"What number is that?" Griffin points at the crane he just produced. They were seated on the bedroom floor. A ring of lavender candles surround them.
"Nine hundred and ninety-nine," Stephen breaths, like he's rehearsed it.
"Whoa."
One more to go.
Throughout the course of two weeks, Stephen and Griffin have scaled a ladder of precautions. Mends were formed to prevent Stephen from overworking himself again. Ever since Griffin discovered that he was a demon, Stephen has allowed him to become another important person in his life.
"What if a wish isn't granted by the time you reach a thousand?" Griffin questions, just before Stephen can grab his last sheet of paper.
The corner of Stephen's mouth twitches with a smile. "Even so, I wouldn't have made a thousand cranes for nothing. A thousand cranes would still be an achievement, even if it means that Alice doesn't come back. If Alice doesn't come back, I'll search for her. I'll scour the world."
With his thumb, Griffin wipes something from his eye. "That's dedication right there."
"Don't tell me you're crying."
"It was an eyelash," he reassures in a shaky voice, even though it wasn't. "If you leave to search the world, I'm going to miss you."
Stephen's insides are crushed after processing those words. "I know."
As he clings onto the last bits and pieces of anticipation, Griffin watches Stephen fold his final crane.
YOU ARE READING
1001 Cranes | ✔
Short Story"There's an ancient legend that revolves around a thousand cranes. The legend says, if you make a thousand cranes you'll be granted a wish. One wish - a wish you can use for anything." "That's hopeful thinking," Stephen dismisses, with an exasperate...
