Before the Sleep

Princess Kelsea’s Coronation A Kiss Good-Night – The Autumn Prince...

Before the Sleep

“How does it feel to be a princess?” Emily asked.

After the coronation, they had all gathered around Caspar’s bed to snack on leftover Halloween candy and discuss things that shouldn’t be real but were very much alive.

“Not very different.” Kelsea played with the hem of her dress, watching as the red fluttered from hue to hue with more grace than Winston’s wings.

Caspar listened to it all in dazed silence. He kept gazing at the sky outside, and then paying attention to his quickly deteriorating strength, and wondering how long he had left before he fell into that sleep that would claim him for months.

Emily got out her phone and sighed. “It’s getting late, I should go. It was nice hanging out at your place, Caspar. Thanks for letting me in.”

“You kind of invited yourself in,” he said with a half-smile.

“I let her in,” Kelsea reminded him. “And I’m princess now.”

“There you go.” Em got up and false curtsied, smirking. “See you later.”

“Yes,” mumbled Caspar. I hope so, he added silently.

“When you wake up next year, we can go to the fair,” Kelsea said. “Or visit corn fields and carve pumpkins. There’s so much to do around here in the autumn. I’m glad to be Autumn Princess,” she added, smiling.

“I’m glad that you are,” he replied. “I wouldn’t want to have anyone else.”

Both Kelsea and Winston watched Caspar with that look of pity he hated. He wasn’t dying—he was just on the verge of a very long sleep. Finally Kelsea turned away to gather empty candy wrappers and stuff them into her purse.

He thought he saw a single tear creep down her cheek, but didn’t have the strength to reach out and wipe it off.

“Isn’t there any way to delay this?” she asked Winston, not looking up.

“Not that I’m aware of,” replied the owl sadly. “But, Your Highness—” Kelsea looked up sharply at having been addressed that way. “—Caspar won’t be around for a great deal of the year. Now you are Autumn Princess, and you can watch the grounds for him.”

“It won’t be the same,” she said, voice breaking. “Not if he’s gone, or—or up here and asleep the whole time. There has to be a way to undo this, a loophole—”

“Kelsea,” said Caspar, hearing the plea in his own voice, “don’t dwell on it so much. I’m trying not to, and I’m the one who’s going to sleep.”

She pursed her trembling lips and took a deep breath. “Okay,” she whispered. “But next year we’re talking about this more.”

He doubted it would lead to much, but nodded weakly. “Agreed.”

A loaded silence settled between them. Winston said something about being hungry and vanished out the window.

Staring at Kelsea’s beautiful tear-stained face, Caspar wished he could give her a happier ending–even though it wasn’t really the end.

“I’m going to miss you,” she said, voice breaking.

He nodded and swallowed. “I miss you already.”

That was when she leaned forward to kiss him.