I

Leaves had started to fall. Autumn was finally here. Achill sat on a park bench all by himself reading a book.

 

Yes his name was Achill. His mother had held him in her arms and just let those syllables slip out of her mouth before death got a hold of her, leaving baby Achill to be raised by his father and grandparents. Baby Achill grew up to become a very handsome young man with raven black hair, green eyes and an angular face. He was a tall boy with lean muscles and a tired posture.

The leaves rustled and one of the leaves landed onto Achill’s book. He stared at the leaf. He always felt very strange during Autumn. Something about the season made him very anxious and peaceful at the same time. He felt a strong longing for something, but for what? He doesn’t know. Every year when all the leaves finally shed and winter starts, he feels empty, as if the only reason for his survival was gone. Something about Autumn made his heart race.

Achill picked the leaf off his book and twirled it around in his fingers. Sudden flashes of a big castle, and a big field came in front of his eyes. He stopped twirling the leaf and came back to reality. He always wondered where has he seen that castle before. Perhaps some movie? He put the leaf back in his book, closed it, and got up to leave.

A sudden gush of wind blew the leaves from the ground and Achill’s hair into his face. He removed the strands of hair from his eyes and looked into the distance. He saw someone’s silhouette. His heart started beating loud. The jumbled memories of the castle, the field, a small basement came to his mind. In the basement, he was embraced by somebody tightly. The embrace was so peaceful, it did wonders to him. He turned his head up to look at the person when he came back to reality.

Nobody stood there anymore. Did he hallucinate? He probably did. Achill has always been a daydreamer. Everyone said his head was always in the clouds. Maybe that’s why he pursued Literature.

Achill was in his Second Year at Cambridge University. He walked back to his Dorm wondering about his assignments and due dates. When he reached his Dorm room he found packed suitcases on his roommate’s bed. He felt a little panic in his chest but didn’t express it. His roommate, Ryan came in with a box labelled ‘Books’. He saw Achill and smiled, “Hey there Achilles! Just packing my last box up. Thanks for the help before.” He put the box down and sighed. Achill looked at him for a while then spoke, “Do you have to leave?” Ryan shook his head and chuckled. Achill had asked this question for the 100th time this week. He replied, “Yes Ac. They have asked all the Liberal Arts students to move to the Dorm near the Faculty. I know you have to find a new roommate but trust me, you will make new friends.” Achill mumbled, “But I don’t want to make new friends.”

Achill wasn’t very social. He liked to be by himself. Everyone thought he was some kind of loner, but truth is Achills’ thoughts clouded his desire to socialise with anyone. Ryan was one of the only friends Achill had. And now he was going.

“Hey Ryan,” one of the boys’ from the Dorm popped his head inside their room. “The truck’s here to get everyone’s stuff. I hope you’re done.” Ryan looked up and nodded, “Yeah! Be right there.” He started picking up his things. Achill helped him to carry them to the truck. Once everything was safely placed in the truck Ryan pulled his backpack on his shoulder and faced Achill, “You know it’s not goodbye right? We’ll see each other around Campus everyday.” Achill looked down and frowned. He hugged Ryan and mumbled, “I guess so,” Ryan hugged him back. After a second or so they pulled back and moved away. They waved each other goodbye till Achill couldn’t see Ryan anymore.

_____

He walked back to his Dorm room and laid on his bed. Ryan’s half of the room looked empty like pages torn off from a book. His heart felt emptier than before. Again that weird sensation got a hold of him. The anxious power eating him out from the inside. The desire of the unknown asset which he blindly seeks. The nauseating feeling got the better of him as he drifted into dreams of castles, fields and basements. He saw a huge festival with fireworks where he held somebody’s hand tight. Next he saw a huge gathering on a snowy morning with blood splashed on the snow. He saw himself screaming for someone but he couldn’t hear himself clearly. The name was muffled. The pain in his chest grew and he woke up with a start. His head felt heavy and his body drenched in cold sweats. He got up and took Aspirin. His dreams have started to grow more vivid from the past few months. He got up to freshen up.

He came back from his shower while drying his hair when he saw two suitcases at the door. Perhaps his new roommate. Great. 

Suddenly there was a thud outside and a bag dropped to the ground dropping beautiful paintings and sketches. “Sorry,” He heard a smooth voice say. Achill kneeled down to pick up the paintings when he came across a painting of a castle, just like the one in his dreams. He went back to those memories for a brief moment. Not now… he tried to control his thoughts. He picked up the paintings to hand to the person standing in front him. A boy standing in front of him was probably the prettiest boy he had ever seen. He was the same height as Achill with blonde light curls and beautiful brown eyes that looked golden in the sunlight. He wore a tan coat and black t-shirt and trousers underneath. When he looked at Achill he flashed the most radiant smile that twisted Achill’s guts together and put his hand forward to shake while saying, “Hi there, I’m Jace.” Achill looked at him for a while and said, “Hi,” He put his hand in Jace’s and suddenly all the visions came back to him, with greater intensity, and passion. The visions didn’t make him anxious anymore. They made his heart race with adrenaline. He could feel the pulse under his skin which only made it possible for him say, 

“I’m Achill.”