1 : The Lost One?

Within the vast space of pitch-darkness, there's a young girl clad in white.

 

She opened her eyes slowly and blinked a few times to clear her hazy vision. For some reason, her whole body was aching, especially her back.

 

Even so, she struggled to stand up on her feet. She immediately tried to recall the events that led up to this point but to no avail.

 

(I am lost. Right now, I'm lost in this. . .wherever this is. A dream? Most likely.)

 

My name is. . .well, that's not important. Anyway, I have my memories intact, so that's a green flag. A mere ordinary girl, living a simple life. Now then, how did it come to this?

 

(Let's see. . .this is either a dream or the afterlife. Preferably, the former.)

 

"Well. . .for now, let's try walking."

 

With that in mind, I wandered around for a few minutes and found nothing. No noticeable structures, and no changes in the surroundings at all. I couldn't even hear my footsteps.

 

It was quiet.

 

(Hmm. . .should I wait til the dream ends? Maybe this dream is one of those where I'll suddenly fall and wake up.)

 

I planned to do just that, so I sat down. All of a sudden, my back hit something. It was a hard surface; it looked like a brick wall, but it didn't feel rough. I tried knocking a few times, but surprisingly, it didn't make a sound.

 

"Is anyone there?"

 

No response.

 

(Maybe they're asleep? Asleep in a dream? Really? What am I even thinking? No, stop. Don't use logic here. For now. . .)

 

"If someone is there and you can hear me, please respond. Since we're here, maybe we can get along?"

 

Once again, nothing but silence.

 

(What am I doing talking to a wall? I must be losing it. Forget it, I'll just wait for this dream to end.)

 

I sat down once again, disheartened by the fact that this dream seemed so bleak.

 

"Aww. . .nothing's happening. I want some food! Where's the nice and calming scenery? Even if it's just a mountain or a field of hay, it will do."

 

"Tsk. . ."

 

In the middle of my rant, I swear I could hear a sound of disdain.

 

"Hm?! Who's there?"

 

". . . ."

 

I didn't receive any response, but I was certain there was someone else there, so I knocked on the wall again.

 

"That wasn't me imagining things, right? There's definitely someone on the other side. Why won't you answer me?"

 

". . . ."

 

I wasn't getting a response, so I thought about pounding the wall with my fists. All of a sudden, the wall slowly expanded brick by brick as if it were giving way to the person residing on the other side.

 

"Don't make so much noise. It makes my head ache."

 

There she stood, holding a large goat plushie. It was a girl wearing a long-sleeved hoodie jacket and plain pajamas. Her black hair is unkempt; it looks like she just got out of bed.

 

On top of that, this other side looked entirely different; it was a whole ass room, with pieces of furniture and everything.

 

But leaving aside all of that, there's something more important.

 

That is-

 

In this empty space, I wasn't alone.

 

Knowing that fact made me feel so relieved.