Chiyol stared at the lady before looking at the hand that she had just held.
Something felt off, this was unfamiliar...
Wait,
Unfamiliar?
Since when did life need to be 'familiar'?
He shook his head at the thought, and walked out to his bike.
I am sure, she just felt like holding the door this time.
Yes! She was being polite because i am her favourite customer! Chiyol deluded as he tied the pie securely to the front handle using a small cloth.
Suddenly, he remembered that he had to go and see the craftsman today...
Ah shoot.
... and he was already late.
He got on the bike and quickly paddled to the craftsman. He had to be quick, as it was already well pass noon, and the craftsman's workshop was on the other end of town.
As chiyol saw the workshop in sight, he was about to paddle faster, when he saw the craftsman himself walking away from the workshop.
He stopped the bike in its tracks and shouted, "Sir!! Its me!!" He waved his hand in the air, signaling to the man, but he was already too far down the other road to hear him.
Chiyol dropped his bike on the side, and started to run towards him. A week ago, he had asked the craftsman if he could be his apprentice, and he told chiyol to come back in a week to hear his answer.
However, as chiyol was about to catch up with him, the craftsman turned a corner, and for a split second, chiyol couldnt see him.
?!?
...well, no worries! I can still catch up!
He sped up, but as chiyol turned the very same corner, the craftsman was nowhere to be found.
Huh? Where did he go?
Chiyol looked around the alley that he had entered. It was a long, straight, and narrow road. There was no way for the craftsman to reach the end of such a road that fast.
Chiyol scratched his head before sluggishly walking back to his bike. As he approached the bike, he noticed that the pie had slightly tipped on its side.
Oh, no.
He dashed towards the bike and immediatly checked on pie. Luckly, it was still in shape and suprisingly still warm.
He readjusted the pie and decided to go home while the sun was still in the sky. He could always come back and ask the craftsman on a different day.
...
As Chiyol was on the way home, he decided to take a quick detour. It would be fast, and relatively safe. But if you asked him why he decided to take the detour, he wouldn't be able to tell you. He didn't know why either.
...just for awhile. I will be home before the sun goes down.
He turned the bike away from the familiar carved road and onto a more narrow pathway that led deeper in the forest.
The pathway was almost non-existent, with merely a few parted paves of grass to distinguish getting lost or getting there.Yet, Chiyol kept paddling until he reached a point where the forest edge stopped at a cliff.
He got down from his bike and started to climb down a set of thinly sliced pieces of stone, that resembled a staircase. Perhaps, another remenant from the old world.
The slabs of stone were embedded horizontally into the sides of the cliff, allowing Chiyol to safetly get to the bottom without much effort, it was getting back up that was the hard part.
From the top of the cliff, you wouldn't be able to see much of the area below, as there were large tree leaves that would cover the view. However, as you go down the stone steps, you will reach a point where you were past the huge leaves covering the landscape, and the first thing you would see at the bottom of the cliff, was sand.
And once you stepped onto the bottom and looked around, you would see a huge body of water, in which the townfolk called, "Somnis". Somnis, was unlike any lake or river, it was huge and deep, expanding all the way until the horizon.
It was said, that during the nights, Somnis would produce these star-like orbs that would glow under the water. These orbs were an ethereal sight to see, if one was lucky. However, if one tried to take one of the orbs out of the water forcefully, the orbs would disappear and Somnis would be left barren and dark for the night.
Some say, that the orbs were fallen angels that granted wishes to those they chose, others say that the orbs were representives from other realms and were here to save certain souls of their choosing, in the event the world were to 'end'.
Chiyol scoffed. But these were just tales, old bedtime stories.
He made his way near the water, being careful not to touch it, and sat facing foward while burrying his feat in the sand.
He stared at Somnis for a good while. This is where he would go to think, when it all got a bit too overwhelming.
1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes...
And suddenly, the bell rang.
*Ding*
*Ding*
*Ding*
...?! Chiyol stood up from where he was sitting, and looked at the sky.
Yes, the sun was setting, and it was nearing the horizon. Yes, Chiyol did blank out for a bit as he stared at the water.
However, he was pretty sure he had a good hour before the bell rang for the third time. Atleast, so he thought. Within a blink, the sun was setting more and more.
He didn't know why or how, but he had spent an entire hour staring at the waters of Somnis and before he knew it, it was going to be dark soon.
As Chiyol turned to leave, he heard a whisper.
「...shh....」
「.....sh.....」
It was fleeting, and could barely be heard, but somewhere...among the pounding waves at the shoreline of Somnis, a faint murmur was echoing under the water.
「.....h....」
「.....」
But it only lasted for a blink of a second, from there, no matter how long chiyol stood in silence, he couldn't hear it again.
.. i am hearing things....
perhaps it was just the sound of the waves?
He figured, it was simply a sound brought by the waters, clashing onto the rocks then drowing in the sand.
Noticing that the sky was turning a darker grey, Chiyol rushed to climb up the stone slabs, being careful not to slip, and rode his bike home before it got too dark to see.
...
Just as Chiyol reached home, the sun was nearing its final moments, as it's figure touched the horizon.
Chiyol's grandpa, was waiting for him at the porch of the house, with a single lamp hanging by the door arch.
"Grandpa" Chiyol called for him, knowing sleeping people rarely respond back. As he made his way to the front door, he watched the only parent figure he has ever known, sleeping soundlessly on a padded wooden chair at the front of the house. Waiting for him to return safely.
silly old man.
