A Timely Knight

A Timely Encounter

Eldon woke up feeling as if he had no sleep at all. A few days went by since he last dreamt of the mechanical bird and part of him hoped he never would again. Alas, he did and he lost once more. Last time, he actually managed to land a blow on one of the bird's rusty wings. This time, however, he died sooner than ever before. The bird was much bigger, though.

Sitting on the bed, trying not to disturb the still-sleeping man beside him, he rubbed his tired eyes a little too aggressively. He never gave much thought to his dreams before, mainly because he never really dreamt. He always slept deeply, at least until a few weeks ago. One unremarkable night he dreamt about the bird and it kept happening ever since. 

It wasn't the dream that bothered him per se, but that he always lost against the machine. He always was competitive, perhaps too much for his own good. And having his ass beaten every single night, even in dream form, meant he woke up with teeth so clenched, he thought they might burst out of his mouth. 

He surrendered to consciousness and walked towards his bathroom, lighting one of the copper lamps. Brown eyes made their way through the dark, revealing a familiar yet strangely foreign face that made him wonder if it was possible to change overnight. 

Soon after turning twenty-six, Eldon's expression hardened. No longer a boy, his frown became a permanent fixture on his face, clashing against the soft beard he grew over the summer. His sapphire hair, curly and perfectly trimmed, complemented his light-brown skin. A wide nose supported a pair of oval-shaped glasses with small cogs surrounding the frames, giving him a bookish look.

Eldon licked his full lips and smiled, an accomplice to the mirror. Vanity was a fault of his, a pleasure he indulged shamelessly. However, as the days turned to months and the months turned to gears, his reflection became a sore subject. An intermittent question plagued his mind, an inquiry that put into doubt the very existence of his self-awareness. What kind of man will you turn out to be?

That morning was not the time to answer such a mortal question. Pushing aside such untimely thoughts, Eldon carried on with his daily routine, washing his face and teeth and styling his hair before getting dressed for work.

As he ate his oatmeal, Eldon went back to his dream. Could it actually mean something? Don Osgood always said his meaning would come later in life. He never understood those words and Don Osgood died before he asked for more details, so the true meaning behind the old man's teachings died along with him. Now, Eldon hardly remembered any of the training he received and he sometimes wondered where all that knowledge disappeared into.

"Morning," Harvey's voice came from the hall. "You didn't wait for me."

"I'm late for work," Eldon half-apologized.

Harvey frowned, then checked the clock on the wall. "It's 6:15."

"I have to come in early today. We have that new collection coming to the Museum. I told you about it."

"No you didn't," Harvey muttered, crossing his arms as anger lurked behind his eyes.

"I told someone with your name. And your face." Eldon needn't say more. He didn't want to either. Things between them couldn't get any better, but they could certainly get worse.

"I don't remember," said Harvey, unsurprisingly. "I'm sorry."

"Yes well, what else is new. It's not that important really. But I'll be working late for the rest of the week, so we probably won't see much of each other."

Harvey shrugged. "I understand."

Silence fell between them. Not troublesome or painful but rather familiar, expected, usual. Talking ceased to be present in their relationship a long time ago. Why should they start now? Eldon looked at his empty plate and realized there was no reason for him to stay.