It was seven a.m. as the morning sun began to trickle through the crack in the bedroom curtains. It was silent. The usual sound of chirping birds and creaking of the house settling was absent. Perhaps it had something to do with the town being evacuated two days ago. The animals were smart enough to leave, sensing the arrival of an unprecedented god. 

But Riley stayed. He would stay until the ground gave out and everything slipped away. There was no way he would leave Angelo behind. 

Seven years ago when Riley turned ten, he came across a treehouse. It was nestled in the center of Helm’s forest an hour away from his house. He’d climbed inside and discovered the skeleton of a child. Unlike how the average person would react after coming across a skeleton, Riley remained calm. In fact, he investigated. He scoured the treehouse from top to bottom, only to find an empty birdcage. There was no hint of who the person might be. 

Just before Riley was about to return home that night, he caught sight of something behind a tree. He was not one to believe in superstition or bad omens, but after finding nothing behind the tree that he clearly saw something behind, he was beginning to think something was off. 

His plan had been to head home and tell his mum of what he had found, but something in the back of his head was urging him otherwise. That was the night he met Angelo. 

Angelo was about the same age as Riley, maybe a bit older. He had dark hair and bronze skin. Riley hadn’t seen many folks like him before. Especially not the kind who floated an inch or two above the ground and could read his emotions. 

His conclusion was that Angelo was a ghost. A ghost that could appear and disappear whenever he pleased, could feel Riley’s emotions like one would read a book. Angelo could float around and move faster than any mortal ever wished. It was because he was dead. Angelo was stuck between two worlds, trapped in the body of a young boy for who knew how long. 

Riley talked to Angelo for years. Angelo never talked back, but he listened. He was a great listener. Every once and awhile Riley would catch him smiling or nodding his head in agreement. It always sent a light and happy feeling through him.

Ever since Riley started school it was like he was incapable of making friends. No one seemed to care about his words or much less his presence. He found it was best to stay alone in the back of the classroom. His grades were excellent due to this. The kids in his class did not find that so excellent, however. 

Bullied until he turned seventeen, Riley persevered because of Angelo. His ghostly friend was a shoulder to lean on, even if he couldn’t actually lean on him. 

Things changed after his seventeenth birthday but not for the better. 

News of earthquakes raking the earth spread quickly. Cities fell apart, storms tore through the land. It was Armageddon. Riley could feel it. The world could feel it. 

The small town of Shirley had been evacuated two days ago. Riley told his mum he wouldn’t be leaving. She cried. He cried. But she left him in the end and it was because Riley never told a lie. He needed to stay. His mother couldn’t help but trust him in that. 

Angelo was restless as Riley sat next to where his skeleton used to be. He buried it—after getting Angelo’s permission—beneath the treehouse. A painted rock sat on top. It read: Angelo: the boy without a dream. Because Angelo didn’t have any dreams. He had a destiny. 

Due to the lack of scientific proof to what was happening, the theory of all the destruction across earth was that there was a very angry god looking down at the world. Angelo supported this theory with a few bobs of his head when Riley provided the information. Riley asked other questions like: ‘was earth going to be destroyed,’ and ‘would you finally be free’ and ‘was everyone going to die.’ Angelo nodded to all of them.

 The light that had long left Angelo’s eyes returned on March 1st. Angelo's feet met the ground on March 4th. He hugged Riley on March 8th. 

The world really must have been ending because suddenly everything felt like a fever dream. Many earthquakes followed after that. But Riley was able to show Angelo his home. He was able to leave the confines of Helm’s woods and see the world that would soon be lost. 

Both the boys were content for the first time in their short lives.

When the moment came, Riley wasn’t afraid. He had a feeling he would get to see Angelo again. He would be able to talk to him, laugh with him, know what he liked and what his life used to be. 

Angelo held Riley in his arms when he drifted off. There were tears in his eyes and Riley wanted to know why. He wanted to comfort his friend. He wanted to tell him everything would be alright and he would see him again. 

Riley would never see Angelo again. But he didn’t know that. He would never know.