A Man And His Paradise

Roderick’s Apartment

Celestia’s Perspective

“Wait a minute, let me get this straight.” The young man known as Roderick says, “You say, that not only are you not from here, BUT! You are from another dimension?” I nodded, fully understanding if he thought my sister and I were crazy. He laughed softly at that before saying.

“Well not as crazy as I thought it would be. But still less crazy than my story.” I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He slowly shook his head, as if saying no. I suppose it wasn’t easy to explain his story. Either way I wasn’t expecting him to believe us anyway so I wasn’t fazed in the slightest.

He slowly looked away in thought for a moment, his gaze going to the window. After a couple of minutes he looked back towards my sister and me. “Ladies, if you excuse me for a second I have something to take care of.” Roderick walked towards the doors that lead to the balcony. Opening it he walked outside and shut it behind him.

I looked over to my sister and said. “He doesn’t seem that bad Luna, maybe you were wrong?” Lucy looked toward her sister with an audible sigh. “We do not know what it is sister. We feel as though this man is as thou would put it, ‘weird’.” I chuckled at my little sister’s elegant choice of words. Before I heard a soft voice, it sounded beautiful.

Lucy and I looked over towards the door to the balcony. And when we strained our ears to hear, we heard Roderick singing.

“Hush now, quiet now

It's time to lay your sleepy head

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to go to bed

Lucy’s eyes grew wider as Roderick continued with the lullaby they knew all too well.

Drifting off to sleep

Exciting day behind you

Drifting off to sleep

Let the joy of dream land find you

Lucy looked at me in surprise and confusion, I did the same. They knew this lullaby. But the question on both their minds was. How did he know it?!??

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to lay your sleepy head

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to go to bed”

They moved away from the door before Roderick would get back inside. I moved towards the chair, while Lucy moved back to the bed and sat down. We waited for a couple minutes while Roderick was still outside. When he didn’t come back in we looked at each other. Lucy was the first to speak. “Sister, was that..?”

I cut her off mid sentence by simply nodding and saying in a hushed voice. “Yes Luna, it was Fluttershy’s lullaby.” Lucy looked toward the door before saying. “But how does he know of a lullaby not of this world?” I slowly shook my head saying. “I don’t know Lulu, I don’t know...”

I was cut off mid sentence when the balcony door opened again. Roderick walked in wiping his eyes of tears before looking back at the two of us. He smiled sadly, as if he was remembering something. I moved toward him and he said to me, in a calming tone. “It’s alright, I’m fine. I was just remembering. Some stuff which I need to remember.”

Lucy looked at him with confusion clearly etched in her face. “What were thou remembering that made thee cry?” He looked at Lucy before looking back at me. He frowned at nothing. I looked towards Lucy with a frown on my face “Lucy. You know better than to ask someone about their private life.” He looked at me and smiled again. “It’s quite alright. It is just something special to me.”

He then looked towards a picture on the wall. I moved closer so I could get a look at the photo. It was of a young girl, lying down under an oak tree. The clear blue sky was easily visible between the branches. He again, smiled at the photo before saying. “I was remembering about someone special to me.” Lucy who was interested by this looked at him again with curiosity. “Who was she?”

He looked towards Lucy with a smile so warm it rivalled my own. He blinked slowly and said. “She was my wife.” I noticed the emphasis on the word ‘was.’ Lucy didn’t notice and asked the question I had withheld myself from asking. “Where is thou wife, shouldn’t she be here with thee then?”

A pained look crossed his face and again he looked out the window. Lucy, only now just noticing his expression, looked at him in sadness. “We are sorry .We did not know that the wife thou hold so dear was gone.” He looked towards Lucy with a smile and chuckled a bit before looking away again and said.

“You know if I didn’t know any better, I would say that you were trying to imitate Princess Luna.” Lucy’s eyes opened wide at this, as did my own. I looked towards my sister when she looked at me. I silently mouthed the words ‘don’t tell him anything’ and received a curt nod from my sister.

