Oh, Mother. | Act I: There is No End

CREEK!

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering when you would show up."

"Sorry mother. Accidentally slept at the park for a little more than I should've."

"Just don't do it again, alright? You know what goes on when dark's out. I shouldn't be behind you, telling you these things."

"Yeah I know."

Closing the door behind me, I could see that Mom was finishing up with the meal. From what I could tell, it was broth.

I sighed. Nothing like a good ol' bowl of broth, Father would always say.

Nothing like it.

As I sat down at the table, she picked up the cold, favorless stew and placed it front of me.

The aroma flew up the room and into my nose, greeting me with the same old watery like substance I have eaten for many days.

"So how was your little adventure now that Lentil's out?" My mother had asked me.

"Oh, we had a fun time. We ran across town, recounted over old memories and in the end, did some reconnaissance. Just some general fun."

"That certainly must've been. What did you do reconnaissance for?"

"Oh well... We did a little scouting of the town since you know, it's Lentil's first time out without his father and mother. I wanted him to get used to the place for any future endeavors we got ourselves into."

"Of course."

That was close. If my mother knew the truth, the ugly truth, then I would not be certain she would want me around Lentil any more. But then again, I've known him for quite some time. It's not easy to separate to separate kids from each other, let alone, us.

"How is he then?"

"Oh he's great. Had a blast. He was really excited to get out and see the world for himself."

"He must've been awfully sad that his parents locked him away in that house. Poor child."

"Yeah... But at least he's finally out and that's good."

After that little chat with my mother, I proceeded to pick up my utensil and gardner a little bit of broth. I wasn't that hungry, I told myself. Although, my stomach suggested otherwise. As I grabbed a little bit of broth, I had noticed a sudden, yet light shift in weight. As I pulled the utensil out of the liquid, there laid a slightly brownish lump amidst the fluid.

Is it...?

"It took me a while to get it, but I did. Had to use a little bit of... well, anything but I managed to obtain only a small piece of meat." My mother had told me.

I wasn't listening to my mother all too much. I was too focused on the meat.

There it was.

A single piece of meat.

I had expected it always to be there, but it never came.

Until tonight.

I swallowed the whole holding of the delicacy I was holding and lo and behold....

It was something else.

While not being the most flavorful, as well as being quite soggy, the meat was still, at the time, one of the most delicious things that I have ever had the pleasure of consuming.

It was chewy or crunchy on some occasions, soggy or dry, juicy or plain, etc.

Whatever the form and shape and texture that this was, this... taste was always something refreshing and new.

It has been a long while since I ate one and now...

It's being savored down to it's smallest of bits.

"You were really looking forward to just a morsel of meat, haven't you?"

I looked back up at her.

With some broth being held by the bottom of my mouth, I gargled "Wel, I guesh I wat hungy."

She scoffed. "Too hungry to even remember how to eat properly."

"Everone hath, dough."

"What makes you say that?"

"Wel..."

I swallowed the stew that was still in my mouth.

"You would assume that considering how things are right now."

"You believe that people have already forgotten their manners already? The manners they had? The lives we had?"

Correction....

"The lives we lost."

She stops and turns around. She looked at me dead in the eye, and just sighed.

"I know living like this is... It's just horrible, isn't it? It's not what how things used to be. But it can't stay like this. Everything has an end and we all know that. Even death has to take a break for a moment."

"But death is all we know."

"It's all we see, now. But it isn't all we know of. Do not dwell in the dark again, son."

"I don't want to, anyways."

"And you should continue to aspire for that, 'anyways'."

She resumed her cleaning and I returned to my bowl of stew.

I knew all what she was saying. I understood it all.

It's just....

It's just hard for me to remember, or even visualize, what used to be.

It was a young time for me.

It was a young time for us.

It...

It was a young time for the world to be alive.

Heh. Look how the world's living.

...

I guess I should stop with this... depressing thoughts, shouldn't I?

After sipping just a little more of my stew, I placed the stew by the counter and I took the painting I had placed down up with me to my room.

"Hey!"

I paused. I slowly rotated towards the voice of my mother.

"What do you carry there?" My mother ordered.

"It's... It's a gift from another friend of mine."

"And who they might be then?"

"Just someone. You don't really need to know, mother."

"Deus! If you do not show me this... gift right no--"

"Mother.. please. I would not like to show it to you. It's mine and it's rather precious to me."

I said this with eyes that just pleaded that my painting will be rather kept as a secret.

"It's nothing problematic, I can assure you."

A moment of silence played. We said nothing other than the silent words that only the language of the eyes would speak.

But eventually...

"Ugh... I suppose if it's not... You may keep your little secret... Don't expect that this little secrecy will hold, however."

I know. I've already been fearing for a discovery since the day I met Kiri.

"Rest well, son." My mother said.

"You too. Good night." I replied.

"Good night."

I continued to go up the stairs to the second floor, where my room would be. Once at the top, I opened the rusty, loud, and danty door that would lead to the very barren place that my room was.

After seeing that cellar back at Kiri's place... I wasn't so thrilled to see this ugly and empty space of mine.

Sighing once more, I sat down where my rug and cloth laid and took out the painting from its cover.

As I continued to observe the painting, I started to appreciate more and more of the painting, seemingly colored with care.

Unlike other paintings or any painting I've ever seen, this painting seemed to be more.... entangled. More... abstract.

From what you can make of it, it was a woman's face and her hair drawn back, all in the shades and hues of blue, green, gray, yellow and tad bit of rose.

It was also all so orchestrated in such a way that it looked eerily beautiful.

Smiling as I continued to appreciate the painting, I then decided to find a good position to place my painting in. Such a thing should be hanged up by the wall, or placed somewhere that is safe but visible.

Also, it's the first time I have something to decorate my space with so...

After a couple of minutes looking around, trying out different places, I settled with a little counter that was right beside my window. Ever so gently, I positioned the painting atop the surface, putting it in such a manner that the painting wouldn't fall.

Hopefully it wouldn't.

Satisfied with what I have done, I swept my hands between each other and got myself changed.

Now wearing a bunch of rags, I got down to the floor, put the cloth above my body, and prepared myself to go back into the realm of dreams.

But before that, a few thoughts about the day sprung up from the back of my mind.

Like... why does Kiri like me? The nurse had told me I was different from the others, generally because of my personality but what was so different and charming about how I act? Is it the jokes? Is it how I see things? Or maybe it could be that I had exposed her to another side of the world that wasn't all fancy and fine... a world of suffering... as well of hope....

I shouldn't think too much of it, but then again... it never hurts to think about anything, does it?

...

I wonder where did Lentil had gone after leaving me astray in the park. I assumed he returned home, knowing his mother and father, but he would've at least wake me up and go back home. So... where did he go? Did someone take him or something? Or did he go with someone?

....

Bah. I'm sure he's fine. Lentil's a hard shell to crack or damage. He'll be fine. I'll just go by his home and see if he's there.

I'm sure he is.

...

You know....

I'm still rather confused.

Like... what happened there?

What happened in that... weird realm I was in?

I think it was a dream but like I remembered... it felt too vivid to be a dream.

I can't trust if it was or wasn't a dream anymore. My memory of it is kind of blurry now but...

Still... something was going on in there.

What did that voice mean when he said 'I will know soon enough.'

Is something going to happen soon? What will happen, then?

The end of the world?

I hope not. But....

Still...

I just hope that was all a dream.

Please let it be a dream

Let it have been a dream.

A dream...

Dream...

Dre...

....

....

....