Chapter 28: Theater March

Camille hurriedly grabbed the heavy stone from the frail child's arms, while Haru asked where he got it from.

Ali pointed at the huge circus tent at the center, which was bigger and had different colors compared to the other tents around.

The three of them went to that tent, leaving the portal stone behind at Haru's circus tent.

The central tent exuded an eerie air inside.

Going in, it looked much larger than it seemed from its exterior.

It was like a theatre – there was a performing stage hoisted up in the middle and below, in front, there are cushioned seats lined up in rows and columns.

What flashed on the stage surprised them.

From Haru's eyes, he could see his foster parents happily watching television with their son.

"What are you doing over there, Haru?" The son beckoned another child. "Come over here and join us!"

When the other child came in, Haru realized that it was him.

"W-What's this? Why am I seeing my family? And why am I up there too?" Haru whispered.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Camille exclaimed. "That's my family!"

Haru faced Camille, "What? That's clearly my… wait a minute, this isn't possible."

Haru glanced at the stage once again and realized how that scenario couldn't possibly exist.

"It's an illusion," He declared. "We should get out of here."

Camille understood, freaking out inside, and knowing well what's happening. Haru's attention was diverted to Ali and was surprised to see the little boy crying his eyes out.

The tears kept flowing like a waterfall, but Ali wasn't even sobbing or making a sound.

It was silent, heavy, and painful to look at.

He wondered what Ali was seeing on the stage.

Haru grabbed Ali's hand and pulled him away until they got out of the central tent.

Camille followed, out of breath, much exhausted.

"Was that... supposed to tell us something? Like the scenario at the stage was supposed to be our desire or something?"

"What did you see?" Haru asked.

"Well, obviously, my family. Peaceful, honest, and together. But that's not possible."

After that, they rested at Haru's tent for the whole afternoon, talking about the circular portal stone, the central tent, and comforting Ali after his extreme reaction.

They got out when they suddenly heard merry sounds coming from outside.

It's already early nightfall and there seems to be a parade going on.

Haru thought it's one of the features of the world.

The next thing he noticed was the direction of where the train was going.

It's headed to that dark tunnel where he got injured.

He neared the glowing parade to look further what's in it when he suddenly saw Alicia racing towards the train's middle chamber of the parade.

He glanced at the dark tunnel again and then, back to Alicia who's yelling something.

She didn't look fine at all.

There's definitely something off.

"Alicia! Don't!" Haru warned. "What are you doing?! Get off the train!"

Haru intended to come for Alicia in the train when a flood of images went through his head.

He gasped for air and clenched his shirt near his chest.

'It hurts,' He thought when he saw the memory.

It was…

"The struggle of a single parent."

He saw Alicia grieving for her husband's death and saying, "I can't do this. I can't do this anymore! I want you back!" over and over while her son's asleep.

He saw Alicia forcing a smile and a lively mood during her job as a fitness instructor even during days she felt down and tired.

He saw Alicia refusing all the invitations from all her friends and even from her own parents. She had no time to waste with all the responsibilities she had.

He saw how Alicia kept getting pressured for dating another man and receiving unnecessary advice with pretentious worries for her.

And she couldn't ask assurance from anyone for raising her child alone.

She kept thinking that every child must want to have a complete family with a mother and a father. But she couldn't tell or give that to Eugene.

Because she's alone.

And at night, she would spiral in guilt, pressure, stress, pain, and emotional turmoil, crying and drinking beer.

"I want to give Eugene the best! I want to give him the world, but how can I do that… when I'm just a miserable mother? I'm just a lonely, hopeless, and dumb woman…"

And her tears would fall onto the unchanging and unmoving picture of the man she loved and the man she lost.