Death. The final stage in life that all creatures fear, doing everything in their power to run from their inevitable end, but deep down, every creature knows that once its end is near, death would not release the grasp it had on their soul.

Having been in and out of hospitals her entire life, Avery knew that at any given moment, her body could fail, and her fate would be sealed.  She was slowly going blind, and wearing glasses or contacts didn't seem to help in the slightest. The doctors never could figure out a diagnosis. After many years of trial and error, they’d practically given up on her, and even though she knew nothing could be done, Avery had accepted her fate many years ago and decided to live her life as fulfilling as possible. Though she was visually impaired, she tried to help the community by any means possible and enjoy things like the feelings of being outside, the taste of new foods, and listening to all kinds of things ranging from music to the simple, calm silence of the city early in the morning, or listening to her friends talking about their lives and share stories.

Since she wasn't busy, she decided that today was a good day to relax at her favorite spot in the park, and since it was around six o’clock in the morning on a Tuesday, nobody would be there to disturb the peace for a while. She followed the park's main path until breaking into a more closed-off, hidden path that led straight into the forest. The path was poorly made but still followable. She followed the path until it led her to a small clearing next to a lake.

The clearing was in the midst of its seasonal change. The oak trees had begun to shed their leaves, scattering them across the clearing, making quite a soft bed to lay on with the healthy, untouched grass that had been growing that somehow never grew too tall and would soon die as it got the tiniest bit colder, making room for the soft snow that would pile high. The lake itself hadn't frozen over but was icy to the touch. It remained still with no signs of life, perfectly reflecting everything around it.

The clearing was quite far from the park, but people often went there with their loved ones to explore or relax. When the lake eventually froze, many people gathered on the ice to skate, fish, or merely investigate what was happening. Avery didn't mind sharing the place with others but preferred to be alone when visiting, which is why she came at such an odd time in the first place. 

When she walked further into the clearing, she saw an unfamiliar mound of black lying next to the lake. Curious, Avery approached it since she couldn't see it. If she wanted things to look clear, she had to get relatively close to it, at least a few inches in range, for her vision to focus. 

Grabbing a small stick, she got closer to the mound and prodded it with the stick. In response, the mound stirred and rigidly sat up straight. Startled, Avery took a step back and calmed down when she realized it was a person, "Ah..sorry, I didn't mean to bother you.." she said, backing off a little more to give them a bit more space. The man turned to look at her. He didn't answer for a few seconds, making Avery feel a bit awkward, but she kept a smile on her face, perking up when the person spoke. 

“...You didn’t…it’s fine....” The man sounded tired and sad but didn’t move from where he had been sitting, continuing to stare at the water. 

Avery noticed his tone, and although this was just a stranger who happened to be there, she couldn't help but want to see if he was okay, wanted to talk, or just wanted to be left alone.

“Do you mind me sitting here at all?” she asked softly. The man gave a quiet 'no,' so Avery sat down a little ways away from him, looking at the water too, as blurry as it was. She decided to see if she could get the person to warm up to her by making small talk. If he didn't seem content with it, Avery would simply stop and relax.

"So…what brings you here? I hardly ever see anyone at this place this early," she asked politely. She didn't want to seem nosey and pry, but she needed to do some digging to make a conversation.

The man didn't answer, looking at the girl speaking to him. He stared at Avery for a while, as if studying her, and then turned back to the lake, pulling his black hood over his head more. The hood wasn't the typical hood from a jacket or a hoodie. It was more on the lines of a cloak. Avery couldn't see this very well but still found it interesting. She did not know what the man looked like, which was another mystery but not one she could investigate easily.

Avery seemed to get the hint that the man didn't want to talk and didn't pry any further, lying down in the grass and closing her eyes. The two sat like this for a while, next to each other but not speaking or acknowledging each other much. Avery had fallen asleep after a while of relaxing while the other person remained sitting, staring at the lake in silence. After a while, the man stood up and walked over to Avery, crouching down. He wasn't overly close, but close enough to touch Avery, and his hood fell back, exposing a handsome face. The person looked young but somehow seemed much older than Avery. 

"How can you fall asleep so easily next to someone you don't know? What a strange girl..." he said, moving his hand closer to Avery's face. He stopped just a few centimeters from touching it and sighed, huffing a laugh, " Such a strong soul for such a little human. I wonder if you knew who I was, would you sleep so peacefully?"

He seemed to get a small laugh out of this, and with a snap of his fingers, he vanished as if he never existed in the first place. Avery woke up an hour or so later after this event and headed home after seeing that the man was gone. With curiosity filling her from her discovery and content with the nap she had, she decided that she would come back the following week at the same time and see if the man would be there once more, and when she did, sure enough, he was, and he sat in the same spot as last time.

Thus, this began a routine of some kind, so every Tuesday, no matter how late or early Avery would be, that person would sit in the same spot with the same black cloak. He never spoke aside from Avery greeting him and greeting her back. Despite his lack of communication, Avery somehow became more comfortable with him and often brought snacks to share with the stranger. This was an easy way to get the other person to talk, as Avery found he enjoyed sweets very much and would often take quite a few of the snacks she brought, especially if she had brought tarts.

