“Your… sister?”
“Yeah…” Fred turned his attention back to the brightly-lit Viridian city, but instead of enjoying the town’s glittering lightshow his gaze was fixed on a family of 4 taking a gleeful stroll. The two kids played around with a wild Hoothoot while the parents watched over them with a look of bliss, “we used to be really close. She should be around your age by now actually.”
I never had any siblings back home so I didn’t think I could relate to his pain. But seeing the smiles on the family’s faces made me remember a time when I had something like that, too.
When was it that I lost it all? Was it when father left us? Or was it when mom no longer saw me as her child but as a tool.
“What happened to her then…?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“Kelly was a bright girl, and like most kids her age she’s always dreamt of venturing the world. And finally about two years ago, her wish came true. She was so happy when she got her Pokemon Trainer License, her smile was the same as that time when she received Blibly as a birthday present.” Fred’s eyes sparkled as he recounted the time he spent with his younger sister, “we were all so proud of her. Even if Pa and Ma were still worried for her, I knew for sure that she would make a great Pokemon Trainer…”
Fred’s voice trailed off. He swallowed hard and took a few heavy breaths before continuing again.
“But then one day… we lost contact with her. I tried comforting Ma that she’ll be okay and she’s just busy being a Trainer and all… But we never heard from her again. We’ve looked everywhere, went to everyone… but in the end… all we found was Blibly.”
The young nurse went silent after that. I could tell from his soft voice and empty look in his eyes that the appalling tragedy must have left an etching scar in him. I was around the same age as Fred back on Earth, maybe a bit older. I knew the feeling of a family breaking apart all too well, and I felt the need to say something back to him. Something. Anything. Anything that’ll help ease his pain.
…but the words of sympathy were stuck in my throat. As someone that was treated like an object for his entire life, I’ve never even experienced what compassion felt like until just today.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
How do I comfort someone again?
There was an awkward silence in the air, as if time itself had frozen in place. Answering that shady detective’s question was one thing, having a normal conversation while being sympathetic was beyond me.
“Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to dump all this onto you.” Fred suddenly spoke up with a weary smile, “you just remind me of her, a lot… you’re smart, and gentle, and loved by Pokemon, and I’m sure you have a heart that’s yearning for adventure somewhere down there as well.”
Me? Adventure? Please… going to the convenience store to buy instant ramen was about the most adventurous thing I’ve done in years. And me being gentle is a total lie as well, he probably has it confused with my introversion.
“I threw away my dream of becoming a clothes designer to work at this hospital, just so I could feel a bit of closure. But seeing you has filled me with hopes again, maybe Kelly’s still out there somewhere, waiting for me to find her,” Fred’s eyes lit up once more, a perfect reflection of the town below us, “and when I do, she’ll finally try out the clothes I’ve made for her.”
Wait… aren’t you just a siscon then?
“Geez, look at how long I’ve rambled on for.” Fred exclaimed as he gave himself a quick pat across his messy curly hair, he was smiling as well, even after all he’s been through, “let’s go back before Dr. Elliot finds out, otherwise it’ll be me being dragged across the halls next.”
“I… I will help you find her as well!” I blurted the words out without thinking. No. I blurted the words out because I was thinking too much. Thinking about how to comfort him. Thinking about how it’s possible for him to keep smiling, to keep moving forward. Thinking about how happy he could have been if things didn’t turn out this way. How happy I would have been if my own father didn’t walk out on us, on me…
Maybe I really am gentle at heart… or maybe it’s something else entirely.
He turned around and lowered his gaze to meet with mine. His eyes were warm, and so was his hand, which he placed atop of my head and caressed ever so gently.
“Thank you… Kelly…”
“Huh?”
“I-I’m so sorry, it’s just you two are so much alike, and you’re wearing the clothes that she used to wear as well and.. and… I’m really sorry…” Fred gave a proper 90 degree bow, probably to hide his reddened face as well.
It was nice seeing his rather flustered side for once. Actually, anything was better than the gloomy face he was making earlier.
“It’s okay, it’s not like I’m mad or anything,” I assured him with a smirk of my own, “I don’t even remember my own name anyways.”
“Is it alright if… I gave you a name then?” He asked with such genuinity that it was hard for me to refuse, “just between the two of us of course, it’ll be easier to talk to you that way as well.”
I guess it should be okay. I’ll just think of it like a nickname. Better than revealing my old name that definitely didn’t fit in this world or coming up with one myself.
“How about… Butterfly? Or… Cupcake? Maybe Melody…?”
This guy’s naming sense is worse than his clothing designs.