People often forget what is important and remember what is insignificant. The act of reminiscing is difficult, so choose wisely– Senseless
"What if...?"
"What if...?"
"What if...?"
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#10 Years ago
Baru woke up to the soft chirps of a bird announcing it was morning. The beautiful melody it played almost put him back to sleep, but after smelling the sweet and sour scent of breakfast being prepared, Baru suddenly flicked open his eyes in anticipation.
"SHIT, THAT SMELLS SO GOOD!" he lavished. "Dad's cooking is alright, but mom makes the good stuff." He hopped out of bed with a large, happy grin across his face. Due to his parents being stingy, he tiredly brought himself to the bathroom and started brushing his teeth.
"Blech, I hate brushing my teeth. This toothpaste tastes like poop." Which was an obvious lie; he had never tasted poop before, so there was no way of knowing. It still smelled like it, though.
"Curse this organic toothpaste shit..." He often caught himself saying curse words, which he never really wanted to say. It just came out naturally to him, even though he was just seven years old.
Hmm, I wonder who I got that from. I don't know. (It most definitely was his dad.)
Warm light streamed from his window, which was stationed above his bed, casting warm rays across his floor. It felt cozy and warm, not to mention it was a Saturday! So, no school!
"I can't wait to watch and play video games all I want!" Leaping on his bouncy bed, he reached out to his window and, with a small grunt, managed to open it. His face lit up with a childish smile.
"Today is so beautiful!" A lush and green farmland that was being illuminated by yellow streaks from the morning light spread across farther than the eye could see! Ripe apple trees stood tall next to his house. So close even, Baru contemplated if he should jump out of his window and grab onto a branch.
"Ughh, nah, mom's not gonna like if I even get a scratch on myself." Baru heard that people with touch had really durable bodies that withstood a lot of damage.
I can't wait until I go through puberty. I wonder what Sense I’ll get! I want a powerful one like Touch or Hearing! Sight would be pretty cool, too. I don’t know about Taste or Smell, though, that would suck.
Splash!
Baru suddenly felt a wet splash on his nose. Looking up with confusion, he realized the morning rain was the cause. The dew still hung above his window, occasionally dripping down rhythmically. Letting out a laugh, he washed the water drops off his face.
"Oi Baru! Good morning!" While leaning close to his window, Baru noticed someone calling his name from below. Squinting his eyes, an old lady with a large farmer's hat looked up at him with a glowing smile while holding a large basket of freshly picked apples.
"GOOD MORNING, MRS TSUYA!" Baru exclaimed from his window.
"Okay, dear, I might be getting old, but I haven't lost my hearing that badly. No need to scream." The old lady let out an amused laugh.
"Oops, sorry!" Baru scratched the back of his head, embarrassingly letting out a laugh.
"Hey, Baru, after you're done with breakfast, do you think you could help me do some farm work? I hired some robots that have been doing wonders for me, but I still miss having you around," the old lady croaked.
Baru gave an eager nod. "Of course! I love helping you, Mrs. Tsuya—" Too excited to help her, Baru's hand slipped while he leaned over the window, causing him to dive head-first into the ground!
"You're such a good ki—OH DEAR!!–" the old lady dropped her basket of apples and lunged below Baru before he made an impact. He covered his eyes with fright as he felt himself fall, his heart jumping out of his chest. He waited for a few moments, but nothing happened.
DON'T TELL ME I'M DEAD ALREADY?! Baru wanted to cry. But as soon as he opened his eyes, he found himself in the arms of the old lady.
"Phew! Baru dear, you have to be careful! The windows are all slippery from the rain we had in the early morning." She worriedly set him down from her arms, pulling him into a warm hug. Baru's eyes were wide open from shock.
"I—I," he stuttered as tears started welling up in his eyes. "I'M SORRY!!!" Baru let out a frightened cry as he rubbed his eyelids with his fingers, trying to stop himself.
"Oh dear, it's alright. There's no need to cry, young one," the nice lady gently stroked his head as she embraced him firmly. "Good thing your mom didn’t see this. She would be like—Oh no! did you get hurt?! No more school for a whole month!!" she let out a chuckle while impersonating Baru's mother.
Baru sniffled his congested nose and then giggled in response. "You’re right, and then she’ll say, like, let me kiss your bruises. That’s the only way to make the pain go away!"
Forgetting how scared he had just felt, they laughed together while the orange sunlight illuminated brightly on their faces—this time, crying tears of laughter and not fright.
"Now, now, I need to go back to work," Granny waved her hand at him. "And you need to get breakfast, young man! I smell your mother's cooking all the way from here! You don’t want to get her mad, now," she teased Baru with a playful pinch on the cheek, then trotted away with the large basket of apples.
