----***----
Evangeline
----------------------------------------
Six years ago, a significant shift occurred in my life when my parents announced we were moving to Japan for business reasons. At 12, the details of their work scarcely caught my attention. Our relocation involved not just us but also my grandparents, settling into a modest three-room apartment in the countryside. This arrangement was deemed practical, especially considering my grandmother's delicate health condition necessitating constant care, while my parents' bustling careers meant they could only visit monthly. This left my grandfather as the primary caretaker at home.
However, our lives were irrevocably altered when my parents were involved in a devastating car accident. The crash was so severe that it made the news—a news broadcast that my grandmother was watching, which was shortly followed by a call from the hospital confirming the death of her son and daughter-in-law. The shock proved too much for her already weak heart, leading to a fatal heart attack.
The following day, it was just my grandfather and me. The sheer absurdity and suddenness of our loss still bewilder me. In the aftermath, I found solace in fantasy books, a refuge that soon expanded into the realms of isekais and online light novels, suggested by friends at school. What began as a coping mechanism evolved into my central passion; I yearned for magic, for an existence far removed from the mundanity of our reality.
Yet, for now, those fantasies remain just that—fantasies. My immediate goals are grounded in reality: completing my marketing degree and securing a job. This, I hope, will enable my grandfather and me to move from our cramped living situation to a house with a garden.
----------------------------------------
The sunlight slowly made its way into a messy room littered with random garbage like ramen cups and takeout bags. The only sounds that could be heard were the soft humming of a laptop resting on the ground and the snoring of a humanoid form inside a futon.
A peaceful scene, immediately broken by an alarm clock. Actually two of them, and a "nuclear_attack_alarm.mp3" coming from a phone that was near the head of its owner.
Still, it was not enough. the only reaction to this hellish orchestra was a weak "mmh.....just ten more minutes..."
After 2 more minutes of this continuous sound torture, hurried footsteps followed by intense knocking came from the bedroom's door.
----------------------------------------
"Eva! You need to turn the alarms off, or the neighbors are going to complain again !"
"Soooorry.. I'm on it".
I lazily stood up, threw my blanket away and went around my room to deactivate the alarms from both my clocks and my phone. What was all this ruckus for? Just the minimum needed to prevent oversleeping! After all, today is a special day: the beginning of winter vacation!
Typically, my nights are filled with reading isekais until I can't stay awake, but today starts my intense Book Devouring Marathon! The idea of only reading at night to keep the days free? Too conventional for me. Now, it's about reading, eating, more reading, another snack, and reading until I fall asleep, only to start it all over again!
`Ahhh~ blissful worlds of elves, dwarves, vampires, dragons and many more, wait for me because I am coming to explore you all~`
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
After quickly dressing myself up, I went downstairs to eat breakfast, and god almighty I feel so blessed! The delicious smell of pâtisseries tickled my nose, and there they are... My grandpa's specialty, the succulent...magnificent... and epitome of perfection mixed with simplicity: Chouquettes! Even if she learned the recipe long ago, no one could make better pastries than her grandfather.
"Morning Gramp!" I said, cheerfully, and immediately went for the closest plate to devour them while they were still piping hot and fresh from the oven.
"Mornin' sweetheart, slept well? I'll be out today for some hiking with Don and Kei" he answered, while putting some cash on the table "and this should be enough for lunch, I should be back to prepare dinner"
"Oki doki, hope you have fun" I told him, mouth still full, while he was finishing packing up all his hiking gear.
After he went out, the appartement ambiance swapped back to the usual dead silence that I'm already used to...
----------------------------------------
After reading non stop for hours, my phone vibrated. `Mh.. I wonder who it is... Oh it's Grandpa!`
Gramps✨: Don't forget to buy your lunch
[Picture attached: Grandpa and 2 other elderly person doing a selfie on the bottom of a mountain in the forest, Gramps is holding a humongous sandwich full of ham and cheese]
Me: I will, ty! :D what kind of monstrosity are you holding in you're hand right now? o_o
Gramps✨: Monstrosity? All I see is a small snack!
Me: if you keep eating that much you'll get fat :/
Gramps✨: It won't be an issue since my petite patate rose d'amour will take care of me right?
Me: Fiiinee, what would you be without me huh :D I'm heading out!
Gramps✨: Bon appetit!
Me: you too :D
After the short exchange, I grabbed the cash, put my coat on and headed out to grab some lunch from the nearest udon shop.
There was not a lot of people right now outside, it's kind of cold and the grey clouded sky definitely isn't a welcomed sight. Hopefully I'll get back home before it rains.
After grabbing my takeout, I decided to take a turn to check on the stray cat that always followed me on my way to school. This time, he was near the bridge leading to the city center meowing at incoming traffic. But since the traffic was quite dense in the main road and no one was out, everyone ignored him.
"What is going on Kobo? Something is wrong?" I asked to the cat.
Kobo immediately started walking away, just to stop when seeing that I wasn't following him yet. `Is he waiting for me to follow?` as if answering my thought, the cat swished it's tail toward where he was heading to before and meowed.
"Okay, let's go" I told him gently.
----------------------------------------
Kobo just led me back home, and now my home was also his. I guess the cat decided that starting from now, he is going to live in my apartment and enjoy the warmth. This cute fluffball even accepted belly rubs! He never let me do that before. After some quality time, he looked at me with those round eyes that definitely said `Gib treats for more belly rubs` or something like that.
Thankfully, I was prepared. Since the first week of me meeting Kobo on my way to school, I've bought cat food to offer him everytime we met. This time, it will be his lunch. While the cat was living like a king, I ate my lunch and went back to reading.
----------------------------------------
The ring of my phone cut through the relentless drumming of rain against the windows, jolting me from my thoughts.
`Who could be calling at this hour?’ I wondered, heart racing as I lunged for my phone. The screen cast a pale glow in the dim room, revealing it was 8:30 pm and Grandpa was on the line. `That's unusual...` My concern deepened; Grandpa had never been one to call so late without grave reason, and the echoing silence beyond the door told me he hadn't returned home yet.
The call crackled with static, Grandpa's labored breaths barely audible over the line. "Eva... *cough* Listen, time's running out for me, and... it's abrupt, and I'm sorry for springing this on you, but... I don't think I'll make it back."
Confusion and fear gripping me, I stammered, "Grandpa? What do you mean? Stop it, that's not funny. What's happening?"
Through sobs and trembling words, Grandpa replied, "Eva... my legs, I can't feel them. The others, they've gone for help, but my time's up. Please, live fully... I... I can't..." His voice broke, "Keep your smile, for this old man, alright? I’ll be watching over you, I love you so much, Eva."
Panic surged as I yelled, "NO! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE, STAY WITH ME!" But the line went dead, leaving a piercing silence in its wake.
My phone slipped from my grasp, hitting the floor as despair overwhelmed me. With tears blurring my sight, I ran outside, desperation fueling my steps. Grandpa was somewhere out there, his life hanging by a thread, and I couldn’t just wait. Pushing every rational thought aside, I dashed towards the train station, determined to reach him, to save him.
Yet, in my frantic dash, I was oblivious to the imminent danger—a truck, losing its battle against the slick pavement, careened towards me.
Time seemed to slow as I found myself lifted off the ground, the world spinning chaotically. A searing pain shot through my head upon impact with the pavement, and then, everything faded to black.