9.3) Our Phantom Summer

It was the last morning the Everharts would spend at the off-campus university apartments. Mary had forced Julian awake early in the morning so they could take the Amtrak train back up to their hometown.

And while Julian was taking his long shower, Mary sat alone on the roof of the apartment, kept company by three empty chairs around an equally empty table.

Occasionally, she took a look across the quiet skyline, half expecting Atlas to be jumping across the rooftops holding a breakfast basket.

Good morning, Mary, she could hear him say. I bought a couple of things that I thought you’d like and put it all in here.

She sighed, then looked at the plastic chair by the parapet, where Abigail would often sit until morning waiting for Victor to return.

It's almost time for the sunrise, she could hear her say. Why don’t you take a plastic chair from over there and bring it here?

She shook her head, then looked back toward the empty table. Around the table, she saw ghosts of the three who had departed on their separate journeys the day before. Even Victor was sitting there, despite his momentary presence in her life. She could hear them whisper amongst each other about how they have no choice left but to face the end with dignity.

“They’re all gone,” she mumbled. “Just like that. In a single day, everyone’s gone.”

She shook her head harder, then whispered in a shaky voice.

“God, I sound like Julian… What am I saying…?”

Despite her efforts to shut out the voices, she continued hearing them as if they were still there. She wasn’t used to being alone anymore. Someone had always been there alongside her, no matter what.

Poor Atlas. Poor Abigail. Poor Victor. She was certain all three of them would have loved to stay here with them, but their fates had tied them down to another end. She knew by heart that all three of them had been cursed by their own ambitions; she had no idea what they would be thinking as they died.

As she sighed again and stared at the sky above, she remembered that Atlas was somewhere out there, silently struggling and holding up the sky for just a few days more.

“... Are you really going to be okay?” she asked.

There was no response. Her voice did not reach him.

Then, the door to the rooftop opened, and a familiar voice called out to her.

“Mary! I’m all dressed.”

Mary quietly watched as Julian walked up to her and stood over the empty table. As he placed his hand on an empty chair and was about to sit down, he stopped as if he could see what Mary was projecting onto the empty chairs.

His face softened. “Do you miss them?”

“Yeah. I hope they’ll be alright.”

She paused. “Especially that Atlas. I suspect that he’s gotten the worst end of the deal.”

Julian exhaled softly. “Maybe. He is the ‘strongest’, after all. And he is plagued by his own ‘silent strength’.”

Mary frowned. “You overheard what I said in the alleyway?”

“Yeah,” he said without a trace of guilt.

“Ugh, Julian.”

He laughed, then looked down at the empty table with a nostalgic look. “Each of them has gone on their separate journeys at the end of the world. I think it’s ultimately good for them. They wouldn’t have left if there wasn’t something better waiting at the end of their journeys.”

He patted her shoulder. “So let’s just trust that they know what they’re doing. Let’s have faith that they’ll each cross their finish line in the way they want.”

Mary looked at him with a concerned look. “What about you? What about us?”

Julian tapped his chin. “I think all we have left to do is go back home and spend our last days with our parents. Don’t you think so?”

“Our journey ends… with us returning home?” she said sadly.

“Yeah. I suppose,” Julian said. “It’ll be peaceful.”

He grinned playfully. “And of course, we’ll try to have fun and unwind. Unlike them, we don’t have much left to be done.”

She bit her lip. “I honestly wanted Atlas to come meet our parents.”

Julian’s face dimmed considerably, as if unable to deny that he had felt the same way.

He sighed. “Even at the end of a seemingly perfect life, we can’t have everything we want. We’ll just have to live with some disappointments.”

He shrugged. “And we won’t know what will happen to them. That’s just a part of this life. So all we can do right now is do what we can do for ourselves. I’m sure they wouldn’t want us to worry.”

He held out his hand to her, with a soft smile restored on his face.

“Now. Let's go, Mary. Let’s not keep our parents waiting.”

After some hesitation, she took his hand. It had been a while since she had properly held the hand of her brother.

As she stood up, she could see the three phantoms stand up from their chairs and walk toward the exit ahead, as if they were paving the path for her to follow. Abigail left first, with Victor following suit.

But the phantom of Atlas, for a moment, turned his head to look at her, as if he was worried about her feelings. Mary whispered quietly under her breath, so Julian would not hear and be concerned about her mental health.

“... Good luck, you guys.”

Atlas responded with a nod, then followed Abigail and Victor out the exit. It was just the two Everharts that remained on the rooftop. It was now their turn to follow through and live out the rest of their quiet days, taking one small but meaningful step at a time.

Mary gripped Julian’s hand tightly, then took the initiative to begin walking them out of the rooftop. And as Mary stepped through the exit, she felt Julian stop right behind her.

When she turned around, she could see Julian looking back at the vacant rooftop, presumably taking time to say his own quiet farewells. It seemed that for him, he was the one who was walking away from their group. The rooftop itself was a symbol of their bond; he was leaving behind the memories they had made together.

“... Goodbye, everyone,” he whispered with a sentimental smile. “It was fun.”

Then, Julian closed the door to the rooftop for the last time.