Epilogue: The Final Goodbye
The sun is setting, casting a soft, orange glow across the horizon. The sky is quiet, the air heavy with a bittersweet stillness. Alvin stands alone at the edge of the cliff, gazing out at the fading light. The sound of the wind whispers in his ears, but it’s not the same as it once was. Everything feels distant, as if he's slipping away from it all.
Theodore, Simon, and Brittany stand a few feet behind him, their faces solemn, watching him carefully. They can feel the weight of the moment in the air—the quiet, inevitable truth that Alvin’s time has come.
THEODORE:
(softly)
Alvin... what’s happening?
(Alvin doesn’t answer at first. His eyes are far away, as though he's looking at something beyond the horizon, beyond the world they know. A faint smile tugs at his lips, but it’s a sad smile, as if he’s saying goodbye to something he’s known for too long.)
ALVIN:
(softly)
I... I did what I had to do, Theo. I brought you back. I promised I’d never let you go. But... I can’t stay.
(Theodore’s eyes widen with confusion, his voice shaking with emotion.)
THEODORE:
(urgently)
No! Alvin, don’t say that! You’re here now—everything’s alright. You’re not going anywhere!
(Alvin turns to face him, his eyes soft, but there’s an unmistakable sorrow in them.)
ALVIN:
(whispering)
I wish I could stay. But... when I made that choice—when I brought you back—I gave up more than I realized. I can feel it, Theo. I’m... I’m fading.
(Simon steps forward, his expression filled with both worry and fear.)
SIMON:
(pleading)
Alvin, don’t say that. We can fix this. We’ll find a way to bring you back, we’ll—
ALVIN:
(shaking his head)
It’s too late for that, Simon. I’ve already crossed that line. There’s no going back. I knew the cost. I knew what I was giving up.
(Brittany steps forward too, her voice shaky but determined.)
BRITTANY:
(softly)
Please, Alvin... don’t leave us. You’re our brother. We need you.
(Alvin takes a slow, deep breath, his gaze shifting between his family. He wants to stay. He wants so badly to be with them, to laugh and joke like they always have. But the price of what he’s done is too much. It’s taking him away, slowly but surely.)
ALVIN:
(quietly)
I love you all. You know that, right? I’ll always be with you. Even when I’m not here... you’ll carry me with you.
(The words come out softly, but they carry the weight of everything he’s been through. As he speaks, the air around him seems to shimmer faintly, as if reality itself is beginning to unravel. The edges of his form begin to blur, like a mirage, slowly fading with each passing second.)
THEODORE:
(voice cracking)
Alvin... please don’t go. You said you’d come back. You promised!
(But Alvin’s smile is sad, resigned. He places a hand on Theodore’s shoulder one last time, the gesture gentle but filled with love.)
ALVIN:
(whispering)
I’m sorry, Theo. But I did what I had to. I couldn’t leave you out there. But this... this is my price.
(Theodore’s tears begin to fall, but Alvin doesn’t look away. He wants to remember his brother like this—alive, safe, surrounded by the family who loves him. As Alvin’s form fades further, the sound of the wind grows louder, the world around them stretching as though they are at the edge of reality itself.)
SIMON:
(voice trembling)
No... Alvin, please...
(But Simon’s voice is just a whisper now, drowned out by the howling wind. Alvin’s form shimmers one final time before he disappears completely, leaving behind only the lingering echo of his voice.)
ALVIN:
(softly, barely a whisper)
I’ll always be with you.
(The wind falls silent, the world stills. For a moment, no one speaks. They can feel the loss, the absence of Alvin’s presence like a heavy weight in the air. Theodore, Simon, and Brittany stand in stunned silence, the realization sinking in that Alvin is truly gone.)
THEODORE:
(voice barely audible)
He’s gone... he really... he really is gone.
(Simon reaches out, pulling Theodore into a tight hug. Brittany stands beside them, her arms wrapped around both of them, but the loss is undeniable. Alvin is gone, and there’s no fixing this. The promise he made—of coming back—was a sacrifice they never truly understood until now.)
(As they stand there, the sun continues to set, casting the world in a soft, fading light. The moment feels endless, as if time itself has stopped, allowing them to linger in the painful silence of the loss they’re feeling.)
(Finally, after a long pause, Simon whispers, his voice broken.)
SIMON:
(softly)
We’ll keep going. For Alvin. We’ll keep going... together.
(They stand in the fading light, clinging to each other, the memory of Alvin—his laughter, his spirit, his love—forever etched in their hearts. And though he’s gone, they know they’ll carry his memory with them always, no matter how far the journey takes them.)
END