Beyond The Lamppost

Stay Gold

August Prompt: Sunset
Ages:
Peter - 19
Edmund - 16
Susan- 18
Lucy - 13

"You okay?" Peter asked Lucy, as he took a seat next to her, handing her a glass of water.

Lucy looked up at him, her face was red and tear stained. "How could I be okay?" She choked out, before taking the water from him.

Peter sighed, taking her hand in his. "You're right, that was a bad question, sorry. How are you doing?"

Lucy shut her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks. "It's all my fault."

"Hey." Peter said quickly,  squeezing her hand. "It's not your fault."

Lucy took a deep breath, looking up at her brother. She swallowed hard before looking at the large white doors, to the infirmary room. "Yeah." She choked. "Edmund might die, and it's all my fault."

Earlier That Night

"Thanks for agreeing to watch the sunset with me tonight, Ed." Lucy said, as she and her brother sat on the beach.

"No problem." Edmund replied. "I love watching the sunset."

"Me too." Lucy said smiling. "I prefer sunrises, but sunsets are just as nice."

"I like sunsets better because you don't have to wake up early."

Lucy chuckled. "You don't have to wake up that early to see the sunrise."

"You have to wake up before the sun! And the sun wakes up before everyone, so yes Lucy that is much too early."

Lucy couldn't help but laugh, rolling her eyes slightly.

Edmund smiled at her before the two fell silent, looking at the sky. It was pink, and purple, and blue, and orange all in one. The sunset truly was beautiful.

"Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay."

Lucy smiled at her brother. "That's beautiful, Ed. Where'd you hear it?"

"I saw it in a poetry book I read once." Edmund replied. "Nothing Gold Can Stay, by Robert Frost. I always loved it, thought it was beautiful."

"It is." Lucy said, thinking about the words.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Watching the sky, and thinking about the words of the poem. They meant something to both of them, but they were still trying to figure out what exactly that something was.

"Lucy?" Edmund asked after a while.

"Yeah?" Lucy said, looking up at her brother.

"You want to watch the sunrise tomorrow?"

Lucy smiled widely at him. "I'd love to!"

"Great." Edmund said, returning the smile. "I've never seen one before. I've never been awake early enough."

Lucy giggled. "I think you'll love it." She said.