“Anyway.” He said, turning back to us. “It’s getting dark and I’m sure we are all tired, right?” he looked at both of us. While I nodded, my sister shrugged. He chuckled and pointed towards the door at the end of the hall. “I’m sure you two won’t mind sharing a room?” I smiled at him, and before Lucy could answer him. “Sharing a room would be fine, right Lucy?” Lucy looked at me, huffed then walked down the hall towards our room for the night.

Roderick chuckled at this and I looked at him. He smiled at me and said. “She sure seems like a handful” I chuckled to myself and said to him while walking down the hall. “You have no idea...”

Perspective change Roderick

I smiled as Chelsea and Lucy went into their room, I don’t know what it was. But I felt like I knew them. Felt like I could trust them. Maybe that’s why I told them about Olivia? I thought to myself. I sighed slowly as I walked back onto the balcony. I used to think at times like these, but now I didn’t think. all that alcohol just numbs me sometimes. I slowly looked up towards the full moon. Tears slowly, making their way down my cheeks. I wonder what you are doing now Princess....

I heard a crack behind me, I don’t know how. But I knew it was Lucy. Without looking at her, I smiled and said “Can’t sleep can you?” She moved up next to me and stared at the moon as well. “We are not used to sleeping though the night.” I looked at her. “Ah, a fellow night owl.” She looked at me with a confused expression on her face “Night... Owl..?” she said slowly.

I looked at her after about ten seconds and smiled. “Yes, a night owl. You know, stay up through the night, sleeps during the day?” She looked at me with a dawning expression of surprise before saying. “Thou... Stay up all night?” I look at her, a confused expression on my face before slowly nodding. She scrunched up her face before looking at me again. “Why?”

Again I chuckled at her naivety. “I stay up, because I can. And because I want to, the night gives me time to think, time to remember.” I looked up towards the night sky that held so many specks of light. “But also time to forget.” I looked at the ground below, looking at the cars drive by. “I also stay up because I like the night far better than the day. I don’t know why, I just feel calmer than usual when it’s night.” Lucy looked at me with more than delight, to say I was surprised when she downright HUGGED me. Would be an understatement, HOW am I supposed to respond to THAT?

I looked at the girl who was hugging my waist. I smiled, you know what? This isn’t half bad. Besides the fact I barely know the girl.... Brain why you ruin everything.....  Then I noticed I couldn’t breathe and looked back at Lucy. And very softly I said her name “Lucy....” She didn’t look up, or even acknowledge my voice. So I said it again, a bit more loudly this time. “Lucy...” This time she looked at me. “Hmmmm?” My god, she was blushing.....  I said her name again only this time. “Lucy.... I can’t.... Breath....!”

Her eyes widened and she let go with an “Oh! Sorry” I slowly breathed in and out, looking down at the girl and she smiled at me and blushed. Strangely though, as she did I heard an odd squeaking noise. She was about to say something but I put my hand up to shush her and said “Did you hear that?” She clamped her hands on her mouth, looking frightened now. She looked around before looking back at me and said “Hear what?”

I slowly shook my head and mumbled to myself. “Probably nothing, never mind...” I looked at the time before moving inside. I then did a double take of the clock again. “Wow, we were talking for 4 hours?” I then unconsciously yawned. Wow I’m tired.... Probably cause of these two I thought while looking down the hallway and back at Lucy.

I yawned again and looked at Lucy. “Well, I’m tired. And stiff. So I’m going to bed now.”

She looked at me confused. “I thought you said you were a ‘night owl’” I smiled at her before replying. “I may be a night owl, but I can’t stay up every night to admire the moon. If I did I might go unconscious from lack of sleep.”

“Oh....” Lucy looked at me, “well Good night Roderick”

I smiled at her as I headed into my room. I looked over my shoulder and called out “Goodnight... Lucy...”