Chiyol chuckled as he reached for the blanket that fell on the floor.
"It's getting cold, you should cover yourself properly."
Chiyol scolded as he covered his oblivious caretaker with the cloth.
He smiled warmly, before gently shaking his grandpa awake to tell him that he was home.
I'm home.
Then, making sure his half-awake grandpa got inside the house to sleep, before the weather of the night started to creep in.
"Yina. I'm back" Chiyol announced as he made his way into the house.
Small footsteps were heard, pattered along the wooden floorboards in a hurried manner, until they stopped near the front entrance.
"Chi? Your home?" A soft but eager voice reached out.
*Chi = nickname for Chiyol
"Yeah, i'm home." Chiyol plastered a big smile on his face, while shaking the cloth holding the pie in his hand.
"Look. I got you one of your favourite pies!"
The little girls eyes beamed. "Really?! For me??" She ran and grabbed onto one of Chiyol's leg, shaking him with excitement.
My little sister is adorable, as always.
"Yes, just for you" Chiyol chuckled nervously. "However...it may be a bit cold. I took a detour before coming back home..."
The little girl didn't seem to care for his words, as she proceeded to ask, "can i eat it now?!?"
"Well..yes, but –"
"Wow! Thanks Chi!! Your the best!"
The little girl took the pie dangling from the cloth and rushed to the dining table to eat a slice.
"...but, you need to heat it up first.."
Not listening, the girl took a large slice of pie and ate it in triumph.
"Ah...nevermind." chiyol chuckled.
He felt someone patting his back.
"Kids, they never listen to what you have to say. They just do." The grandpa was now a bit more than half-awake, as he covered his mouth to hide his grin.
"Come. Let us talk." The grandpa moved away from the front door and went further into the house.
Sigh. He probably wants to talk about my 'detour'.
Chiyol grumbled as he closed the front door and walked behind his grandpa, leaving the young girl to devour the entire pie on her own.
They both walked in silence, until the grandpa stopped and turned into his room.
Chiyol followed hurriedly behind.
"Grandpa..why are we in your room? Why not talk in the hall?" Chiyol asked.
"Hmm...my room is the farthest from the dining room,so there is a less chance of being overheard." The grandpa admitted.
"...why? Is something the matter?" Chiyol asked nervously.
His grandpa was known for being a man of few words, and if he ever needed to pull someone aside for a long time, rest assured that he was going to discuss a serious topic.
The grandpa turned to face Chiyol. His eyes looked gentle and calm, but the frown at the corner of his lips suggested otherwise.
"Chiyol, i know you have been visiting 'Somnis'." The grandpa began.
Chiyol stood still and silent, waiting to hear what he had to say about it as his fingers fidgeted.
He continued, "I don't mind. Although, most of the town say its dangerous and filled with 'unknown' things...i know you have been going there for some time, so i figured you could handle yourself well."
"So, I didn't bring you here to talk about that." His voice got slightly rougher, and his tone was slightly deeper.
Chiyol raised an eyebrow.
"Then what..do you want to talk about?" Chiyol muttered. His eyes narrowed, conflicted.
The grandpa chuckled, "Do you remember the day i found you?"
The day he found me? In the forests? Almost 15 years ago?
Chiyol crossed his arms and pondered. "...no."
"Haha!" A chuckle escaped his grin, " you were the most adorable child i had ever seen."
The grandpa sat down on his bed, before patting his side to invite chiyol to sit down.
He was going to tell a story.
"When my bones were still sturdy, i used to sit down outside the house porch all night, watching the darkness." Grandpa told. "I would...just stare..as the nothingness. I thought, it would stay as nothing every night, like it has since i was a child. Until one day, i saw something glowing. Brightly."
The grandpa closed his eyes. "There was this...something, in nothingness. An unknown entity, shining in the distance... and for the first time in my life, i decided to follow the unknown."
"I followed the light. Until i reached the thing creating it." The grandpa turned to Chiyol. "You were the light." He smiled, "your surroundings were glowing so brightly, and you just stood there...so innocent and indifferent to your own self."
"And then...you turned, and you saw me." The grandpa grunted. "And...your eyes bleamed with joy. I don't know how to explain it, but you ran to me. You hugged my leg and sqeezed it. You absolutely refused to let go!" He laughed.
"You looked at me, called me grandpa with that adorable cheeky smile of yours, like you knew me. Like you missed me. Then..you collapsed in my arms, and your light slowly dimed."
The grandpa stood up. "Then...as i carried you home, your light gave away completely."
His gazed lowered. "The next day, you woke up, and you didn't remember a thing. So, naturally, i took you in."
What...? I don't remember that at all.
Chiyol stared at his grandpa for a good while, until he regained his posture and asked, "i'm sorry...i really don't remember." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Did i do anything after? Anything...that gave a hint to where i was from?"
The grandpa stood silently for a while, eyes closed. Until he snapped his fingers and remembered, "yes! After you woke up the next day, you told me all you remembered was a dream you had."
Chiyol stood up, "what dream?"
"Hmm" the grandpa rubbed his chin, "it was....something about staring into an abyss...? Atleast, so i think. Forgive this old man. I don't remember much you see." He gave an smile, but his eyes were squinting a bit too much for it to be genuine.
He really didn't seem to remember.
"...Grandpa, i'm going to go to bed now." Before chiyol turned away to go to his room, he assured, "don't worry, we will have a chat tommorow." His eyes were deteremined. "But...i need to think for awhile".
The grandpa nooded and chiyol left to his room.