Summer and Spring

2008 June ?;?? PM

There is a memory deep inside my consciousness, something that over time I have forgotten. But even so, it's a common visitor in my forgotten dreams.

The sky was painted yellow, the clouds were thin and sparse and the cicadas cried softly in the bushes behind my old countryside house. Our country house was on a hill that has a long road passing by on it and a small forest behind. The warm summer heat enveloped me comfortably as I sat on the grass. I was with my childhood friends , those whose names I have long forgotten since.

??? Girl: "Ryo!! Come over here!"

??? Boy: " Let's go! Let's go!"

They were frantically calling me to share the candy they had bought at the shop nearby. I wasn't quite connected with everything at that time, I loved to daydream while gazing at the clouds and at the long, seemingly everlasting road. My friends eventually gave up and called my guardian to wake me up.

??? Girl: " Mrs Kiama , Ryo is doing it again!!"

Mrs Kiama: " He sure is sometimes in his own world".

The voices softly came from behind me in the background as the cicadas seemingly started crying louder. I didn't react, my attention was suddenly focused on the thing. There was something. Something on the far side of the road. I couldn't make out what it was , but it was a distorted black figure of some sort. I blinked.

It was closer , it was moving towards me. Its details were becoming clearer. It had a white mask with one yellow eye with red outlines embedded into the middle. It had a black coat of some kind that reached to the bottom of its frighteningly tall body. I was strangely calm, maybe I was still daydreaming as I was observing the strange figure as it moved closer and closer to me. Suddenly, silence. All the sounds around me died. I couldn't hear the voices of my friends and mother nor my own heart beat.

Before I noticed, it was in front of me.

April 5th 2018 6:10 AM

The nauseous alarm wakes me up. I have considered changing the sound to something less irritable , but I can not deny that it does succeed in waking me up. I prepare to pull myself out of bed , but from the edges of the curtains , it's quite obvious to see that it is an obnoxiously bright morning. Nevertheless I convince myself to wake up and open up the turquoise curtains to let my eyes adjust to the brightness of the sun. In a swift motion, I swung the curtains open, but quickly pulled them three thirds closed when I noticed I couldn't handle it. Perhaps I am a vampire.

I routinely brush my teeth and take a quick shower to prepare myself for the day. Opening the wardrobe - i'm reminded that i am running out of clothes, as i only have two pair of shirts and pants for my casual attire, That, along with a mostly black school uniform with a yellow crest of a bird engraved in to the breast pocket of the blazer and a fairly average white and black set of formal blouse and pants.

I dress into the school uniform and go to the kitchen, coated with a gray exterior and fake fruits situated on the counter table. In the fridge the only thing edible is an apple and an unfinished salad bowl wrapped in a plastic sheet. I came to the realization that clothes are not the only thing I am running out of. I wear the uniform matching black shoes and reach my hand to the knob of the electronic door , preparing to open it. I softly take a breath, and close my eyes for a few seconds. I twist the knob and apply some force to the door which swings it open. It feels like the light is piercing my body right through. I try squinting my eyes but the light still burns. . The combination of the bright sun and my insomnia driven headaches reminds me why I hate bright mornings. I exit the compound and reach the first corner required to pass to reach the school.

The luscious pink sakuras are blooming in full with bids singing on them. The leaves are gliding elegantly down, soon to reach the grass.The usual cat is in its usual spot and similar looking cars pass by. The wind gently swished through my hair as I passed the crossing walk. Feeling exausted as usual , I arrive at the gate of the school. There is a long row of bicycles parked in a spacious - open tent near the entrance, illuminated in a warm yellow glow by the sun shining through the translucent fabric of the tent. A storm of people are also arriving . Some on bikes, some by foot , some even by car. Within the group of people, there is a fly that has been for some time attached to me during my school career.

Rose was a boy of an unusual name, and similar height to my own. He has dirty blond hair , brown eyes and a fairly memorable and annoying voice. He also has an athletic build which I lack. Our school is flexible with the uniform rules, which explains his attire. He wears a dark blue - open hoodie with the sleeves rolled up and flamboyant - pink sport trainers.

Rose: Ryo!!!! Ryo!!! Wait for me!

His eyes glisten with joy and he enthusiastically calls out to me while walking towards my direction.Given some thought, he is like the personification of spring , or more like this day specifically. He shines so bright it's harmful for me.I try my best to ignore it and increase my walking pace to try to avoid the comfortration … sadly with no avail. He reaches close enough to land on my shoulder and continues buzzing in my ear.

