After 20 Years

Spinning like crazy, feeling numb and dizzy Wellan does not let go of uncle Ho's hand since they were being pushed by Jio into that door. Wellan have no idea how long it's been, because everything is blurry and all she do is holding tight onto uncle Ho's hand, feels like she will get lost if she let it go.

Not able to speaks or making movements in this anonymous condition, Wellan keep repeating herself that this is must be the way back home after from the door as the portal. Nothing can be seen clearly here but just blurry blinding lights travelling fast surround them. It's looks like a big hole of water slide but without the water.

BRUKK....!!!!!

A loud sound of both of them falling and hitting the ground, here is in the middle of a kids park full with kids exercise tools, they were falling from one of the sliding toy

They were in silent after seconds landing on the ground, Wellan observing surrounding and let her head fall to the ground again, still holding hand with uncle Ho who breathing heavily but smiling with eyes staring at the blue skies

Then they started to laugh, from giggling into crazy loud laugh, some passer by looking at them then avoiding them, looking at their age different they must be daughter and father but some also thought that they must be lover with wide range age different.

But for Wellan and uncle Ho, those people look beautiful and gorgeous and so human. Of course they look so human because they're just arriving in the Real World especially in the middle of Seoul city where they were coming from. The grateful and relieved can be seen clearly on their face

"The sky....." uncle Ho flatly said, expressing uncertain emotion from his heart uncle Ho still confuse with this sudden transfer. Now the sky he staring at is those blue sky with white clear clouds, so contrast with those skies he used to see during past years at the Trapped World. The mixed feeling hit him once he realised that he really back to the Real World, heavy breathe but also fresh feeling

"It's so blue today" Wellan continuing uncle Ho's words and her heart can feel some sadness from the sentences they both made

"Yes....It's so blue today" Uncle Ho closes his eyes and the grip on Wellan hand is tightening

Fall back into the silent,without no more words able to describing their feeling right now.

"Let's go!" Wellan's gets up, wagging the dirt from her pant

"To where? I don't even know if I still have a place to go" uncle Ho also standing up, looking around in amaze, the tall buildings, fancy stores and everything has changed. 20 years leaving and of course everything has changed. Wouldn't it'll funny if nothing change in such along time?

"Come with met hen" Wellan remember that Mikan told her about how long uncle Ho spent at the Trapped World

"Come with you? Ha ha ha....just minutes ago,it's me the one who take care of you and now you are the one who looks after this old man" he looks around one more time "can you just show how to get to this address?" he takes out an old name card from his wallet

"Let me see" got closer to see the address on the name card, Wellan focusing her eyes on the address, surprisingly the address is somewhere nearby their apartment building "I know this address,it near by our house....let's go uncle!" she pulls uncle Ho's hand, heading back home

Having no money and overwhelmingly excited to be back home,Wellan forget that they need money to get into the bus. Actually uncle Ho do have some money on his wallet but they are old and out of date already.

Wellan did think about calling her mom from borrowing someone's cellphone but is not that going to shock her mom to death listening her voice after almost a week missing from this world. So walking feet is their only choice now.

Arriving at neighbourhood, uncle Ho held back his steps

"What's happen uncle?" recognise uncle Ho stopping his steps,Wellan look back in confusion

"No...it just...after years, this neighbourhood changed a lot, almost all changed" he looks around to find if there still something he might recognise, all those simple buildings had changed into tall apartment building but one small simple store catch his attention "That old store haven't changed a bit" he monologue

Wellan just let uncle Ho into his thoughts, not easy to be back to your home after having another home in the other place. As for Wellan herself,it overwhelmingly exhausted and excited to be back home,imagine how heavy is the emotions for uncle Ho right now.

Standing still and silent,she smiles

" Is there anything you still remember uncle? About the building address on your name card...I'm afraid that maybe renovated or replace by another building"

"I know....it's okay, I will be fine...you said your house is near by...let send you home first, let's think about next plan later"

"okay...."

Walking for 5 more minutes, and arrived the apartment building, nobody around in the building even the security not in his place. They got into the elevator, the face Wellan makes is anxious expression with no more conversation with uncle Ho since they are arrived into this building. She is excited but also confuse what to tell to her mom about her missing

In front of the apartment door, Wellan just stay still, not able to do anything and uncle Ho just watching from behind her back and seeing her being reluctant, he tapped her shoulder slowly

"It's okay...I'm here" he says

Rather than pressing the numbers on the door lock to open the door,she choose to knock instead even though she knew the password

Knock knock knock.....

She knocks on the door and wait a bit for the one inside to come answering the door

Knock knock knock....

She knocks once again and wait

"Maybe she is out" Wellan turn left to see uncle Ho "Let just go in then...we can wait for her inside" Wellan gave upon waiting

KREKK!

The door is opening.....

