Sunrise Reflections

Part the Third

Drinks and Nostalgia
The Ship was the same as it had always been, just as Charlie remembered it. Charlie pushed open the door stepped inside with Kim just behind him. He had not been in here for many years. Looking around he saw the same old faces, the low wooden beams, the warm lighting and that faint smell of ale and polished wood. It was one of those pubs that had always been there, seemingly forever. It was a place that seemed to exist outside of time. This was where regulars came to drink the same drinks in the same spots they had settled in for decades. It was relatively quiet before the evening rush, an old bloke reading a paper by the fireside, a couple in the corner whispering, the barman cleaning down the bar - yet again. Nodding  towards the window Charlie said
'Grab us a seat, I'll get the first round.'
Kim gave a mock salute. It was as if he had never been gone. He headed to the window seat. Charlie made his way to the bar. He looked up at the mirror with its chalked list of the available beers, but his mind was still reeling. He couldn't remember how many years it had been since he last saw Kim, and had never expected to see him again if truth be told. The whole affair had such a surreal feeling about it. Had Kim really been off grid for so long before returning? And if so, why now?

The barman, Barry, a well built guy with a permanent frown grumbled an acknowledgement as Charlie approached the bar.
'Two pints of Wreckers' he said trying to organise his thoughts.
Barry nodded and began to pull the pints
'Quiet time now' he muttered.
Charlie glanced around 'Yeah, still early I guess.'
Barry slid the pints across the bar
'Haven't seen you in here for a few years.'
'Been busy.' Charlie explained.
Then with a degree of hesitation
'Do you remember a guy called Kim, he used to come in with me years ago?'
Barry hesitated thinking, ' Can't say I do' he replied.
Charlie found that quite strange, after all Kim was not exactly a forgettable character. Perhaps it had just been too long. He shrugged it off, paid for the drinks and carried them back to where Kim was waiting.
'Still got the same taste in beer I see' Kim said taking his pint.
Charlie chuckled 'Some things never change.'
They touched glasses and took the first sips. They were back where they had been all those years ago, it was as if no time at all had passed them by.

Conversation between them had always been easy Charlie remembered. They quickly fell into their old patterns, that rhythm of old friends who know one another inside out. Charlie suddenly remembered an incident from school days, and shook his head.
'Remember when you nearly got us expelled for that so called art project you tried?'
'The one with the mannequin - classic.' Kim grinned.
Charlie laughed.
'Classic? You stuffed a mannequin with fake blood and shoved it out of a second floor window. The whole school thought someone had jumped!'
Kim shrugged, completely unapologetic, as usual.
'It was performance art.'
Charlie couldn't help making the correction.
'A crime scene is what it was. We were lucky they didn't call the police.'
Kim grinned, and took a sip of beer.
'But you have to admit that people felt something. That's what art is supposed to do.'
Charlie rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop himself laughing. It had always been the same, Kim's way, constantly pushing the boundaries, testing the limits.

They quickly moved on to old school friends catching up on who had done what with their lives. Some had settled down, many had moved away, and a few had simply faded into obscurity. Suddenly Kim asked
'Any idea what happened to Lucy?'
Charlie winced at a long buried memory, but nodded
'Married with three kids. Runs some sort of consultancy these days.'
'Lucy, a consultant?' Kim whistled 'Christ we are getting old.'
Charlie raised his glass 'Speak for yourself.'
Kim laughed, leaned back and stretched.
'You know, it's funny' he mused, 'Coming back like this feels like walking into an old film.'
Charlie nodded 'Yeah, it is quite weird. I don't know, it feels like you were frozen in time or something.'

For a brief second Kim's expression flickered as if he wasn't sure of himself. An unreadable shadow passed across his face, but went as quickly as it appeared. Charlie was hesitant
'So, why did you do it' he asked 'that whole death thing?'
Kim took a deep breath, ran his hand through the ginger mop on his head.
'I told you. It was a stunt. A statement.'
Charlie studied him, not sure if he really believed him.
'Yeah I know. But you never came back. Not really. I mean a stunts a stunt, but you simply vanished. What were you doing all those years?'
Kim's fingers stroked the table 'Living.'
Charlie frowned 'That's not an answer.'
Kim grinned but there was no elaboration. There was something quite unsettling about his demeanour. Charlie decided to let it rest. He drained the last of his pint
'Need the toilet. Don't go disappearing on me.'
Kim laughed "Wouldn't dream of it.'
Charlie headed towards the toilet shaking his head and pushed the door open.

Charlie was only in the toilet a few minutes before he returned. Kim was not longer there. He scanned the pub without success. Looking back at the table he noted the untouched pint sitting there with condensation running down the outside. He went to the bar
'Did you see where my mate went Barry?'
He got a blank look 'What mate?'
Charlie's stomach gave a lurch 'Kim. The guy I was sitting with.'
Barry's expression didn't change 'You came in alone.'
All Charlie could do was stare at him. Then he looked back at the table. The untouched pint. The empty chair. The evidence supporting what he had been feeling for a while, that something was very very wrong.

Authors Note
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