(3)
A week before Summer Festival.
The clock is striking at 12 midnight.

Ryota was practicing his drum with full attention during that night. But somehow, there was a knock on the door.
(Huh?)
He stopped hitting the drum, and a voice came from outside:
“It’s a nice song you’re playing, can I come in?”

Ryota was shocked by that.
“Who… Who is it…”
It’s impossible for someone to have heard what Ryota was doing at this “magical time”. Not to mention that person was about to enter such “magical time”.
Taking no action, Ryota kept quiet and stood there for a moment…

That voice repeated itself “It’s a nice song you’re playing, can I come in?”
Ryota ran to the door, closed his eyes, and open the door.

There was a lady standing outside the door.
She has a ponytail, and a smile on her face. Wearing a bath robe, with a 3 feet of red belt on her waist. However, she doesn’t seem familiar.
“Who are you? Why are you coming to my house at this time....?” Ryota stared at the girl.

The girl entered the house without giving him an answer. Then, she yelled as she saw the drum:
“Ah, here’s the drum! It’s the drum that I could hear even at my place!”

As she spoke, she began hitting on the drum.
“Oh, no. This could wake my grandma!” said Ryota.
He grabbed the girl’s hands to stop her.

“No one would ever know what happens, except me and you. No one would ever hear nor see what happens. Is this what the turtle told you?”

“Turtle? You know the turtle too?”
Ryota began to suspect something as he intended to ask that question. Could it be, that she’s one of the people that had exchanged the “magical time” with the turtle too?
The girl nodded her head.
“Hi, my name is Sachiko. I exchanged the ‘magical time’, but that was a year ago.”
Ryota asked out of curiosity “What happened then?”
“Then…”, Sachiko was sitting on the net as she continued explaining.
“Oh, don’t sit on the net…”
Ryota was about to get mad at her, but somehow, he didn’t. Looking at the way she sits on the net, he began sitting on it too.
“What happened then?”, asked Ryota with his eyes full of curiosity.

“I took the ‘magical time’ to pay my mom a visit. Look, she’s on that island.”, explained Sachiko as she points towards the island on the dark sea.
“She was ill, and was admitted to the hospital on the island. I was told that she’d return in just a moment, but it never happened.”
She sighed, as she looks at the island.
“I wish to visit my mother, but they were afraid that I’ll get infected, so they do not allow me to go to the island. I wanted to go there by myself, but I had no money for the ship. So one day, when I was crying on the shores, I met the turtle…”
Sachiko went on with her story as she continued explaining.

***

“What are you crying?” asked the turtle.

“I miss my mother…”
“hhmmm…”
The turtle said:
“Since then, I’d give you my time! Starting from 12 midnight, you’ll get to do whatever you want and go wherever you go. No one will know what you did.”

“But how do I get on to the island? There’s no boat during midnight.”

Then, the turtle explained more as he nodded his head:
“All you have to do, is to run on the sea.”

Sachiko was stunned by what she heard. Then, the turtle said:
“You can do anything during that ‘magical time’ given by me. An hour is sufficient for you to make a back and forth trip.”

“….”
Sachiko’s heart started pounding as if something scary was about to happen. However, Sachiko wanted to see her mother so badly that she had decided to follow as the turtle told. Then, the turtle explained:
“But, there are two things you must remember. The ‘magical time’ given is a time unknown by all the people, hence, your mother would never know even if you were standing beside her, and she could not hear you. Other than that, you must remember to return within that given hour. If the given hour runs out and coincidentally you were running on the sea, you would sink under the sea.

“….”
Sachiko starred at the turtle as if it was insane. The turtle laughed as it sees the way she reacted.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of, this is just like a game. If you could return within the time given, you win. And if you fell into the sea, I’ll win then.”

“Why?”
“Why? There’s a dream world under the sea. Look, there’s a big transparent jar, a shiny one lying on the seabed.” The sea suddenly gave a smile.

“If you fell in there, you’ll be part of my dream too. I still have a long way to go on my life, these dreams could give me a relief. That jar is full of sea water now, but if a pretty little girl would fell in there, I’d be so happy. You’ll be in my dreams to accompany me till the day I die.”