"What did you do on the spring break" , "Want to meet up today in a cafe", "Is it fine if I invite Aki", "Can I take you silence as a yes" , "That's a promise". My head does its best to filter out the noise, but it only makes the words softer. AkI is Rose's sister , in contrast to him , she is well.. just there. She probably had some sort of social anxiety, which is why she always was with Rose. Which is why she was commonly sitting next to me during break time or walking home with me after school.

As far as I remember Rose was always with me - without consent of course. During kindergarten, he used to give me toys then run away while giggling with no context. When in elementary school , we met again when he popped out from the gym closet mattresses - half awake , scaring me. In middle school , he used to always sneak up from behind and interrupt me while I was eating.And now in high school , he simply annoys me like he always has done and arranges plans for me, yet without me. It was a bright morning.

I enter the classroom, it's as loud and irritating as always. The same people, in their same social groups , talking about the same things. After a short pause from an internal sigh at the entrance, I started walking towards my desk which was positioned uncomfortably in the middle of the last row. Beside my desk, was Aki, seemingly looking towards me. - Her brown hair was subtly moving with the breeze from the open window while the sun was gently enveloping her.She sat with good posture, wearing the standard school uniform.

Aki: Good morning, R-Ryo.

I shift my gaze to her for a second before giving a small greeting gesture with my right hand and proceeding to sit at the desk. The classroom is like a broken time machine, time tends to go repetitively slow which works together with the mundane lessons to dull my senses. Nevertheless, I accept my fate and witness the time go by.

Math. English. Physics.

The bell rings. About two hours have passed since school started. The doors open and with them, the students escape.

Aki: Ry-

This includes me of course. The roof was open during most Mondays due to the janitor preparing to clean it. I take advantage of that since it is the only day I can escape from the noisiness of the school and have some time alone. I go up the stairs and open the door to the roof. I'm greeted with a cold handshake with the wind and the refreshing air after a rainy morning. The weather has lately been quite unpredictable, to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if It would start snowing in April. The forecasters say that this is due to global warming or something, but this is probably another way of saying they don't know why. Not like I'm complaining, since it is a welcome change in my mundane life.

I kneel on the railings , towards the landscape of the muted suburban buildings. The sky was covered with a sheet of thick gray clouds in the general area around the school, but sun rays were peeking out on the skyscrapers in the distance. The streets were devoid of people or cars, the only company I had was the panoramic view and the soft howling wind. A minute or so passes , and the wind quotes down a bit which amplifies the silence. I'm thinking of leaving since classes are going to start soon but I catch a glimpse of something black in the corner of my eye. I tried to focus my view on it , but it wasnt there when my eyes caught up.

There are a lot of cats in this neighborhood for some reason, so it wouldn't be surprising to see many or a black one in one day. So, why do I feel so uneasy? I go back down the staircase leading to the corridors, they are still filled with students having pointless conversation about pointless things. I enter the classroom and take a seat at my desk, I notice that Aki is pouting but I chose to not inquire. Time continues flowing.

Professor: Napoleon was a person of great aspiration, known for his military genius, political adeptness , and an ambitious vision for France and Europe. He rose to power during the French Revolution and quickly established himself as a dominant force in European politics, leading his armies to victories across the continent and establishing a vast empire. France thought his rain had no bounds , that's until his invasion of Russia , where his invincible image started to show its cracks. Due to -

I'm already fading out. A bad habit I have is to day dream. As long as I remember, it is easy for my mind to fade out of reality and dilute my sense of my surroundings. I gave up on fighting it, so I embrace it.

The professor continues his speech, but his voice is muffled.

Professor: So --, after the ----, and due --

I aimlessly stare at the top - left window.

The clock is awfully loud, each of its ticks feels like they can burst my eardrums.

...... ........ ...... ........ ...... ........ .........

While looking at the far window corner, I notice a black blur next to me with my peripheral vision. Has the school uniform been this dark I thought to myself.

My head starts ringing, just slightly enough for me to notice.

The clock stops. The professor's voice is completely defined. I turn my head to the left slightly.

A freakishly tall black creature is standing behind the desk staring at me with a white mask which revealed a twitching black-red eye . His torso was inhuman - slender - long and distorted with an endless black void. My head was corrupted with a head crushing burst , my surroundings began to distort - the classroom began to disassemble and deform without losing its shape completely - my right ear began bleeding and my head felt like it would collapse.

Reality comes back. Class was continuing as normal

Professor : was subsequently exiled to Saint Helena , where he met his end..

My body is frozen. My face was making an expression I don't want to describe. My ears were still bleeding. I started shivering a bit, my head was still hurting. No one noticed the thing . The classroom is not distorting and still has its shape. I feel the stares of some students looking at me.

Professor: Akugawa- san , do you need to -

The classroom goes dark and I collapse.