Sitting beside her on the long bench, I watched the bamboo leaves fall to the ground with her. In my hand, I held a warm cup of tea she had offered. I gently brought the cup to my lips, took a sip, and sighed, "The court is unstable, chaos reigns everywhere. She and I are pursued ceaselessly, living day to day. How incredibly miserable this life is..."
She lightly tapped my head with the hilt of her sword and said, "It's your fault, my love, who told you to meddle in other people's affairs? Killing an official is a major crime. We are lucky to even have escaped."
She put down her sword and pinched my cheek hard, saying while pinching, "If you act reckless like that again, I will abandon you."
I rubbed the sore spot and forced a smile, "I know, I won't be impulsive again, trust me."
She smiled, "Trust you? Only a dog would trust you."
I flashed a mischievous smile and said, "Isn't there a very adorable dog right beside me?"
She glared at me fiercely and commanded, "Kneel."
I laughed and thumped my chest, "I am a man..."
She growled, "Kneel."
I immediately knelt without hesitation and timidly said, "I was just joking a little, my love, you don't have to growl at me like that, do you?"
Thwack!
My mind began to slow down. Before my eyes, an arrow was embedded directly in her head. I reached out to catch her body as it fell to the ground.
Thud!
Her body passed right through my hands. Reach out, reach out, reach out! I tried to grab her, but I kept passing right through her body. A group of people approached her corpse, walking right through me. They stepped forward, used their swords to chop off her head, and wrapped it in a cloth. I clenched my fist and punched at them, but my fist passed through them. What is happening to me? What is happening to her?
"Huh? What do you mean 'what is happening'? It's just a story, my love. Didn't you forget that I am a famous novelist?"
I held the book she had given me, my eyes slightly red as if I was about to burst into tears. Seeing this, she quickly reached out her thin hand to stroke my head. She smiled gently and said, "It's a good read, isn't it? I wrote it in my free time when you weren't around. It helped me relax a lot."
I smiled and said, "It's great, and as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. You keep writing, and I'll publish it. Maybe one day you'll become... ah, no, you're already a famous novelist now."
She lightly laughed and said, "Hearing you say that makes me so happy. When I get better, I'll definitely write many more stories, you'll see, and become a globally famous novelist. Then, I'll pay off my debt to you."
I smiled, holding her thin hands, and gently said, "I'm waiting for you to pay me back, famous novelist."
Vô, holding the book The Beautiful World, read it softly to me. Vô closed the book and asked me, lying on the hospital bed, "Hey, do you want to die that badly? One more toss and you would have been gone. If I hadn't found you sooner, you would be dead. Don't be so foolish again."
I lay on the hospital bed, my eyes focused on the IV drip bottle, watching the drops fall one by one. I remained silent, which seemed to annoy Vô, who stood up and walked out of the room. Only I was left on the hospital bed with the IV drip. I gently closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
"Thành, are you crazy? Why are you just standing blankly in the middle of the field? Get moving!"
I began to walk, taking one step, then another. I continued to walk step by step across the endless grassy field. I walked from day to night, from night to day, from spring to winter, and then back to spring. My body seemed tireless, just kept walking. There was no one beside me. After an unknown period of time, I stopped in front of something. That something spoke to me in a language I somehow understood. I shook my head. That something nodded, and I continued walking. I didn't know what that something was, but I thought it knew me. Or was that just my own delusion? I gently shook my head and continued walking. I continued until I reached a tribe. The tribe was deserted, only goats eating meat. "What are they eating?" I asked myself. They immediately replied, "We are eating grass."
I nodded and said, "Grass? Then keep eating."
After saying that, I glanced at them, then back at myself lying on the operating table. The goats said it was grass, so was it grass? I didn't believe it. But then I stopped, turning back to look at myself on the operating table. It truly was grass. Why did I not believe it was grass? Why did I think it was meat? I walked up to the goats and asked, "Are goats really goats?"
"You tell me, are people really people? Are you truly Thành? You are just a goat. You're no different, are you? Goat?"
I nodded and smiled, "Goat? Yes, goat. Did you call me Thành? You are truly mistaken. I am just a goat."
"Yes, a goat."
"A goat? What are you dreaming about, Thành?"
I opened my eyes and saw Vô taking the IV bottle off the stand. I softly said, "Just having a strange dream."
Vô said indifferently, "Is that so?"
I replied, "Yes, that's right. Just a strange dream."
Vô looked at me and pulled the book The Beautiful World out of his blue coat pocket. Vô opened a page and said, "Is it fake? If you think it's fake, are you real, Thành? You are not a goat, nor a character in my book, nor a virtual character. I, a student of the universe, will give you an answer."
I looked at Vô intently. Vô softly asked, "What does your heart see?"
"My heart? What does my heart see?"
I opened my eyes, propped myself up with my hands on the ground. I turned my head, looking around. I muttered, "Is this the mental hospital restroom? Did I just pass out from the medicine?"
"That's right, Thành. You just fainted! We were so worried! Your head hit the floor with a loud thud! Bạch Linh, standing far away, was intensely describing the scene. She was frantic with worry! She thought you were dead! She called for help, but no one answered. This hospital, honestly..."
I shook my head, stood up, and said, "I'm fine now. I'm okay. Sorry for making you worry."
She waved her hand and said, "It's nothing, as long as you're okay."
I walked with difficulty out of the restroom. Outside, the sky had grown somewhat dark. I wondered, "Did no one come looking for me?"
A light shone directly on my face, and someone in a guard uniform shouted, "We found the patient! He's near the restroom!"
I smiled and said, "Linh, is that right? Mentioning it, and they appear immediately?"
I lay on the white bed in the patient room, watching her float above the ceiling. I smiled softly and said, "Let's go to sleep. It's dark now."
She gently floated down and lay next to me. He turned sideways and embraced her. His eyes slowly closed, and he drifted off to sleep.
He woke up with a start from the nightmare, looking at her beside him, he let out a sigh of relief. He looked at the book she had written, lying on the bedside table. He gently picked it up, looking at the book's cover. He muttered, "The Beautiful World?"
He gently placed the book back on the table and said, "Whatever, I'll look at it tomorrow. I'm too sleepy right now."