Chapter Four: Memories
Yuugi carefully slides the dark blue trunk across the wooden floorboards of his bedroom to the foot of his bed. He examines the floor to make sure he didn't leave a scuff mark anywhere. Satisfied, he turns his eye to roam over the rest of his room. He smiles, remembering how it used to look when it belonged to four-year-old Yuugi.
Glow-in-the-dark star used to pattern the walls and ceiling, toys and games littered the floor, stuffed animals shared his bed, how he used to crawl atop the desk to open the slanted window, the plush rug perfect for napping on, how dark the closet used to seem, and how useless he thought the mirror above his dresser was considering he wasn't tall enough to see himself in it.
But now the room belongs to fifteen-year-old Yuugi, and although not much of it has changed, most of the childishness from before has long gone. The glow-in-the-dark stars no longer shine, instead replaced with pictures of his family and the Hawkins', and several posters of varying landscapes; the littering toys and games (the ones he didn't outgrow) now neatly put away in his trunk, while more challenging puzzles now occupy their shelf space; all the stuffed animals except for one (a furry winged creature he named Kuriboh) gone; the darkness of the closet no longer frightened him; and the dresser mirror now useful.
He kneels down onto the plush rug in the center of his room, the soft texture tickling his fingers. He doubted he'd nap on it anymore, but it is still a nice place to lay down and maybe read or do homework.
The light from the window above his desk shone warmly. Yuugi lies down face-first on the rug. Maybe, he thinks, he could still nap here.
Yuugi had barely closed his eyes when his grandpa knocks on the door and opens it.
"Yuugi, would..." Solomon stops short at the sight of his grandson. The boy's body now reaches close to the edges of the rug, when before he could roll around freely without getting near any edge. He laughs.
Sitting up, Yuugi asks, "What is it, Grandpa?"
Solomon happily sighs, "I just remembered when I'd come in here to fetch you for something-or-other and you'd be napping all spread out on that rug. I believe I have some pictures of you like that somewhere."
Heat floods Yuugi's cheeks for being unaware of having been caught on camera, "I-is there something you needed, Grandpa?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes." Solomon hands Yuugi a shopping list. "I wondered if you wouldn't mind going shopping for dinner. I still have to mind the store for a few more hours, and the shops would be closing by that time."
"No problem!" Yuugi smiles.
Even though his grandpa's list only had a few items on it, Yuugi finally left the store forty minutes after he had entered it. The store wasn't busy, in fact, there were less than ten people inside the entire time he was there.
The reason he took so long was due to the fact that he had no idea what a loquat was. Yuugi spent a good half hour circling the whole store trying to find the mysterious item when an employee grew tired of watching him wander around like a lost puppy. Upon hearing Yuugi's reason for doing so, the employee couldn't help but laugh. She apologized to him, of course, and said that it wasn't a surprise he didn't know what he was looking for. The loquat fruit isn't too popular in this area.
Yuugi huffs, his lips curl in an adorable pout as he walks home. The clear blue sky and friendly faces he passes by, however, quickly lift his pout back into a smile. This will be a funny story to tell his grandpa over dinner, he muses.
He's a block away from the Kame Game Shop when he hears the distant sound of screeching tires. He turns around to see a car stopped short of hitting a bicyclist.
The color drains from Yuugi's face as a loud buzzing fills his ears. His vision swims as daylight is suddenly replaced by lamplight, the scattered clouds becoming constellations, and the bicyclist forming two adult bodies lying motionless in the street.
Yuugi blinks and the nightmarish vision is gone. His breathing is erratic, heart pounding a mile a minute. Despite the heat from the blinding sun, Yuugi's skin feels ice cold. The kind of cold that buries itself deep in the soul and holds the heart in a frostbitten grip.
He runs the rest of the way home.
Solomon hums a tune as he sweeps the entrance to his game shop, wondering what could be taking his grandson so long to return from the store. It's been near an hour since Yuugi left. Sure, the walk to the store isn't short, but it doesn't take an hour to and from it.
"Where is that boy?" His plum colored eyes flicker with worry as he gazes in the direction of the store.
Yuugi doesn't stop running until he's inside the Kame Game Shop. He startles his grandfather behind the counter when he slams the door open. He breathes in a huge gulp of air before bending over with his hands on his knees. Sweat drips from his face.
"Yuugi!" Solomon exclaims. "What happened? What's the matter? Are you okay?" He quickly steps out from behind the counter, mind whirling with questions and worry for his grandson.
"I didn't…" Yuugi wheezes out, "know what…loquats…were…"
The answer stuns Solomon for a second. He furrows his gray eyebrows, "Yes, but…why were you running?"
Yuugi takes another deep breath as he stands up, "I thought…I should hurry home, since I took so long…"
The way he spoke made his answer sound more like a question.
"Is that it?" Solomon asks, eyebrow raised.
Yuugi's breathing slowly evens out and he nods, "Yeah. I realized the time and figured you were probably worried and that I should get back as soon as possible."
Solomon studies the boy's smiling face. There was something hiding behind the glint of amethyst, but he decides to let it go. He smiles back, "Alright. I was worried, but you can tell me more later. For now, put the groceries away and cool off inside."
Yuugi does as he is told, carrying the bags past the counter to the door on the other side that leads to their home. "See you in a bit, Grandpa!"
"See you," Solomon says, still suspicious.
Later that night during dinner, Solomon keeps an eye out for that hidden glint in Yuugi's eyes, but can't seem to find it anywhere.
"And that's when a store employee comes up to me asking if I needed any help. When I told her that I didn't know what a loquat was, she laughed! She laughed, Grandpa!" Yuugi's features form into a pout.
Solomon grins, "Oh? That wasn't very nice of her."
"Yeah, but she apologized. Apparently, loquats aren't very popular in this area." The teen says, taking a bite of his food. He swallows, "How did you find them?"
"A while back, I was shopping for fruits when the color caught my eye. The name was strange, so I thought I'd try some. Now I can't get enough of them!"
They laugh and Yuugi asks about the game shop, wanting to help out over the weekend.
Seeing how his grandson is back to his normal self, Solomon decides not to ask about what happened earlier. Perhaps Yuugi did just want to get home faster. But, he pauses to take a drink, how could Yuugi have known about the time when he doesn't wear a watch and had forgotten his cell phone on his desk?