Chapter 1
Death. A terrifying yet inevitable phenomena that will come to each and every one of us eventually. Everyone knows that. What we want to know is what beyond it…what happens when life cease to exist. And nobody knows that. It’s the million dollar question. People have tried to explain life after death for centuries but to no fruition.
One of the more interesting takes on this topic came of William Shakespeare in one of his catchphrase from his play “The Tempest” where he defines Death as a passage between materialistic existence to a spiritual one. The physical essence returned to mother earth whereas the spirit welcomed by the sea nymphs. He defined life after death as an escape from the physical bounds and the beginning of anew artistic life where everybody is happy. In short, “Death is meaningful.”
If that’s the case then what about my parents? Was it meaningful? Whatever the case, I hope they are living happily wherever they ended up…
June 4th, 2017
Guys, hear me out. Have you ever been in a situation where someone tell you to be in a location you have never been before and you and kinda in no man’s land looking awkward and lost? Yes, I Eiji Seijurro am currently in this situation in a station I don’t know and that certain “someone” is running late. We were supposed to meet up at 1 in the afternoon but its 2 already. Ahh…its hot out here. I hope he comes soon…
*About 10 minutes later*
“Sorry Eiji, I had some work related problems which made me just a little late. Did u wait long?”
“What do mean ‘a little late’? I have been waiting for you for a damn hour now. Well, can’t blame you for being late cause of work but you could have messaged me or something. I just stood here with all this luggage on this blazing sun you know…”
“I am really sorry. I mean it. Wait here for a sec, I will call a taxi”
“Hmm, is the place far from here?”
“Not far…about a 15 min walk from here but we can’t walk with all that luggage now, can we?”
He made that call as he looked at my luggage. I was basically moving out to a new house with no basic necessities so I had two handbags containing my clothing along with two huge suitcases containing all the important things I could think of. It may be excessive but these stuffs are the only memory left of the old place, so I couldn’t just get myself to throw them. He didn’t seem to be against it so there was no problem.
“Oh, when will I be joining my new high school?”
“Don’t worry about it. I have already made arrangements with the school so you can join whenever you want.”
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“I am in your debt.”
“Don’t go all formal with me. We are brothers after all.”
As we got closer and closer to the place, my heart started pounding harder and harder with all the mixed feelings. I was excited of course, of the fact that I was moving to a new house but more nervous and anxious of the fact that I spent my whole childhood there but remember nothing of it.
“Oh, you see that’s our house…Hey, are you ok?”
“Umm…I am ok. Don’t worry about it.”
“…I know that you’ve been through a lot. Well its not my position to say anything but as your brother it pains me to see you sad. Just try to enjoy life now as it is.”
“Thank you Nii-san. Like I said earlier, its ok. It just feels weird coming to your own house as a complete stranger. Maybe I just haven’t sorted my feelings yet.”
“Well, don’t dwell on it too much. Going to school and making friends will help you in the recovery process. I am sure of it.”
“Hahahaa…maybe it will. But man…you really suck at consoling people. It’s so weird.”
“Huh! Aren’t you being too mean to me? For what it’s worth, I am a teacher you know.”
When we reached the house, I couldn’t get myself to go inside the house. It was a normal two stories house where nothing stood out. But this uneasiness in my heart just wouldn’t let go. Maybe he took notice of this and tried to console me. It felt awkward and weird but can’t say it didn’t help with the uneasiness.
“Hey Eiji, how does the house feel? Will you be able to live comfortably here?”
“Of course. It’s feels kinda weird to be the guest of your own house but other than that its feels pretty exhilarating and pleasant to be here. Well, the cleaning needs work though.”
“Haha…I know right. Well, I was gonna do some cleaning up sometime soon but yeah…I am sorry.”
“Haa…This guy…At least help me clean up the house and unloading the cardboxes. It may take some time but manageable by today. What about internet?”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I have already talked with the ISP and will probably be up and running by tomorrow. Now…Lets get the cleaning started!”
We got the cleaning started. We divided the work into the two of us to be efficient. I was put in charge of the actual house cleaning and unloading the boxes for him. As excepted of the house vacated for a year, the furniture was full dirt and dust and the roof filled with cobweb. It took four hours of grueling work to clean the entire house but it was done. Seeing the house one full of dust and dirt now clean and sparkling made me pretty satisfied. Nii-san brought me some snacks and drinks and we finally took a break.
“Oh crap! It’s 6 already. I need to go. Eiji, call me if you need anything, okay?”
“Ok…Oh wait! I am supposed to go to school tomorrow right? So…where’s my uniform?”
“I have ironed it and hanged it inside your dresser. And also, I have bought a ready made bento and put it in the fridge. Make sure to reheat it before you eat it.”
“Ok thanks as always. See you tomorrow in the school.”
“Yeah, don’t be late on your first day of school, okay?”
“I got it, see ya”
I asked stay with me a while ago but apparently he got a good apartment not too far from school and had lived there for a more independent life. He actually considered staying with me but as our houses are not that far and added to the fact that he had paid like a bazillion as rent, he couldn’t just leave the apartment of which he had already paid the rent of this year in advance and stay with me. Well, it was not that big of the problem in the first place but somewhere in my heart maybe I wanted him to stay with me. No Eiji! You are not a kid anymore. You are 17 and about to go to high school now. You can’t be that selfish now, can you?
As the night fell and darkness slowly started creeping in, I lit up the rooms. It was 8 already so I started to think about my dinner. I opened the fridge and took out the bento. It was a regular bento with a side of fried chicken and some vegetables. It was my first time eating a ready made bento and was pretty delicious. Could definitely make it my stable. After having dinner, with no internet connection to pass time. I decided to call it a night.
As I was about to turn off the lights, I noticed a photo frame on the study table. I took a look at it and found out that it was my family photo. I look so happy in that photo, don’t I? I thought as I gave out a wry smile. I lied down in my bed but my heart was in complete turmoil. If I had to simplify my emotions, it would probably be fleeting loneliness and…maybe ‘Guilt’. With various emotions still unanswered exhaustion finally caught up me as I slowly closed my eyes and dozed away.
The lights are up in the house today. Kizoku-sensei probably came by to air out the house…maybe that dumb Eiji came back. No way right…
End