England, London, 1815:

(Modern English Dialogue)

I have been alive for nearly two hundred years. I think it's safe to say I've overstayed my welcome on this Earth. Unfortunately, I only just realised this now.

I was born a long time ago. 1624 to be exact, but I thought my time would end much quicker. When I turned 24 I caught the plague, and just like anyone's luck during that time, I was dying.

After a few weeks, I remained on what should have been my deathbed. I had taken that time to accept death for what is it, a cycle of life. That was until an old friend visited me. Anastasia was a witch, a very powerful one at that. She told me she was magical when I was just a little boy and asked me to keep it a secret. One day when the village got sick, all of the suspicious women got rounded up and were all burned. We were rewarded with food and water for revealing any witches we knew. When it was my turn to snitch on Anastasia I decided against it.

“Miss? Are you my doctor?” I asked her out of curiosity.

“I'm not a doctor,” Anastasia said. I could have recognized her voice from anywhere, “But I am here to help you.”

“Help me? I am dying. No herb remedies will save me from this…” I responded to her.

“I'm not here with any herbs. I'm saving you with witchcraft instead,” I look at her confused, “You may not remember me but you saved me one day, I'm here to return the favour. You ask for one thing and one thing only and I will give it to you.” She said.

“Can you make me live forever?” I asked her, “I don't want to ever be near to dying nor have to accept my fate again. Please make me live forever.”

And that's exactly what the witch did. However, I never thought I would regret it.

After healing from my illness it soon became clear to me I was immortal. I lived happily with the remaining of my family for the next few years until they faded away like the rest of the world. There were now more new worlds and I was the only one who got to be a part of all of them.

Over the years I noticed how Anastasia was gone too. I always wondered why she didn't decide to live forever with me.

1815

Now nearly two hundred years have passed and I'm still here. I got to watch how London changed over the decades. Houses got bigger, the food was better and the dresses were prettier. But that didn't matter to me. Juliette did.

I think Juliette was the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on in my two hundred years. She was also sweet, and skilful and came from a loving family. I never thought I would meet someone who made me so happy. Juliette was perfect.

That's why I couldn't ever marry her.

The one bad thing about Juliette was that she wasn't immortal like me. Neither would our kids be. That's why I knew I had to let her go before it was too late.

“Do you no longer love me?” Juliette asked me all of a sudden. Her eyes looked red and glossy.

“I- what Juliette?” I stuttered, shocked by what she just asked me.

“After all this time we have been courting, you never asked me to marry you,” She said, “At first everything you did for me was beautiful, you made me feel worthy and special. Now you can't even look me in the eyes anymore...”

“Juliet-”

“If you no longer love me that's alright,” she said, tears rolling down her eyes now, “If your leaving me just tell me now…”

“I'm leaving you, Juliette.” I said trying to hold in the swelling in my eyes and my closing throat, “But I will always love you.”

“Then why are you leaving me?”

“Because I am cursed. I am immortal and as amazing as that seems it's evil,” I answered, looking away now, “If I can't die then that means I would have to watch you die, and our future children too. I have been on this earth for too long enough to already watch it happen and I can't do it again. Not with you.”

Juliette was speechless. Heartbroken to say the least.

“I'm sorry I didn't tell you until now but I have to leave you to live your life, but I love you. Always have and always will.”

And that was that. Over the years of her life, she soon fell in love with another man who was like her, mortal. I watched in the distance as she grew old and died like she always would.

The life Juliette lived was shorter than mine. But it was meaningful and better than mine would ever be.

Death is inevitable, everybody dies eventually. Maybe that's why people appreciate life because it doesn't last forever. That's when I learned immortality wasn't a gift if I was alone in it. It was a curse.

The end.

((Once again I lost the plot, wrote this at night and will probably regret it in the morning.))