Wellan immediately looking at the one who answering the door and yes! That is her mother the one who open the door

Her mum looks so shock

"Wel.....Wel...Wellan....? yes you are Wellan right? Wellan my daughter!" she started to crying when her hand reach out to touch Wellan on the face "My daughter....hu...hu...hu...." she roughly pulls Wellan into her embrace and hug her tightly

"Yes....mom...it's me...."Wellan crying as her mum hugging her "I'm back mom" she hug back even tighter that her mom's

But then Wellan feel that her mum body became stiffen, not moving at all then Wellan's mum legs shakes weakly....her hand holding into Wellan's shoulder. Before realising her mum condition

BRUKKK.....!!!

Wellan's mother fell to the floor,fainted.

"Mom!! what happen?! mom!!" Wellan tries lift her mother "Uncle Ho help me!!" Wellan panicking and asking for help, but also no movement from uncle Ho

"Uncle Ho!.....Uncle!!" Wellan shouting even louder but uncle Ho does not moves even an inches to help Wellan with her mother, he just stay there frozen and shaking eyes looking at Wellan's mother "What's wrong with you guys?!" Wellan have no idea what makes them like this

Like just snapping from hypnotized, uncle Ho moves fast to help Wellan lifting her mother into the house, laying her in the bed.

Wellan went to the kitchen to gets some warm water and grabs the ointment to wakes her mother up meanwhile uncle Ho is standing beside the bed staring blankly to Wellan's mother

"Uncle Ho....are you okay?" Wellan sat beside the bed,ready to wipe the her mother with warm water unnoticed the strange expression uncle Ho had on his face and then while wiping her mother for about minutes,Wellan slowly lifted her face to look at uncle Ho and noticed that he does not move since brought her mother into the room

Standing frozen like before,uncle Ho inhaling a long sigh,rubbing his face from stressed out

"Wellan.....I will go out for a minutes" he walked out from the room, the sound of door closed softly minute after

Looking at uncle Ho mixed expression since meeting her mother did into Wellan thoughts but nothing clear come to her mind to connecting the situations. One by one Wellan try to collect all she knew and slowly connecting them

Started from uncle Ho who left the Real World since he was young, he said that this is also his neighbourhood, he had a wife but have no kids yet Mikan said

"Is it possible my mom and uncle Ho knew each other? That they lived in the same neighbourhood...of course they might knew each other...who wouldn't shock seeing someone missing years ago suddenly appear at your door" Wellan's forehead wrinkling from the thought

Back to the Real World after being pushed by Jio into the door, Wellan and I landed in the middle of kids park.

Looking up to the sky this real world has, I want to cry just by looking at the blue sky years I missed but looking at this young girl who looks excited to be able back home makes me hold on to my feeling.

Everything has changed,well....maybe not everything but most of the building and surrounding has changed a lot in this city. Those simple building changed into tall giant building, there are some new thing I don't recognise, especially that things everyone hold on their hand and staring at all the time.

I seen a lot of new things during our walks to Wellan's house which also my neighbourhood. I don't expect this sad and happy feeling would come when we were arriving at the neighbourhood where I use to lived with my wife. The buildings here all changed except for that one old store around the neighbourhood.

Not expecting for big thing but to be back here itself already a miracle for me. Thanks to Jio that I can get back here along with Wellan but at the same time there also heavy feeling for me to leave them by themselves there.

I was thinking about them and how to be able to reach to them there when arriving in front door of Mikan's house.

She knocking the door for few times but no answer from inside, her anxious expression turn into disappointed and told me to just get in and wait inside but then the door opens from inside

That time I saw the face of this person who opening the door, my legs got weak and my heartbeat fastening that I can do is standing frozen.

I don't know what I missed but once I got back my consciousness, Wellan was shouting at me asking for help that this person is fainting.

While my legs shaking,I gathered my strength to lift her and bring her to the bed room so Wellan can takes care of her comfortably.

Staring at her blankly after putting her onto the bed, I realised that I back to frozen state again when Wellan call my name asking if I'm okay.

I rub my face and tell Welan I will go out for minutes.

Walking out from the building and spotting one empty chair near the parking area, I choose to sit there to calm my heart.

Taken a back to my old memory. The time I spent happily here with all simple ordinary life I had with my beautiful wife that I just married to.

Twenty years is a very long time.

For those who being away, for those who being left, for those who wanted to heal their broken hearted, for those who want a change in their life, for those who want to forget and for those who do not want to be forgotten.

As for me, these twenty years away was something I never expect to happen in my life. Awake on the other side of the world, one totally strange place with no single human form around you, forced by nature and human instinct to survive the struggle is extremely exhausting.

The struggle is real when you finally realised that you were really spending your time there day by day with no clue at all about when will you finally able to come back home.

Slowly observing and studying one by one on how to be able to reach home with finally meeting more human who also being awake on the same side of the world. I, we finally got to figure out some ways to reach back to home, even though we have to struggle a lot with fighting the creatures we haven't met before, it really is exhausting to loss your friends, no....your family in the battle of just wanted to comeback home like the things that proceed us to get into that world is like playing jokes with us. All our life is a big matter for each of us, and that power who brought us there is the one we should blame.

