanage, Reuel was already much older than him, a young teenager who immediately took the sick boy under his protection and friendship. Reuel was the one who was always there for him, caring for him when his illness got worse and stood up for him when bullies tried to pick on him or fight him.
The two had been as thick as wool in their younger days. Eli was now nearly eighteen, Reuel now in his mid twenties. They had parted a couple years ago when Reuel had left working at the church to travel and learn about the foreign land around them.
It had been a very lonely two years.
But now Reuel looked so different.
Reuel used to have such short hair. His skin used to be much lighter, having stayed inside with Eli a lot while taking care of him in his sickbed. Now the mans hair reached his mid back, tied into a lazy ponytail. His skin was tan, having seen a lot of sun over the past couple years.
Was he always this TALL?
Eli looked Reuel up and down once again, cursing himself for having hardly growing an inch since he was fifteen.
Reuel turned to Eli, smiling with his blue eyes glinting in the moonlight.
"It's good to see you haven't changed a bit, Eli"
Eli could tell Reuel was teasing him for not growing taller like the boy had so wholeheartedly declared as the other had left.
"Still the same old short, sickly little boy I used to take care of" He chuckled softly and nudged Eli.
"You almost managed to move me when you pushed me!"
Eli gave Reuel a pout before smiling, nudging him back. "If I wasn't sick right now I would have been able to move you." Reuel only laughed and shook his head. "When are you not sick, boy?"
The two laughed again, enjoying their reunion together now that the fear from a few moments ago had faded.
"I just got back into town and wanted to have some time to pray in silence before the people came in for "early worship" Reuel stretched his arms above his head. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon! I was going to surprise you in the morning when you awoke!"
Eli shrugged. "I just needed to get some fresh air and I thought you were a burglar breaking into the church"
"You mean we have valuables in the church?"
Reuel joked, feigning getting up to run back inside the church.
Eli rolled his eyes.
The sun began to creep up over the horizon, light washing over the little courtyard and their chilled skin. Eli tried to stifle a yawn, Reuel catching it with a narrow eye.
"You should go back inside and get some more sleep before worship. I was going to go say hello to father before he began his morning prayer"
Eli began to reject, but Reuel stopped him.
"You need some more rest, you still have a light fever. I promise you'll see me in the day. I'm not going anywhere for a while."
With that, Reuel sent a protesting Eli towards the orphanage to go back to sleep.
"Oh, Reuel, before I forget-" Eli turned around in the doorway to tell his friend about his strange nightmares.
But he was already gone.
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