Sachiko hesitated for a few moments.
At this point, the island seemed so close that it could be reach with bare hands. Sachiko was thinking of her mother’s warm, but drained appearance. Finally, she made up her mind.
“It’s alright, I’ll do it. Please give me the ‘magical time’.”

Since then, Sachiko would ‘walk’ herself to the island on every midnight. The hospital was located on the hills of the island. It’s a huge building on that island. On the first floor, the fifth bed on the right would be her mother’s bed. She knew it as she could hear the familiar melody of the wind chime.

She quickly ran towards the bed, and stood beside it. There was a skinny woman lying on the white bed.
“Mom.”

Sachiko called her mother with a soft tone, yet her mother was still not moving. Nevertheless, she’s still glad to be able to see her mother. With her greatest speed possible, she ran back to the mainland from the island. Even if it’s just an hour, she still thought that it’s good to have the turtle around.

As days gone by, Sachiko had an idea of leaving something as a mark to show that she was here, at the hospital.

So one day, she went to the hospital with a lantern she got from the Summer Festival on her hand. When she arrived at the hospital, she hung the lantern beside the window.
“Mom, it’s me, Sachiko.” mumbled Sachiko.

On her way home, she glanced back at the window of the hospital. The lantern appeared as a red plum from the dark shores.

Ever since then, she’d light up the lantern on her visit. Her mother had noticed it too. But would she know? This is because the light of the lantern is always put off on her next visit. It must have been her mother who blew off the light.
However, her mother seemed skinnier and skinnier as day gone by.
One day on her visit to the hospital, Sachiko saw the lantern on the floor, burnt. She was petrified by that.
(Did mom forget to put off the light today?)

Started shivering, she walked nearer to the bed and found no one lying on it.
“Mom! Mom! Mom…..”

She searched through every single floors of the hospital for her mother. No one could hear her, of course. But on the walkway of the hospital, there was this sorrowful atmosphere. She couldn’t find her mother anywhere in the hospital, and for that she knew, her mother’s gone.

She was drained and dreaded. As she was on her way of returning, the turtle emerged.
“Hey! The time’s running out!”
She was awaken by its words, and with her full speed, she ran on the sea to reach the mainland.
The sea was turning into liquid after her footsteps as if the sea was ‘chasing’ over her. Just a few steps to go!
Unfortunately, she wasn’t fast enough! The sea turned into liquid and she was exhausted. Giving up to struggle, she sank into the sea. Lower, and lower she sinks, she reached the jar, the turtle’s dream jar.

***

“How many years ago was that? I never know…” sighed Sachiko.

“What is it like to be in that dream jar?” asked Ryota.

“It’s quiet and warm, but sticky. It feels like being under the sun of Autumn.” replied Sachiko.
“I could see the shadows of the boats often. The sunlight became a dancing lady as it penetrates through the sea. And sometimes, there are little fishes who got lost and went into the jar.”

“… Hi, Sachiko” said the lost fishes. Before they leave, they even told her to take care of herself.

“I could remember, once there was a shell that came in during a storm. I made a good instrument out of it. Too bad you couldn’t hear it… it was such a gracious melody.”

“Anyhow, I felt great. I felt happier to stay undersea rather than living in the world without my mom. It’s fun to be under the sea rather than being on the land.”
“But I heard your drum some weeks ago. My heart couldn’t stay calm since then. Something forgotten was reminded out of a sudden. It felt like as if someone’s summoning me. I only realized that I should return to the land from that very moment. It was fun, yet lonely in the jar. That’s why I came out on the land today.”

“Ah, so this is why.” replied Ryota.

Sachiko shook her head and said:
“You get an hour of ‘magical time’ too? Too bad I could only have a chat with you for just an hour… I could never come out when the turtle’s dreaming. It seems that it’s sleeping quite a lot recently.”

Suddenly, Sachiko faded into thin air. The clock stroked 12 again, and the moonlight touches the interior softly.

(to be continued…)

Labels: n. Story palace