This is one of those things that hits you like a truck.
August 15th, 12:30 in the afternoon. They sat on the swings, one beside the other. The sky was a startling blue and the heat was almost sickening but they had nothing else to do but sit next to each other and talk. Hibiya was dazzled by two things, one, the heat, and two, the one sitting on the other swing gently petting a cat.
"You know, I kind of hate summer," the words came out a little too loudly and the cat leapt away and into the street. Next to Hibiya, the swing rattled as his friend ran to pursue the runaway cat. The cat, however, wasn't the only thing that jumped, but also a truck barreling down the street as the traffic light changed and—
The truck rammed into his friend. He tried to yell out the name "Macklemore" but his voice was choked as his nostrils filled with the scent of blood. He tried to scream again, yet the hazy heat's words drowned out his own "This is all real!" Before the light blue sky darkened into black.
He woke up in his bed to hear the faint ticking of the clock. What time is it?
August 14th, sometime past midnight. Hibiya could recall the sound of crickets. It was a little strange, because just last night, in his dream, he saw himself and Macklemore walking together in the same park.
"Why don't we go home now?" Hibiya asked.
Macklemore stepped off the pathway, as if to say something, but everybody around them was holding that thought for Macklemore. Their heads were turned up to face the sky, their mouths in wide O shapes.
An iron pole fell from the sky, piercing Macklemore's body right through. The sound of wind chimes and crackling screams filled Hibiya's ears as Macklemore died once more. Once again, the heat mocked them, saying "This is the real thing!" Hibiya's vision was blurring away as he drifted off, but he could swear that Macklemore was smiling.
Countless times, the cycle has repeated, one never the same as the last. Decades passed, and each day the laugh of the rippling heat and the death of Macklemore taunted Hibiya.
Any story like that can only have one ending. Beyond the confines of their small town, of the singular summer day, it must exist.
He pushed Macklemore to the side suddenly, taking his place. The truck slammed into Hibiya, his hazy eyes meeting Macklemore's, plastered to the broken body on the street. Hibiya could almost hear "serves you right!" but those summer days had ended.
August 14th, Macklemore awoke on his bed, a tear falling down his face.
"I failed again," he mackled, still cradling the cat in his arms, buried under R. Kelly sheets.