Chapter 1
Aya woke up from her dream, sweating all over. She had another of those nightmares that had been haunting her for months. In her dreams she was constantly searching, for someone or something, she didn't know. She couldn't see the road in front of her or behind her or anything around her. She seemed to know subconsciously where she was heading, but couldn't really understand her instinct. She was lost yet clear of the path she had to take. She seemed to be repelled by something behind her or attracted by some magical force in front of her. She had no will of her own. She was scared.
"Aya, are you OK?" came her brother Aki's low, soothing voice.
He knew that her sister was having nightmares but she had never told him what she was dreaming of. She didn't want to worry her brother too much. Their parents died when they were young and Aki had always been looking after Aya. They were very close. He was just so competent and capable in doing anything. He never had the money to go to school but he studied on his own and passed high school education. Aya always regarded Aki as a genius, a responsible brother who is infallible.
"Nothing, just one of those dreams. I woke you up?" Aya asked.
"No, I was... um... actually you did. But it's ok. Go back to sleep, ok?" Aki caressed her hair and spoke in a voice that sounded so distant that Aya almost thought she heard some echo.
Aya lied down on bed and fell asleep immediately, as if she had been given some pills or something. Suddenly the familiar lullaby sounded. She would hear it every time before her dream started. It seemed to be an old Japanese folk song. She remembered hearing it somewhere but whenever she tried to recall she felt an agonizing headache. "Perhaps it is a piece of memory I am forbidden to uncover, so might as well leave it hidden somewhere in the galaxy of my past." She thought. Then the song repeated itself. She could now feel that an unseen force was pulling her body forward. Sometimes, it made its turn or changed direction; otherwise it headed straightforward. Part of her wanted to know what she had been searching; the other part wanted to wake from this dream and forget it all. Somehow it was not really a nightmare to her. Nothing really terrible or scary had ever happened in the dream. She was just in a sea of nothingness with a lost mind. But she knew that nothing really terrifying would take place in her dream. She was only looking for something right? How scary could that be?
Aya woke up from her dream, sweating all over. She had another of those nightmares that had been haunting her for months. In her dreams she was constantly searching, for someone or something, she didn't know. She couldn't see the road in front of her or behind her or anything around her. She seemed to know subconsciously where she was heading, but couldn't really understand her instinct. She was lost yet clear of the path she had to take. She seemed to be repelled by something behind her or attracted by some magical force in front of her. She had no will of her own. She was scared.
"Aya, are you OK?" came her brother Aki's low, soothing voice.
He knew that her sister was having nightmares but she had never told him what she was dreaming of. She didn't want to worry her brother too much. Their parents died when they were young and Aki had always been looking after Aya. They were very close. He was just so competent and capable in doing anything. He never had the money to go to school but he studied on his own and passed high school education. Aya always regarded Aki as a genius, a responsible brother who is infallible.
"Nothing, just one of those dreams. I woke you up?" Aya asked.
"No, I was... um... actually you did. But it's ok. Go back to sleep, ok?" Aki caressed her hair and spoke in a voice that sounded so distant that Aya almost thought she heard some echo.
Aya lied down on bed and fell asleep immediately, as if she had been given some pills or something. Suddenly the familiar lullaby sounded. She would hear it every time before her dream started. It seemed to be an old Japanese folk song. She remembered hearing it somewhere but whenever she tried to recall she felt an agonizing headache. "Perhaps it is a piece of memory I am forbidden to uncover, so might as well leave it hidden somewhere in the galaxy of my past." She thought. Then the song repeated itself. She could now feel that an unseen force was pulling her body forward. Sometimes, it made its turn or changed direction; otherwise it headed straightforward. Part of her wanted to know what she had been searching; the other part wanted to wake from this dream and forget it all. Somehow it was not really a nightmare to her. Nothing really terrible or scary had ever happened in the dream. She was just in a sea of nothingness with a lost mind. But she knew that nothing really terrifying would take place in her dream. She was only looking for something right? How scary could that be?