El enjoyed making guitars almost as much as he enjoyed playing them. It was like creating a new child. Each of them was distinct in some way, even if they superficially looked identical, varying in timbre and personality. Some of them practically made and played themselves, while others took hard work on the part of the craftsman to bring forth anything besides jarring discord. El knew that those were the special ones though, because with the proper attention and care, they sang far more beautifully than the easy ones ever did.

He was carefully sanding the body of his latest endeavor as Marco sat in a chair at the kitchen table practicing. The boy wasn’t exactly a prodigy, but with enough practice and dedication, he’d be a skilled musician one day.

It had been nearly two months since the day he’d last spoken to Sands. He felt like he’d failed his friend on many levels, but it was too late for regrets. He focused his energy on his music and his craft, and on Marco. The boy was finally starting to feel more like a child than a lost lamb to El. El still occasionally found him sitting on the roof of the church staring out at the stars, but the grief in his eyes was no longer a constant. He laughed without reserve and seemed to truly enjoy life for the first time since El had met him. The only sticker was the subject of Sands. He still asked about his old friend, and El always hated giving him the same answer, that, no, he hadn’t heard from Sands and didn’t know if when or if he’d ever be released, but yes, he’d definitely tell Marco if he heard something.

Marco stood up and walked towards the door. He told El that he wanted to practice alone on the roof of the church for a while, and would be back later. El nodded and continued working on the new guitar. It was one of the difficult ones, but he was determined to make it work. He always hated it when he couldn’t get one to work and was forced to finally abandon it.

He was about to drop his frustrating project and ponder the idea of going to bed early when the phone suddenly rang, startling him. He walked over to the phone, picking up the receiver.

“Hey, uh, El? Um... It’s Sands...“

----

Author’s Note: I wasn’t originally planning on writing any sort of epilogue and just ending it at the last chapter with Sands in the looney bin, but he kept looking at me with those big holes and prodding me to let him out I hope it didn’t ruin the story too badly. I’m such a softy.