The year was 1955, four men stood on a dock, looking out to the sea. The wind blew gently, carrying a salty and crisp smell, filling their nose.

The night sky was stretched out before them, moonlight dancing along the waves that gently lapped at the sand and support beams under them.

Two of the men held their arms behind their backs, soft smiles on their faces. The one on the right wore fully black formal wear, contrasting his pale skin that were was dotted with light freckles.

Black eyes stared out before him, soft, clean dark brown hair gently reaching upward with a slight swoosh from the wind.

The one next to him was opposite, wearing a fully white suit, his black hair gelled back. His skin was a little darker, a small oriental flare compared to his partner.

A small stubble was on his face, nearly trimmed and well kept.

"It's almost time for us to leave," the one in white said.

"I find it hard the year is over already, it feels like yesterday we appeared..." the one in black muttered.

The two behind them looked on with sadness, bearing a few similar feature with the two before them.

The third man, standing behind the man in black, had more scruffy black hair, green eyes having a ring of brown around the edges. He wore a black and white tux, roughly just a bit taller then the one before him.

The final man didn't share much in common with the man in white, besides for identical brown eyes and black hair. He was taller, broad shoulders with thicker arms.

"I don't even know how I'm going to say goodbye... this year was one in a million, because of you two," said the third, his tone low and filled with grief.

"Well, it wasn't just us, Ed. You and Morris helped us make the year so grand," the man in the fully black outfit said. He smiled gently to him, before looking to the man in white.

"Annus, do you have it?" he asked. The man in white, Annus, gave a nod to the other.

"Yes, right here." He reached into his dress pcoket, pulling out a small hourglass. As he held it in his palm, it grew larger, a steady flow of the black sand trickling down. It was polished wood, clean and unscuffed, two skulls placed inside of it.

The top skull was almost fully reveals, while the very top of the bottom skull could just barely be seen.

"We would like for you to have this, both of you, as a token of our appreciation for what you have done for us," Annus explained.

The third man, Ed, felt tears line his hazel eyes. "There's so little sand left..." he muttered, "When it finally runs out..."

"We'll dissappear," Annus concluded, giving him a small nod.

Morris, the man next to Ed, gave a small sad sigh. "I never really thought this time would come..."

The man in black gave a small laugh. "Neither did we! But," he recollected himself, a soft smile back on his face, "the world is like that. No matter what, you can't stop time."

Annus held out the hourglass to them, Ed shaking as he took it. "Take good care of it. If it ever broke, well, even I'm not sure what would happen."

Ed held it with the upmost care, before passing it over to Morris. He reached out, gesturing for a hug from the man in black. Morris carefully placed the hourglass down, reaching for his own from Annus.

The pairs shared quick hugs, and for a moment, it finally felt like the timer stopped.

"I won't forget you two," Ed weakly whispered, the man in black chuckling. "I hope not."

Annus gently patted Morris' back, the quieter, more shy man slowly letting go from him. "Take care of yourself," Annus told him.

Morris gave a small nod, not saying a word as he took a deep breath.

Annus straightened up, looking to the one next to him. "Unus, do you have the time?"

The man in black, Unus, reached into his pocket, pulling out a small pocketwatch. "11:59, thirty seconds left."

Annus gave a small 'thank you' to him, before turning his attention back to the two in front of them.

"Thank you for making our first and final year something to remember, Morris and Ed."

Unus gave as nod of agreement. "We'll be waiting on the other side."

With blurry eyes, Morris and Ed could barely make out the smiling faces of Unus and Annus, before their bodies seemed to evaporate in a the form of small petal shaped light.

The two men stood on the dock for a few more minutes, quietly trying to contain themselves. Ed ran a hand down his face, turning away, clearing his throat as he tried to calm his nerves.

Morris blinked away a few tears, looking down at the planks underneath their feet. He looked at the hourglass, reaching and carefully taking it.

"Ed? I know how close you were to Unus, would you like to have it?" He asked, his tone soft and quiet sounding.

Ed looked over, giving a small sniffle as he used a hankerchief to dry his eyes. The kind and gentle look in his friend's eyes reminded him he could actually cry around him and not be judged. He gave a small nod, reaching out, receiving it from Morris.

"Thank you..." he said quietly, his voice wavering as he said it.

"It's not a problem at all. Come now, let's go home, we have have a big day tomorrow. We must burn the reels."

"Yes, yes you're right. It was their final wish after all."

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Finish - Dec. 5th

Not much to say about this, but I'm a bit proud of this prologue. Yes, it could use some work, but for now, I'm proud of it. If you guys have any sort of creative criticism, please let me know!

Until then, I hope you all enjoyed. Take care!