Unwavering Constant

Echo’s eyes fluttered open, looking upwards at the vast blue of the sky. It was always everchanging with the clouds which painted its canvas. The one thing that was never the same that Echo didn’t have to wonder if her mind was breaking further. Currently she was situated at a local park beneath one of the many trees that littered the walking path. The astra always found the park to be the best place to sleep safely, or well the safest place being up in the trees.

 Yet, sometimes her mind would let a shrill scream when she would climb. Sharp images of her body falling. And a hard crack would sound as her head would make an impact with the ground. Likely her mind playing tricks on her. Though there were moments when Echo wondered if those images had been real. She couldn’t remember any pain…she couldn’t recall anything. Such things are normal, she told herself before settling in the branches of a tree, my mind is still fine…it’s…okay. Echo then closed her eyes wishing for sleep to take hold. Pull her beneath the surface away from the waking reality of her woes.

—

She was floating in an empty void. Sometimes, just sometimes, the astra would be fortunate enough to dream of a lovely paradise. But today it was a reminder of what sanity that remained would eventually drift off into the pitch black. Body curling up in the space surrounding her. A soft and gentle embrace ignoring the pain. Bits and pieces of herself breaking free and off into nothingness.

Then the space itself began to crack.

And she began

            to fall

                    down

                                  CRASH

—

Reality forced her eyes open. The pain that Echo had thought merely to be a dream was actually real. Maybe she had fallen out of the tree? Turning her head slowly she took in her surroundings, taking notice to the blanket which covered her, and then to the figure who snoozed peacefully beside her. Rested against the tree trunk was both a familiar and unfamiliar face of an astra who had become a constant in Echo’s life.
—
Cathy was her name or at least that’s what she introduced herself as. During their first encounter Echo had kept a good distance between them, mainly because the bubbly joy which radiated from the other felt too much. She watched this stranger look perplexed before adjusting to the boundary set. A lovely smile rested upon her face before talking in such a gentle manner that felt foreign to Echo’s ears. Finally she decided to sit and listen to the other talk until Cathy had to go. 

Echo had forgotten about Cathy until they met by chance for a second time. There was confusion at first, before the other chose not to fret over it. Instead working to calm her down as she tried to wrack over forgotten memories. Trying to recall who this astra was. But the said recollections had floated away down the river into the forgotten. The tears fell harder during that encounter. Odd how Echo could remember bits of that meeting, maybe it was because Cathy panicked not knowing how to help. Slowly, reaching out with a brightly colored handkerchief which Echo took. Her tears slowed as wonder filled up the space which held the sorrow. Pressing the fabric gently to her face so cautiously, eyes widening a smidge at how soft it felt against her face. Looking up at the relief that Cathy had made her wonder why she came back to see Echo again.

After that they had more meetings. Sometimes Echo remembered and other times she did not. One thing that changed was they would sit closer together, of course there was still space between them. Echo liked that Cathy didn’t ask her why she didn’t speak or add to the conversation. It was almost that Cathy did not mind talking for the both of them. A bit of a game when the other tried to interpret the silence presented. Echo found it amusing how she tried to look at the blank expression and bring forth new dialogue as to what Echo might say. Sometimes she’d have a notebook on her being, and they’d communicate that way. But it was quickly shown  how little Echo cared for her own body. Plucking out a feather with little hesitation and dipping the sharp end into her halo before writing upon the paper. 

During their next meeting when she reached behind her was the first time Cathy overstepped. Taking hold of her hand, and a pained expression looking right at her. That was when they went back to how it was before the notebook. Or at least until Cathy introduced her to pencils. A pencil could erase and fix mistakes, whereas the inky goo of her halo was permanent and could be easily smudged. From there they would exchange the notebook back and forth. Writing down what they wanted to say before giving it over to receive a response. Echo gave a rare little smile at Cathy’s handwriting; it was just so cute. 

Eventually one day Echo could not help but ask Cathy, how she would feel if she forgot about the other? Cathy had already experienced Echo thinking some of their meetings being the first and carefully explaining things. However, Cathy did not respond at first before gracing the broken astra with a soft smile. Reaching out very cautiously, and once seeing Echo not pull away, took hold of her hands before reassuring her that she’d always be there. No matter what might happen, she'd be there for Echo. 

At those words it felt like her heart skipped a bit.

—

Coming back to the moment the astra looked at her peacefully sleeping companion. Cathy had truly kept to her word and kept coming back. Even at one point making Echo realize how good it felt to get her hair brushed. The musical little giggle that sounded when she let out a purr of satisfaction filled her ears. 

It would be a wonder what life would have been like without her. And it scared Echo the possibility that Cathy would grow tired of being forgotten, but for now she pushed the fear aside.

Carefully she leaned over and placed a soft peck against the other’s cheek before softly whispering.

“I think I’m falling for you.”