[ WP ] A mortal mother , close to death , pays a visit to her immortal son .

The ticking clock echoed through the room. Why had his mother come to visit so suddenly? He had n't seen her in months, but she'd began to look quite frail. 
 
 `` I'm dying,'' her words were emotionless as she stared out the window at the passing cars. 
 
 `` Everyone is mother,'' He said with a sigh. 
 
 `` No,'' she turned and stared solemnly at her son, `` I'm near the end.'' 
 
 His eyes widened in disbelief, `` but, I thought...'' 
 
 She shook her head as she diverted her eyes to the ground, unable to look at her son. Unable to speak of her lie. The day he was born they knew he was special; they knew he was an Immortal. It was a rare blessing to have an Immortal, but it was also a curse. Knowing that your child will only ever loose those they love. She'd told him since he was a little boy that he would n't be alone. She promised she'd never leave him, and perhaps in a way her spirit would live on just not as he might have expected. 
 
 `` You ca n't be serious, why!?'' He was shocked, angry, hurt, the floodgate had bursts and his emotions were flowing out as tears stung at the back of his eyes. 
 
 `` I'm sorry,'' she gasped out with a cough, `` I just... did n't want you to ever feel alone.'' 
 
 His mother was n't the first to go, and she would n't be the last. He was only twenty, but had become quite accustomed to loss as he knew he would have to. Being immortal meant that each time you met someone new in the back of your mind you would ask yourself,'how long will I have you my dear friend.' Human bonds were n't the same,'till death do us part,' was more'till death do you part,' when you were Immortal. Love was short lived because inevitably you knew that before you could blink that person would slip through your fingers as they breathed their last breath. Still he'd always felt a security in the fact that his mother would always be there for him. Ever since he was a boy she'd told him the lie that she like him was Immortal. Some Immortals spend eternity wandering the world hoping to find another like them to spend time with. So many are damaged though, jaded and tarnished by the loss, by the wars they've seen and the pain they've felt. They're nothing but shells of people, dark, dank, and empty inside. Once they hit twenty-five they stopped aging, some were hundreds of years old, completely unsure of their true age because they'd just stopped counting. He'd watched his mother age to forty-five, and in his heart he'd began to feel the revelation of betrayal that was inevitably on the rise. He pushed it away though, telling himself that his beloved mother would never lie about something so important. 
 
 `` How long do you have,'' he asked rising from the black leather sofa in his apartment. 
 
 `` Not long,'' she blinked back tears, `` a week perhaps, maybe less. I'm terminal.'' 
 
 `` How long have you known?'' He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a partially crushed pack of cigarettes. Tapping it against his palm to knock one partially out as he plucked it from the package with his mouth. One immortal trait he'd already adapted to was one of bravery that for most eventually turns into apathy. Not caring what you do because it can never harm you. He flicked open the silver lighter, it had been his father's, it was smooth and had his monogram carved into the front. 
 
 `` He should have been immortal,'' his mother said moving towards her son as she reached out to touch the smooth, cool, metal of the lighter. `` He was fearless.'' 
 
 This was true; his father had been the one to help him learn to live. He'd instilled morals in him, and he took every chance he had to soak in the knowledge and traits of his father. Vowing to never live life like a true immortal, knowing that each day is just another day and living life to its fullest can come whenever one wishes. He took a drag from the cigarette as he paced the room, looking at the skyline outside of his window. `` Do you have any wishes?'' 
 
 `` I only wish happiness for you, it's all I've ever wished,'' tears streamed down her cheeks as she sat on the couch. 
 
 He placed a hand against the window frame as he leaned his head against the cold glass, his cigarette hanging from the side of his mouth. `` If you only wanted me to be happy, then perhaps you should have never lied.'' 
 
 A sob caught in her throat, he was right, but she could n't take back what she'd done. She could n't go back in time and erase all the lies. She had to live with them, live with them for her remaining days, but it was only now that she realized her son had to live with them forever. 
 
 The room was silent, except for the sound of the clock ticking on the wall. Time dwindling by each second.
