On Top of the World - Imagine Dragons

The Promised Land: (Part 20) Broken Sorrow

Caden’s eyes squinted into the darkness as he struggled to stay conscious. The pulsing in his head did not abate for very long and it was stronger when it returned. With his ribs as bruised as they were, it was getting increasingly difficult to breathe. Even with the van’s brights on, he couldn’t see very far, aside from the fact that his vision was going in and out on its own. Finally deciding the safest thing to do was to pull over, Caden parked the van behind an overturned and battered tank. After crawling to the bench seat in the back, he rested on his uninjured side and passed out.

~*~

“I wanted to thank you for saving me,” Eden said before she ate another spoonful of warm stew.

Shiloh smiled, but shrugged.

“Don’t you dare act like it was nothing, mister,” Eden demanded as she set her empty bowl on the table. “You almost died saving my life. Caden was ready to finish me off himself if you had.”

Shiloh gave a look like he was admittedly agreeing with her.

“Anyway, thank you.” Eden drank the rest of her water and pointed to the origami crane still sitting on the table. “He left that for you.”

Setting his empty bowl beside Eden’s, Shiloh took the bird and unfolded it, reading the note inside. Eden wondered what it said, but didn’t feel like prying at the moment. Partly because it was rude, but mostly because she was too full and tired to do so. After reading the note, he folded it back into its former shape and sat back with an expression Eden couldn’t place. It looked something like sorrow mixed with worry and anger. It lingered for only a moment, but Eden noticed it all the same. With a sigh, the expression melted away and Shiloh started looking around for something.

“What do you need?”

Shiloh pointed under his bed. Getting up from her chair and crouching to look under the frame, Eden found the dark oblong case Shiloh normally had with him. Perhaps Caden had shoved it under the bed at some point. Pulling it out and holding it up, Eden asked, “This?”

Shy nodded eagerly with a wide grin and held out his hands to take it. Handing it over, Eden watched him unzip the mysterious case. Lifting the lid, Eden gasped when she was what was inside.

Shiloh pulled out a smooth, worn violin from the case and set it in his lap. Taking out a thin bow and a block of oft-used rosin, he ran the block along the bowstrings. As he did so, Eden noticed the bottom of the case was lined with different colored paper cranes.

“Does he leave one behind every time he takes off?” Eden asked, staring at the case. Looking from his bow to Eden then to the cranes, Shiloh nodded and resumed his work.

Remembering what Grace had said about the many times Caden left, Eden felt bad for Shiloh. “Sorry about that.”

The silver haired youth shrugged and returned the rosin to its place. Taking the violin, he began plucking the strings, stopping every now and then to twist pegs at the top. Placing the tuned violin on his shoulder and raising the bow, Eden jumped with excitement. “You can actually play that?!”

Bow halted midair, Shiloh blinked twice before giving a little nod.

“Pfft, of course he can play,” Eden thought to herself. “He wouldn’t get it out for no reason or even have it if he couldn’t play. He must think you’re a total dork.”

“That’s awesome,” Eden smiled.

Shiloh beamed back. Taking the violin off his shoulder, he offered her the instrument and bow.

“Oh, no, no. I can’t play,” Eden waved her hands back and forth to reinforce her point. “I can’t really play anything. I took a semester of piano back in high school, but that’s about it. Go on, you play something.”

With raised eyebrows in an expression that told Eden she was missing out, he returned the violin to its resting place on his shoulder, closed his eyes, and started playing. As the bow bobbed back and forth along the strings, one clear note followed another until a melody emerged. Eden didn’t recognize it, but she couldn’t help feeling as if she had heard it somewhere before. Shiloh played with the skill of one who had studied an entire lifetime. He also played as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Emotion rippled off the strings, physically voicing what he could not: sorrow, contention, compassion, longing. Eden looked on in spellbound fascination at the display of skill, dedication, and care. The sweet voice of the violin sang out through the dimly lit room, filling every cranny with beauty. At one point, Eden was afraid the song would end, but it picked up again, lingering like morning dew. When it did end, as many good things do, Eden was again reminded of the heavy silence.

“That was…” Eden had difficulty finding the right word to express what she just witnessed. “Magnificent. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard!”

Shiloh didn’t make eye contact, but she could see a smile sneak its way across his face.

“You play very well,” Eden continued as the awe started to wear off. “I guess you like music, huh?”

As Shy nodded, some of his silver bangs fell into his eyes. “That kid really needs a haircut,” Eden thought.

A knock on the open door indicated another presence. “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Hope stated as she peered into the room. “But I heard Shy playing so I thought it was a good time to come check up on him. Are you feeling better?”

He nodded again and Eden wondered if he ever felt like a bobble head some days. “Good. I have something for you.” Hope entered, carrying something in her hands. Crossing the room, she hung a red cloth on the end of the bed. “That’s for Cay,” she explained as she held out a rectangular parcel. “And this is for you.”

Shiloh took the offering and unwrapped the paper holding it together. Eyes widening in a look of surprise and joy, Shiloh turned to Hope. His flattened left hand touched his smiling lips before extending to her.

“You’re welcome,” she replied with a grin. Bending down to give him a hug, Hope said, “Happy Birthday!”

Looking over to see what was in the parcel, Eden almost didn’t catch that last part. “Wait, what? It’s his birthday?”

“It was a few weeks ago, actually,” Hope clarified.

“Oh. Happy belated Birthday,” Eden said, feeling awkwardly out of place for not knowing about said birthday or having a gift. Not that either one of those conditions could have been remedied until this point anyway. Eden leaned over to see what Hope’s gift was. It appeared to be a stack of papers that Eden realized were filled with musical staffs and notes. In the back of her mind, Eden wondered how often Shiloh turned to the violin when he needed an escape from his solitary world, when he needed someone to listen. She absently watched Hope take the bowls and leave the room.

“Hey, Shiloh… can you teach me sign language?”