Drowning in Dreams

Timber held up his hands, cradling the serpentine form across both palms, water and blood trickling down his wrists. "I never," he told the Grand Master, "want to lay on hands to kill children, ever again."

SUNSHIELD

"Oh, old friend," Akizu said as he withered. "Age like elf and you're a sword."

WAKE UP AND GO

Akizu presided, it was noon when he pronounced them, Ellie in her best dress and Timmy in a doctor's robe and crow-mask, sun at the zenith, sun trying to talk to him, sun's blurry words trying to get to him six feet underground

HURRY, THE CAGE

"I'm there." By what he'd done or failed to do, going to die in a cage

YOU CAN STILL GET

"Please." He covered his head and turned away. "I can't. I'm dead. I'm dead to them."

WAKE

"I can't, I can't go back... they'll see... they'll see the blood..." He held up his hands, covered in blood, but he couldn't tell if it was his, or theirs. "They'll see my memories, all over my sleeves." all over his back "She's dead." but she isn't you fool, Grace is out there and you've always known, why did your sick and stupid optimism have to fail you when you could have saved her

still can, just wake up and

No it was too late, he couldn't go back, a longevitious freak, demon-tainted, child-killer, ghost of a bad memory, he can't go back and haunt his hometown now, empty-handed

but you can still

EMPTY-HANDED FAILURE, IT WAS TOO LATE, LET HIM DIE, LET HIM DIE ALREADY

just... go... ... room ...

"I can't..." It would have been worth it, but it wasn't anymore.

He covered his head and wept as the Sun's voice turned quietly away in disappointment.

Timber woke up well before breakfast.