Nightfall - Chapter 5
Coco stared at the ceiling. After Crunch had set off into the forest for a reason she didn't know Aku had convinced her to lie down a few hours. But even though every inch of her tired body begged for sleep her mind just wouldn't let her come to rest. She groaned faintly and pulled the blanket over her head. Curling up under the protection of the sheet she finally felt her mind calming down, allowing the young bandicoot to drift into a restless sleep ...
She awoke with a start, her sleep ended by a sudden noise. For a moment she didn't know where she was as the blanket pulled over her head robbed her every clue of her location. Beginning to panic she freed herself from the sheet and jumped to her feet. Her mind was only slowly waking up, making it hard for Coco to become fully aware of her situation. Pressing a hand to her temple she wondered if she was going insane after all.
Taking a few deep breaths Coco left her room and headed for the staircase that connected the upper floor with the ground floor. She sat down on a step, leaned her head against the banister and anxiously peeked down into the living room. She didn't have to wait long to discover the source of the noise that had awoken her. A few moments after she had settled down Crunch entered the small living room, his entire body covered in dust and sweat, leaves and twigs hanging in his reddish fur. He made his way over to the bathroom and locked the door behind him.
Coco frowned. She couldn't get an inkling of Crunch's strange behaviour. Since she had nothing else to do she closed her eyes and focused on the familiar sounds of her home, the running shower, the soft whisper of the jungle, the cheerful chirping of the birds sitting in front of the windows. Her home.
And yet ... it didn't feel like home.
Following a sudden urge she stood up, hesitantly walking down the hallway. She passed her own room as well as the second bathroom before she came to a halt in front of a third door. Behind this door lay Crash's abandoned room.
Her instincts told her not to open the door, knowing that the sight of her brother's messy bedroom would bring the pain back into her just calmed down mind. But her body didn't care for any objections. Coco's hand reached for the door handle, pulled it down and -
"Coco!"
She gave a start and quickly backed from the door. Turning her head she faced Crunch who was standing on the landing. Silence fell between the two bandicoots, each one staring at the other, unsure of what to say. It was Crunch who eventually started to speak.
"Come on, we are waiting for you." Saying nothing more he began to walk downstairs.
Confusion spread out on Coco's face.
"But ... where are we going?", she asked, hurrying down the stairs to keep up with the taller bandicoot.
"You'll see ..."
Once again Coco found herself climbing through the thicket, following Crunch without knowing where he would lead her. Aku Aku floated somewhere above her head, and even Pura and Polar took part in the procession.
"We're almost there", Crunch informed the group. He forced himself through a pair of bushes and waited for his companions to do the same.
Coco realized they were standing on a hidden clearing. Gazing around the natural beauty of the scenery simply amazed her; a pond lay in the middle of the meadow, its surface reflecting the colours of the setting sun. Flowers showed between the high blades of grass.
And then Coco's eyes fell upon the gravestone, a plain white stone placed at the shore in the middle of the pasture.
"I haven't managed to write a dedication yet", Crunch said while he tried to read the expressions on his friends' faces.
Coco opened her mouth, but the words she intended to say just wouldn't form on her tongue. She didn't doubt that everybody around her, especially Crunch, expected her to say something, but she just couldn't.
She turned away, starting to walk back into the jungle, away from her stunned friends. "I'm sorry ..." she muttered, her voice wavering. Entering the loneliness of the forrest she scolded herself. As Crash's sister it was her responsibility to thank Crunch for his help and to say a few words and, which was even more important than anything else, to pull herself together.
She gave a half-hearted sigh and changed her direction. Approaching the clearing for a second try she suddenly heard voices. She perked up her eyes.
"I guess she just needs time now ..." She recognized Aku's voice, soon followed by Crunch's.
"I'm sure she does. Do you think Cortex will let us alone now that he has achieved his goal?"
"I hope so ... well, it looks like he has won after all."
"No, he hasn't", Coco growled to herself. And all of a sudden she knew what she had to do.