"I’ll see you in a bit!" Baru waved his hand, smiling brightly as he watched her go.
Baru entered the front door of his small farmhouse. Around him stood similar buildings that many other farmers owned, and some just being poor individuals who couldn’t afford to live in the city. He didn’t mind it here at all. He’d never been a city boy. Besides, he always liked helping out with his neighbors' farms!
My family always warns me about monsters, but I've never seen an aggressive one. I would often see RaBats, or Crowens, trying to eat the stock, but they would always leave after someone shoots a warning shot with a gun.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
He believed people were just making a big deal out of nothing. Eagerly taking off his shoes once he smelled the aroma of his mother's cooking, Baru scampered into his living room.
His father, Kenzo, sat by the breakfast table, occasionally sipping hot coffee as he read from his transparent phone device. His father was tall and had a broad, sturdy body with dark, short red hair coupled with plain and rather blunt brown eyes. They both looked so much alike that it usually only took someone a second to realize he was the son.
"Woah, is that the new Ephone 100?! Where'd you get that, Dad!?"
Startled by his sudden appearance, his father jerked, causing his hot coffee to spill on his white dress shirt. Right when Baru had exclaimed, he knew he’d messed up.
"FUKING SHIT! THIS WAS A FUKING NEW SHIRT! I JUST GOT THIS FROM THE GOD DAMN CITY! IT COST ME A FORTUNE! FUUU–"
Baru grew pale. Knowing how mad his father became, he was too scared to face him. Baru quickly retreated out of the living room, hiding behind a wall for fear of getting caught.
"BARU YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS HERE! IF YOU DON’T I'M GONNA SMACK THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!" Kenzo called out.
Baru gulped behind the wall. "NUH UH! YOU CAN'T FOOL ME, OLD MAN! YOU’RE GONNA BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF ME EITHER WAY! I'M SMARTER THAN THAT!" he exclaimed in return.
"Tsk, good grief, that kid..." Kenzo let out a tired sigh.
"Now, dear, no need for your vulgar language. He didn't mean to scare you; he was just excited," his mother, Aoi, giggled in amusement, cracking eggs in a pan and continuing to slice vegetables with her large squared knife.
Aoi had a sense of elegance no matter what she did. It could be cooking, cleaning, or simply telling him a bedtime story, but it always felt soft and gentle, and her appearance was a sure reflection of her tender personality. With long blonde, silky smooth hair and understanding greenish hazel eyes, she never seemed too concerned with such tantrums; after all, they happened quite frequently.
Kenzo gave a scornful expression where his son had just left. "This shirt cost me so much though–"
"Doesn’t matter," Aoi cut him off, still bearing a smile on her face as she continued cooking. "Money will come and go, but relationships and memories don't, no matter how small or large they are. Money doesn't have emotions or memories; Baru does."
Kenzo covered his face with his palm and gave into a sigh.
"I suppose you’re right," he momentarily laughed, then stood up from his chair and walked behind the wall where Baru was hiding fearfully.
Seeing his father reach his hand out, Baru flinched and shut his eyes, expecting a smack, but instead, he felt Kenzo’s hands pat his head reassuringly. Opening his eyes gradually, tears started brimming once again.
"I-I'M SORRY!" tears dripped on the floor, as his voice cracked apologetically.
"It’s okay, son, no need for you to apologize," he reassured, his hot-tempered tone beginning to soften. "I know you didn’t mean to; you were just excited to see the new phone I just got. If anyone is to blame, it's me. I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you and reacted that way."
"A-are you sure you’re not mad?"
"No, no, Baru, your dad just had a very long week of work and is a bit tired, that’s all. How about it, wanna play with my new phone?" he prompted with a grin.
Wiping his tears away, Baru gave a small, reluctant nod. Going back to the breakfast table, his mother gave a light-hearted chuckle as he sat on his father's lap.
"So, this material is made out..." His father started explaining the material of the device, in-depth explaining how each individual mechanism worked. Baru's eyes lit up with excitement as he watched how the phone materialized as a hologram out of thin air.
"Wow, this is so cool!"
"Indeed, I was finally able to afford this after I got paid this week. Work has been quite brutal, but it's finally starting to pay off. Not to mention, I’m almost done with a certain project I've been working on for the past ten years–"
"Good morning," a soft, high-pitched, groggy voice yawned while entering the room. His father smiled upon seeing a young girl no older than Baru cutely rubbing her eyes to wake up.
"Good morning, Ami," Kenzo greeted his daughter with a warm tone. Ami groaned in response before tiredly flopping on a chair, awaiting breakfast. Her long blonde hair, similar to her mother's, was still frizzy and messy as she lay her head on the breakfast table.