Avery still had not seen the person's face as he hid it with the hood on his cloak, and her curiosity only grew. She decided to be upfront about the next time they met, and on the day they were supposed to meet once again, she woke up early in the morning and headed to the local bakery, getting the tarts she knew the man liked most and headed towards the clearing. As expected, he was lying down with his hood covering his face as usual. It was a bit foggy, so Avery had some difficulty navigating since weather like this made seeing much of anything harder to do.

She walked towards the lake slowly and cautiously. She could see somewhat of a black figure, so she headed in that direction. Thinking she was in the clear, Avery picked up her pace, which was a mistake as her foot got stuck in the root of a tree. She felt her body lurch forward, and the box of tarts leave her hands instinctively. Avery braced to slam into the ground but saw a black blur rush before her. She was met with a face full of dark fabric as an arm wrapped around her waist; the tarts that had fallen from her hands were not on the ground either.

"Are you-..you…should be more careful…" The person sighed, helping Avery stand up properly and handing her the box back. This was the most he had ever spoken to Avery, and before she could thank him, he pulled her towards where the two usually sat, put her on her spot, and returned to his own. 

"Thank you for helping me out there…um.." Avery trailed off. It didn't feel like a genuine apology unless she said the person's name, but the cloaked man never shared his name, nor had Avery, which was a tad bit humorous. They’d been in each other's company for a few weeks and hadn't even exchanged names. She laughed a little and sighed with a smile, "Uhm...I just realized I never got your name, if you don't mind telling me…"

The person looked over at Avery when she began laughing and couldn't help but smile a tiny bit upon seeing Avery's face, but quickly looked away. After a few seconds of silence, he answered, "Nytin, my name is Nytin…what's…" He appeared to hesitate, looking back at Avery, finally finishing his sentence, "What's your name?"

Avery smiled even wider. "Nice to officially meet you, Nytin. My name is Avery, and thank you again for saving me from falling." She said, moving closer and opening the box of perfectly intact tarts. "As a reward, would you like some more tarts?"

Nytin cracked another smile and slowly grabbed a tart. "Thank you," he said, biting into the sweet but savory treat. He glanced over at Avery, who was trying to pick a tart out for herself, and thought that Avery resembled a bright, beautiful, and mysterious star. He couldn't help but be curious about Avery, wanting to meet her here every day, bask in the forest's peacefulness, or listen to a short story she had to tell.

Nytin finished his tart and turned back to Avery, "..Do you..like the stars?" he asked quietly, reaching into the box to grab another tart.

Avery nodded, "I love the stars! I can't see them very well anymore, but I like astronomy, learning about space, and seeing the pictures of the telescopes that got shot up there. It's all very interesting." She waved her hands around in an exaggerated motion, somewhat mimicking a rocket taking off. "What about you?"

Seemingly taken aback by being asked a question about himself, Nytin paused and looked away again, distracting himself with the tart. "Yes…there’s a very bright one in specific I think may just be becoming my favorite." he took a bite of his tart, glancing over at Avery to see her very interested in what he had to say. He chuckled a little, “You probably wouldn't know which one, though, Starshine." He said, reaching over and picking a leaf out of Avery's hair. 

Avery gave a small 'thank you' and felt a little happier about the nickname. "Starshine? Where'd you get that from?" she cheekily asked with a small laugh. It was cute, and she liked the nickname. It made her feel a lot closer and more familiar with Nytin, who just shrugged and finished off his treat, wiping his hands together to get the crumbs off. 

"I haven’t a clue…I suppose it just fits you well, don’t you agree?" he said, staring at the lake's still water. This was the longest conversation he'd ever had with Avery. If Nytin had known it would be this pleasant, he'd have asked questions like this sooner.

"That's fair." Avery had finished her tart, leaving only one left. She didn't want it, so she pushed the box over to Nytin, who quickly took up the offer. Avery just smiled and fell back in the grass. "Hey, so…what should I bring next week?" 

Nytin hesitated before answering. The first thing that had come to mind might have sounded a bit odd coming from his lips. He had never requested a specific kind of snack or treat before, so he took a while before answering, pulling his hood down more on his head and sheepishly responding, "An...apple…s-stroodleee..?" 

Avery held back a laugh at Nytin's pronunciation of 'strudel' so as not to embarrass him any further. "Mmm..sounds tasty. I'll bring some apple strudels next time, then..." she said, closing her eyes, seemingly ready to nap. She had forgotten her original mission to peek at Nytin's face, much more content with their conversation than seeing his face. 

"Thanks, Starshine." Nytin said softly, biting into his tart, a little embarrassed about saying 'strudel' wrong. Avery gave a hum of acknowledgment, seemingly already falling asleep. Nytin looked over at her for a while, smiling at Avery's peaceful face before returning to eating his tart, warm and content, glad to have company at his side.