His New Home, Part - I

When Kohren stepped out of the room, he found himself in a narrow hallway, illuminated by the gentle radiance flowing out from the thin horizontal lights on the ceiling. The hallway with its open design, positioned on the second floor, offered a complete view of the living room below it.

The narrow corridor also revealed two doors that led to separate rooms, at its end, a staircase made of glass descended towards the living room.

Kohren was momentarily awed by the aesthetic look offered by the home, but he quickly regained himself and started to walk.

As he descended the stairs, he saw a girl about 8-9 years of age with light golden hair. She was fiddling with a thin, fairly-big, rectangular device that looked like a tablet. However, he didn't recognize the logo that was on its back which came as no surprise.

The little girl, Kimly, noticed Kohren coming down and flashed a big and happy smile. She quickly turned off the tablet and ran towards him, wrapping her arms around his legs and hugging him.

"You're finally awake, papa!" She exclaimed in a language he couldn't understand, but Kohren guessed that she was mistaking him for someone else. He gave her a subtle smile but remained silent.

'Ahh, maybe your mother is also mistaking me for another one,' Kohren pondered, realizing the reason behind the young lady's earlier sorrow.

He didn't expect to be mistaken for someone else, but considering the fact that he was still alive and well, he didn't let that thought stay on his mind for long.

He had a clear set of objectives to accomplish: first, contacting his parents; second, understanding the situation; and finally, finding a way to return home.

Kohren quickly scanned the modern living hall that was decorated in shades of gray and white, creating an aesthetic atmosphere. The center of the space is occupied by the large coffee table and surrounding it were the two couches with pillows. Everything is encased by brown-colored walls.

On one of the couches, he spotted the most familiar item in the house, the tablet that Kimly was using.

She was still clinging to his legs, so he lightly tapped her shoulders to let go. Then, with unhurried steps, he sat on the sofa and picked up the tablet.

'Don't let my knowledge of programming go to waste…' He silently prayed to himself while lifting the tablet.

As a programmer proficient in multiple programming languages, he has some confidence to understand the basic structure or operating system used by this tablet to find a way to contact others.

Or at the very least, get some information. Even if figuring out the date would be more helpful for him right now.

"Papa, what are you doing?"

Before Kohren turned it on, Kimly sat closely beside him and hugged his arm before asking this question, which, of course, he didn't understand.

"Ah…" Kohren let out a weird sound from his mouth at her action.

He was confused at first but revealed a pleasant smile so as not to frighten the little girl. He quickly brought his attention to the tablet once again and started to fiddle with it.

Five minutes later, when he was on the verge of breaking it after not even turning it on, Kimly opened it for him with a perplexed look on her face by swiping her finger across the edges of the tablet.

"Huh, that's how you open it? Um, thanks."

Kohren showed his gratitude by patting the little girl's head and tried to study the tablet. However, Kimly just stared at Kohren for his unusual behavior and the use of different language.

Her father would usually praise her, pat her some more and spoil her. Thus, she quickly removed her hands from Kohren in silence, feeling a sense of unease in the air.

"Dammit!"

Meanwhile, Kohren cursed under his breath and gave up on operating the tablet before he crushed it in frustration. There was not a single word he could read or use the tablet as skillfully as the little girl beside him.

'Why don't I just ask her?'

Kohren questioned himself as he watched the little girl with bright-blue hazel eyes and light gold hair intensely studying him. He found a great similarity in facial structure between the young lady and the little girl, further confirming that this girl is her daughter.

'Let's give it a try. Even if the language doesn't work, there are universal hand signs.'

Kohren handed the tablet to Kimly and quickly thought of an action to make her call to someone that can help him. He extended his right arm, leaving his pinky finger and thumb, he folded the other three fingers and made a call symbol from his hands. He even brought it to his ears so Kimly would understand it.

"I need to call, 'Call' someone."

He emphasized the word 'call' and looked at Kimly expectedly. She was even more confused than before, but she thought for a moment and dashed towards the kitchen which was beside the living room, directly below the rooms on the second floor.

Klank! Klank!

He heard several glasses fall to the ground but didn't shatter. A moment later, Kimly appeared in front of him while holding a glass full of water with a delighted expression on her face.

"Papa, if you want to drink water, just say so. I'll bring them to you."

"..."

Kohren felt hopeless, but nonetheless, he emptied the water brought by Kimly and quenched his thirst. When he placed the glass on the coffee table, Kimly once again locked her hands on Kohren's arm and showed her head.

He was a bit lost at first, but then, figured out that Kimly liked head pats and was expecting one right now. He once again showed his gratitude by patting her head, this time, a little longer.

He started thinking of different ways to comprehend the current situation and realized that the language barrier between them is the biggest obstacle.

'If this girl is still at the beginner stage at the elementary school, doesn't that mean she has books that teach writing?'

He looked at Kimly in a new light and brought a book from the nearby shelf. One thing that wasn't short in this house was the abundance of books. He pointed at the book he was holding at first and then pointed at Kimly.

"Papa, Why aren't you talking? Are you having a problem?"

Kimly asked in a voice filled with concern but seeing that Kohren once again pointed at the book before pointing at herself, she got an idea.

"Ahh. Papa, do you need my books? Are you having difficulty speaking?"

Kimly quickly tapped on her watch or an armband that was similar to the one Kohren found in his room, albeit, on the shorter side.

A projection appeared on top of it and Kimly browsed it with deep interest. Before long, she arrived at a page filled with different symbols and showed it to Kohren.

As usual, Kohren couldn't decipher a single word written on it and lamented on the twisted fate he had. He looked at Kimly one last time with a bitter smile and thanked her for her efforts before contemplating his decisions.

'What is going on? Why is this happening to me? Where am I? When am I going back home?'

Kohren mused in silence as he sank deeper into the couch while covering his forehead and eyes with his hand. The possibility of returning home seemed as elusive as trying to grasp water with bare hands, eventually slipping through his fingers and evaporating into nothingness.

Kimly observed the dejected look on Kohren's face and felt gloomy as well. Despite her father acting differently than usual after returning home, despite her mother not telling her anything, despite knowing that there is something wrong in her family now, she still chose to believe in Kohren as her father.

"Papa, here."

Kimly tugged Kohren's sleeve, breaking him from his somber state. She briskly walked toward the adjacent wall near the couch where he sat and looked back at Kohren with a playful smile.

"Hehe, I know you missed this scenery papa."

With her index finger, she traced out an invisible circle on the brown wall, a faint glow following behind her fingertip completed the circle.

Without delay, like a ripple in still water, the circle spread itself out as it covered the wall, letting the fluorescent orange glow of the evening sun engulf the whole living room, revealing what was hidden behind it.