16 Chapter 16: Tale as Old as Time

"Then, let's take you about a century ago. Haku Hatsu, my grandfather, had a passion in science. He loved to travel around, discovering, experimenting, learning and so and so. One day, he traveled far in the woods where no one had dared before." Yuki explained the cliff area and the area below it and described how beautiful it was. My brain wasn't interested to what he was saying about it until, "Out of nowhere, my grandfather heard the strangest thing ever. A voice."

Now, my brain was in full listen-mode.

"A beautiful yet scary voice, just singing. Listening to it felt like a trance. It drew him closer and closer to the person and there it was, a dark cave. Not only is there a cave, there was a person sitting down on the cave, with their feet on the water."

"Malinda." I mutter quietly.

Yuki smiled in approval, "She was the prettiest sight my grandfather had ever seen. They started talking, have a bond, get closer, and you would know the rest. Ever since that day, he would go to that cave every now and then and talk with the girl. He would also wander inside the cave and wrote about his discoveries, but most of his notes would just be about Malinda. This carried on for weeks and he has truly fallen head over heels for Malinda. But one day, he did discover something in the cave, a library filled with different sorts of works and artifacts from all kinds of timelines that has never been seen before. There was even an unknown Anglo-Saxon written book. Haku Hatsu was bewildered of his discovery. He asked Malinda about these and she said that she's collected them for years. Without even asking any permission, Haku let dozens of strangers and scientists inside the cave and was about to run tests and steal the artifacts. The next thing that happened was completely unknown. Haku and the rest of the strangers just woke up outside the cave without any memory of why they were there in the first place."

This is why Malinda freaked out when she found out Jacob was writing about her. But why would she tell me some parts of her story so easily today? And how did that group forget about Malinda that easily? I grab my teacup and drink the green tea. I almost got distracted by the beverage because this is peak culture right here.

"My grandfather went home that day to realize the truth of what really happened. He read all of his past notes and was shocked. He had no memory of anything he wrote. So of course, he went back to the cave. But there was no one and nothing there."

My eyes widen. I mutter to myself again, "This is like what happened to Jacob." But I still couldn't understand how Malinda could hide. I set my teacup down.

Yuki nodded again and continued, "He went mad for days. He tried telling others, but no one would believe him. The group of scientists brushed it off as well. So he just did his research on his own for almost a decade on this strange event. He called it 'The Cave's Voice Phenomenon'.

"There was no progress whatsoever until he noticed a famous journalist in town had gone through the same thing, Jacob Harrison. As you said, they both researched about this. Since Jacob was about to start university, he decided to bring my grandfather along with him to one of the best boarding schools at the time. There, they had more material to use but no story to carry on.

"But suddenly, Yuki's headspace just changed, and he pushed away the entire research. I thought it was natural since he's been looking for so long but there was still no progress. So, he started going back to his other, normal scientific experiments and left Jacob alone in his own accord. Jacob Harrison continued being known as a senseless maniac in all of Winterville while the friend he thought he knew striven against all odds and became a famous science professor because of his works. This is where the story ends."

For a couple of seconds, I wait and stare at him, as if there's more to it. He also stares at me with an innocent smile. I then replayed his last sentence, "Wait, what? That doesn't make sense. How did our families become close then?"

Yuki sighs, "Since Jacob already felt ashamed of his past about telling stories, he never told anyone about what had happened. Obviously, my grandfather wouldn't as well." He looked a little embarrassed, "But our families had known that they were close friends which made them continue the social tradition. Although, I haven't talk to your grandmother for quite some time. Was it Pia?"

"Prim."

"My bad! My memory has been failing me too. Any-who, both our families did not understand all the frenzy that our ancestors have been up to. I suppose what started it was the similar concerns for the both of them: 'What are they blabbering about? What do these researches mean? Why are they doing this?' They tried to know together, but still did not completely understand. I only know of all this because I stumbled upon Haku's research room here in his old house."

"Does Gran know about this?"

"I'm certain we have spoken about it, yes. Although, she was just as in the blind as you were before you had entered this room."

"Dang. I can't believe no one told me."

"That is because you have never asked. Maybe you should talk to her more. And when you do, tell her I hope she's doing well. Anyway, his husband, your grandfather Jermaine and I go way back, sharing so much drinks and nights together." He smiles to himself for a moment then realized I was still there, "So, that is all I could tell you."

I pause for a second before asking, "How about you, Yuki?"

"Hm?"

"Do you believe in any of this?"

He takes a deep breath, thinking, then answers, "I am open to the possibility of it being true, but, I believe in what I see. I have not tried to do so. Much so like Japanese tales. It reminds me of the story of the goddess Amaterasu. She once has shut herself inside the Amano-Iwato, the Heavenly Rock Cave, where there was absolutely no sign of light. This is a shrine in Takachiho, my home. How I miss it. I have not been to Japan for a long time, but if I see the goddess, maybe you can see Malinda, too." He takes another sip of his tea and the quiet settled in the room.

Withholding my smirk because of his last statement, I had sunk in their comfortable sofa, trying to process everything I just heard. I continue drinking the green tea with my mind full of chaotic thoughts. I'm also putting the puzzle pieces together along with what I read from earlier. Basically, Malinda lost her trust due to Haku Hatsu exposing her. Haku failed. Jacob tried doing the same thing and failed, too. Both of their memories disappeared after it all went wrong. Haku Hatsu formed a partnership with Jacob so they both could get it back and figure all this weird shit out, but Jacob lost his trust to him because of betrayal.

This entire time, the one who started all the madness and rumors about my family was never mad at all. My eyebrows furrow as I keep realizing more sides of the truth, and how much I've been shielded by it. Now I feel even more shameful that I only knew about all this now, but also feel more hyped that I am doing this in the first place.

It just seems like I'm the Titanic which thought that I'm going to bump into a small, simple iceberg. At least I know that there's so much more than that now.

And I need more evidence and records from the past. Remembering what Yuki said earlier, I asked hopefully, "Hey Yuki, is it okay if I go to Haku's research room you were talking about?"

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