All my time in the trapped world was hard, there is no day I spent without thinking of my family in the Real World, especially my wife, the girl I just marry, my beautiful girlfriend for such a long time that I finally able to marry even in such a young age for us to have a married life but I proved myself to her mother and her father that I am capable enough to take care of their daughter until that day they gave their bless.

Moved to our own humble apartment, I remember that we still on that time enjoying our newly wed life, we were only one lovely and ordinary married couple

Until that incident happened, that we just reach home and one unknown power push me away forcibly to the Trapped World when I'm just entering rest room. 

Since that day, the only thing I can see when I miss my wife is that picture of us in my wallet which thankfully came with me to the Trapped World because it was in my pocket.

It's breaking my heart whenever I think about her being scared and lonely and miss me who disappears like air, I was afraid that she will not able to continue her life as she might live by herself and thinking about how will she explain my disappearance to people must be stressful as nobody going to believe her explanation of her missing husband at the rest room.

Every day in the Trapped World,I pray for her safe, for her healthiness, for her mind and for her heart to have courage on waiting for me to be back even though I know that such impossible thing to do when you are a beautiful young girl, widowed by missing husband, there must be a lot of men wanting to get close to her.

If that one day she finally accepted someone proposing to her, I will never blame it on her but me the one who leave her alone. I prepared my heart far before I finally get to back to this real World.

Today,

The day I finally made it back to this Real World where I belong, I finally got back to my old neighbourhood.

Today,

I never expected that I would meet her this soon, I never expected that I will meet my wife...I don't know, maybe she is someone's wife now...and that young girl who've stayed with me during these past few days happens to be her daughter

Just why is this happened to me...

What have I done in my past life to deserve this pain?she is my only purpose of getting back to this world. She is the first person I wanted to meet, the first person I wanted to hug, first person I wanted to apologize to and the first person I wanted to cry with.

"Uncle Ho...!" Wellan from the apartment entrance door jogs to reach to me. 

I try my best to pull a smile on my face.

"Is something happens?" I ask her when she stands right in front of me.

"Hm.....I think my mother wants to meet you" she tells me the reason she came down to find me, her face looks confuse but still cheerful as usual.

"Sure...let's go" I get up and walk with Wellan back to the house.

Inside my heart is beating hard knowing that I will meet the love of my life, again in a conscious state.

"But uncle....Do you by any chance know my mother? Aah...It's okay uncle don't have to answer it. I'm just asking...Sorry..." Wellan shakes her hand suddenly. She must felt regret for asking.

"Ha ha ha.....you don't have to be sorry..." I can feel sincere in Wellan's words "It's little bit complicated to explain...let's meet your mother first okay...I will try to explain it to you next time" I told her.

"Sure....let's do it later" She is smiling.

Knocking the door before entering the room, it's only me go inside. Wellan is mature enough to understand that there must be something her mother wanted to talk about and not her business to hear it or to try to listen to it.

Entering the room, I found her sitting on the bed, leaning on the bed head. Looking at me from the toes to head with a very sad expression.

With my steps getting closer to her, the more sadder her expression became and by the time I reach the bed, sitting down on the small chair and looking at her with my beating heart helplessly, I gulp my saliva trying not to cry as best as I can.

Don't know what words should I say first to her, I slowly reach my hand out to hold her hand.

And now she's started to cry with a very sad voice

Her hand is cold as ice in my hands; her body is shaking because of her cry and her eyes is stick to my eye balls. I have nothing to say, I can't hold my tears any more, I cry with her with all my heavy heart, everything I asked for is now in front of my eyes, I don't want anything else.

Her crying sound is the most hurtful sound in the world. The pain she had been through can be heard in all her cry and her endless tears, these all the sound of her lonely, sorrow, hurtful and pains during my missing.

 There are no words coming out from our mouth, only crying sound can be heard echoing in this room.

I wanted to hug her, but my body could not move. The guilty feeling held me back from moving closer to her, I shed tears and put down my head upon our holding hands and continue crying there

Knock knock knock.

"Mom....are you guys okay?"softly Wellan voice asking from outside the room right near the door

I lifted my head and looking at her, wiping her tears and smiling...trying to give her courage to answer Wellan question

Seems like we both are trying to stabilize our emotions, still with our hands holding to each other our breathing is slowly back to normal although the tears still there but no more crying sound

"Wellan....baby...please come in" she speaks to Wellan with shaking voices.

Kreekk...!! The door opened and there is Wellan coming in with such a confuse expression from seeing both of us in tears and holding hand. I slowly let go the hands.

"What's happened to you guys?" Wellan sat beside her mother across from where I sit

I can't answer the questions because I am on that side who also wanted to know what will her mother says about this. Waiting patiently, Wellan and I sit in silent observing the expression of her mother before deliver the answers.

"Where did you guys meet?" not the answers she tells but another question

"We?...mom...that's a long story...can you please just tell me first what happened between you guys?why did you guys crying like this?" Wellan might just full of curious right now that she does not want another topic

"Wellan....Honey..." tears flowing, reaching Wellan's right hand she started with smiling with her tears "He is your father"

I stood up immediately from shock, so does Wellan.