Just a few moments ago

　　The shadows moving swiftly in and out of view were enough to disrupt Dainn's nightly routine. His familiar, comfortable silence had been broken when he heard car doors shut just minutes earlier. It could all only mean one thing- a new family moving in next door.

　　He couldn't quite see the car from where his window sat on the side of the house, but he could hear the door open and shut every few minutes. He found himself watching the window across from his as people walked in and out of the room, presumably unloading boxes and belongings.

　　Dainn mindlessly watched the shadows in the window, mesmerized by the change in his normal dark landscape. It hadn't even occurred to him that he was staring until the curtains were pushed back and a face immediately appeared in their place. It was the face of a young boy- probably around Dainn's age. He barely had time to make this observation before the boy noticed him. Dainn was about to avert his eyes and pretend he hadn't seen, but the boy's face lit up and he pressed one hand on the glass, waving excitedly with the other.

　　Dainn hadn't prepared for any sort of interaction, and he was rendered motionless. He only stared back and blinked, unsure what expression his face portrayed.

　　The boy mouthed something to him. Dainn couldn't make out what he was saying, so he furrowed his brow slightly. The boy held up a finger and disappeared from the window.

　　He returned a few moments later with a notebook and a marker. He scribbled something on it quickly and turned it around. It read, "Hi! My name is Theodore! We just moved in!" Below the note was a small smiley face. Dainn thought it was odd that he had taken the time to draw that.

　　Unsure why he felt compelled to humor Theodore, Dainn picked up his own notebook and pen. He wrote one small word and turned it around. "Dainn."

　　Theodore read it a few times, then smiled brightly. He then reached for the base of his window, and Dainn felt his own heart beat quicken. He wasn't often comfortable in social situations, and wasn't sure how he felt having someone in such close proximity with his safe space. He was debating shutting Theodore down and closing his own blinds, but something poked at him. Theodore practically oozed nervous excitement, and Dainn knew he'd lose sleep if he was the one to take that expression off his face.

　　Dainn took a deep breath and opened his own window. He had never noticed how close the house next door was to his, calculating that there was probably no more than six feet between Theodore and himself.

　　Theodore was the one to break the silence. "Do you know anything about bats?" he asked, doing his best to keep a low tone while still projecting across the empty space. Dainn was surprised by the question, but also grateful that it hadn't been a question about himself. He responded, "A little. Why?"

　　Theodore put his hand over his mouth, covering up a muffled chuckle. "There's one in our new attic. My dad's been running around with a broomstick trying to kill it, but thankfully, he's not having any luck. I'm hoping he'll give up and I can put it in a cage or something. Do you know what they eat? Can I give him fruit?"

　　Dainn thought for a second, a little confused by the whole situation. He shook his head. "Probably best not to. They prefer bugs." Theodore seemed to think about this for a second. "I'll be right back!" he said, disappearing again.

　　Dainn again considered closing his curtains and going to sleep, but the thought of Theodore returning excitedly to an empty window made his skin itch. Dainn couldn't understand why he even cared; Theodore probably wouldn't keep talking to him once they returned to school anyway. But even still, he remained loyally by the window.

　　Theodore returned, still smiling, but he looked a little different. He spoke a little quieter, "I think my dad got him with the broomstick, but he still got away. I'll go and find him later. I bet if I leave a light on, I can catch some bugs too."

　　Dainn couldn't help but voice what he thought. "Why take care of it? If it's injured, it's probably just going to die anyway," he said. Theodore looked shocked by his statement, but just shrugged. "It was fine just a few moments ago, it can't be too hurt. Besides, it deserves a fighting chance if it's able to live, right?"

　　Dainn rolled his eyes slightly at Theodore's statement, hoping the cover of darkness hid him well enough. "I guess so, just seems like a waste of time to me. Anyway, I have to get to bed. Gotta help my mom in the morning. Nice to meet you Theodore," he said, doing his best not to sound as apathetic as he felt. Theodore nodded happily again. "Nice to meet you Dainn! See you tomorrow so you can meet my new bat!" he said, shutting the window.

　　Dainn shook his head with a slight smirk before closing his own window and climbing into bed. He knew Theodore was mostly joking about having a pet bat, but he still wondered if he'd really try to catch bugs to feed it.

　　The next morning, Dainn woke up to a loud knock on the side of the house. He shuffled over to the window, and opened his blinds enough to peek out. He looked out to see a man he presumed to be Theodore father picking up the shovel his had dropped. Dainn scanned the area next to him, observing a shallow hole being dug, and next to it, the lifeless body of a small brown bat.

　　Dainn's stomach turned slightly. He knew this would happen, even said it would, so why did he feel the familiar twinge of disappointment? He decided it all went back to last night's recurring dilemma of not desiring Theodore to be unhappy.

　　He stared for a few moments, then turned away from the window, reminding himself that it wasn't any of his concern. Even though he told himself to forget the whole thing, the only thing Dainn thought of for the rest of the day was the words Theodore had spoken. "It was fine just a few moments ago..." He couldn't decide why those words seemed to haunt him.