"Morning, sis," Baru brightly replied. Ami was only a year younger than him, so they often played with each other to pass the time. She was a quiet and reserved girl, maybe occasionally showing signs of irritation when he nagged her. But what else could he do? He needed to get a reaction out of her somehow.
"Goon monen..." Ami murmured back to him, already prepared to fall asleep again on the breakfast table. However, his mother didn’t allow that.
"Oi oi, Ami, it's time to wake up. Food is ready!" She sternly demanded, setting plates of food on the table. Ami's eyes snapped wide open once she heard the ceramic clink of the food being rested in front of her.
GOBBLE, GOBBLE!
Barely a few seconds passed before Ami started gobbling the breakfast before her like some sort of animal.
"A-AMI!" Aoi nipped her by the ear. "Don’t eat that fast. You’re gonna choke!"
Ami gulped down a large bite before cowering before her mother with a condescending expression.
"Fine," she puffed. "I don’t get what the big deal is. I’m just a fast eater."
Aoi wasn’t convinced by that excuse. "Are you sure you’re a fast eater? Or are those bullies stealing your food again in school?"
Ami turned quiet as her mother made that statement. Her usually pink cheeks suddenly turned pale with foreboding. Noticing a change of atmosphere, Kenzo let out a fake cough.
"Come on, Baru, go to your seat before the food gets cold."
Nodding to his father, Baru took his seat and glanced at his plate. It was a simple Western breakfast containing sunny-side-up eggs, bacon, fresh bagels, and broccoli for nutrition. They all gave a silent prayer before eating, except well, Ami, who decided to gobble half the plate before they even had a chance to stop her.
Rich flavors from the bacon struck his tongue, while the soft, creamy egg yolk added another layer of simplicity that complemented the umami of the fatty pork. And to wash down the combo, Baru chucked a well-buttered bagel into his mouth with delight. As for the broccoli, Baru decided not to bother himself with that. Yuck. He twisted his nose in disgust.
While eating, he noticed his sister staring at her food with a grim expression, lost in thought. Gulping down a big chunk of bacon, he decided to ask her what was up.
“Ami? What's wrong, why aren’t you eating?”
There was a pause for a few seconds before she replied. “I don’t know, I just don’t feel like eating right now.” She shrugged off his concern.
“I don’t know about that. You were gobbling up the plate before Mom said something about bullies. Is that it?”
“It doesn’t matter…” Ami muttered under her breath.
Baru glanced at his parents with confusion, but they both shook their heads with a sigh.
“It's best to leave her alone, Baru; let's not ruin the meal,” Aoi said.
“But, if she’s getting bullied, then we need to stop it–”
“Baru…” his mother raised her tone, “that’s enough.”
He wasn’t sure why they didn’t see the obvious problem. If his sister was getting bullied, they needed to step in. Or is Ami not telling them who it was? Baru wondered. Whatever the case is, I'll protect her. He clenched his fists with fury; anyone who touches my little sis will get socker punched in the gut.
“Anyway,” Kenzo sighed, placing his new phone in the middle of the table before it expanded into a hologram so the whole family could see. “Let's watch some cartoons while we eat, shall we?”
“Death tolls by monsters have been at an all-time high, while inflation is making a steady decline,” the reporter on a news station remarked. “However, how long is this going to keep up? For the longest time, we thought the death tolls of monsters played a significant role in the spike in the cost of living, which simultaneously causes more inflation. But now it’s the polar opposite? There’s something very shady going on in the government and we need to stand for the truth–”
Kenzo let out a loud cough to mask what the reporter was saying and turned it off.
“Uh, actually, let's not watch anything…”
Baru frowned when his father shut it off. He was getting interested in what the reporter had to say. “Dad? Why are monsters such a big thing? When I go outside, I never see one?”
His father seemed reluctant to reply to his question, but then, after making eye contact with his wife, he gave out a sigh of defeat.
“You see, Baru. This village is safe. Very, very safe, compared to the rest. Due to that fact, the government keeps a close eye on us in hopes of figuring out why this place, out of thousands of villages, has been void of monster attacks for the past ten years.”
“So why don’t we get any monster attacks?” Baru tilted his head.
“It's because of me…”
“You? What do you mean?”
Kenzo stopped eating and placed his fork down, growing serious. “You see, son, I’ve been working on a project for the past ten years. And due to that, monsters don’t seem to come near this place.”
“What kind of project?”
“You promise not to tell anyone about this?” His father eyed him, dead serious. Baru nodded eagerly at him. His father gave a second glance at his family before breathing out.
“I’ve been working on a Monster barrier…” Kenzo announced, his fingers interlocking.