Chapter 3: Another Arni

Opassa beach, another world, 1020 A.D.

When Serge woke up, he was lying face down on the sand. He forced himself up and spotted his swallow. It was lying on the sand, just like the very first time he saw it. He grabbed it and saw old Sam walking toward him.

"Hey, Sam! Have you seen Leena?"

"Hm? Are you a friend of Leena?"

"Well, of course, where is she?" he asked, thinking the old man was just teasing him like he had done so many times in the past.

"I believe she's on the pier. Oh, by the way, you really shouldn't sleep on the beach like that, it's really not careful."

Smirking, Serge set off to the pier to find Leena and maybe get an explanation as to what had just happened. When he had finally made it back to Arni, he stopped for a moment to take a look around. Something just wasn't right. Serge shook his head, thinking he must just be tired or something. He walked on the wooden planks of the pier until he was a few feet away from her.

"Hey, Leena!"

"Um, do I… know you?" she asked in a slightly distrustful voice, narrowing her eyes.

Serge chuckled.

"Well, yeah, you know me, I'm Serge."

"I don't know who you are, sir, but your little game is truly pathetic! Leave me alone, now!" she said in a angry voice, walking away from him.

"Leena, wait! What's wrong? What did I do?" he asked, raising his arms in despair.

"What did you do, you ask? You're making fun of the memory of a little boy, and I don't think this is funny at all!" she screamed, refraining a tear from falling with her right hand.

"…but, Leena, what's going on, I'm not dead at all."

"Oh, yes, you are still alive, but the poor boy is, and if you don't have anything better to do than bothering people with tasteless humor, maybe you could go to Serge's grave on Cape Howl, it could knock some sense into you and teach you to respect the memory of those who died drowned at such a young age! She screamed, quickly running away, a tear trickling on her right cheek.

Serge stood there at a loss for words. He spotted old Sam and went to sit next no him.

"Someday, you'll have to explain me what goes on in the brain of a woman Sam."

"Uh? Do I know you sonny?"

"Ah come on, Sam you know it's me, Serge, that's not funny, everybody knows you're not yet blind."

"Serge…Serge… this name sorta rings a bell… but you know, at my age, memory isn't what it used to be." He said, placing his chin between his thumb and index.

The old sailor got up and walked away. Serge was left alone once again, clueless as to what was going on.

Geez, man, is this my birthday? I can't have been unconscious for so long.

He decided to go to the only person he knew wouldn't play along.

"Mom! Mom! Where are you? I'm home mom!"

There wasn't a sound. Serge was clearly alone in his house. In fact, judging by the look of the house, it hadn't been inhabited for a long time.

Mom would never leave the house in this state…

Beginning to feel desperate, Serge headed outside the village and came across Cape Howl. Climbing on a huge boulder, he spotted something glimmering atop Cape Howl's cliff. He pondered for a moment and the decided it was pretty much the only thing to do. If this was only a prank, it would probably end there.