Taro stepped back and focused on the screen, which flashed at first as the VCR engaged the tape. Some horizontal white lines danced up and down a black backdrop before fading. The screen soon stabilized on the blackness.

Taro watched the show for several minutes, straining his vision as he looked for something, a shadow, an object, some sort of contrast. But there was nothing.

"Hey!" he said. "Is anybody in there? Is anybody home?"

He watched the blackness for a few more minutes. Then he took a deep breath, feeling both relief and disappointment.

"I knew it couldn't be real," he sighed, as he walked up to the VCR, his index finger extending toward the STOP button.

He imagined hearing some footsteps. The sound was barely audible, but he heard it. Or were they just a figment of his imagination?

"Hold your horses!" came a groggy but sweet voice through the TV's speakers.

After a loud "click" a single bare bulb lit up the image on the video screen. Everything was visible again; the bed, the closet, the walls of the small white windowless room. Ryoko stepped into view, once again wearing her black pajamas, blinking and stretching her arms as she yawned.

She stood up straight. "What should I wear?" she said. "I can't very well stay in these pajamas."

Taro crossed his arms over his chest and with a wide smile said, "Do you have a pair of flannel knee-high socks? That would be sexy."

Ryoko gave Taro an icy glare… before putting her hand to her mouth and giggling. "Yes, I do, in fact. Let me get out of these first." She started unbuttoning her pajama top.

Taro's eyes grew wide with fear. He put out his hand. "No, Ryoko! Stop! I was just kidding!"

Ryoko winked. "Yes. I know. I was, too." The girl on the video screen sat down with her legs crossed and looked around. "Where did you bring me?"

Taro looked around as well. Then he looked back at his TV set. He still couldn't believe that this was happening. "Hang on," he said. He walked to his food cabinet and grabbed the TV remote off the top of it. Then he pointed it to the screen. "I want to try something. Is that okay?"

Ryoko just shrugged and kept looking around. She was now studying the ceiling.

Taro started messing with the buttons on his remote. First he tried changing the aspect ratio. Though the blue light on the bottom left of his set flashed, signalling the reception of the command, the image didn't change. He tried changing the brightness, the color, the contrast. Nothing changed.

"It looks like we're in a warehouse," Ryoko said. "It's kind of nice… but it needs a lot of work."

Taro was afraid of losing Ryoko at first, but then guessed, correctly, that changing channels wasn't going to alter the image either. Taro's finger moved up to the red button.

"Please don't cut the power," Ryoko said. "I won't be able to sustain this image too long on my own if you do that."

"Okay, I won't." Taro quickly set the remote control on the cabinet. Then he walked back and faced the screen. "Hey, Ryoko. Would you like to have some tea with me?"

Ryoko tilted her head and smiled. "Sure. But you still have to tell me what to wear."

"I think those pajamas look fine."

Ryoko frowned. She pointed at Taro's shoes and slowly raised her finger until it pointed at his chin. "You're dressed for the day. I'm not a bum, you know."

Taro looked down at his light green t-shirt and dark blue jeans.

"Do you have blue jeans in your closet?" he asked. "And maybe a chartreuse blouse."

"Chartreuse, huh?" Ryoko nodded. "I can do that." She made a circling motion with her index finger. "Turn around, please." Taro turned his back to the TV set. When his head turned slightly to the right, he heard a sweet giggle through the speakers. "No peeking!"

Taro looked straight ahead and did not move. He jumped a little when Ryoko, dressed in tight blue jeans and bare feet, walked past him to his kitchen table, the fabric of her blouse was tinted a perfect off-yellow hue. His eyes widened with awe when she turned toward him; the girl looked so beautiful in person.

"Where's your tea pot?" the girl asked.

Taro pointed to the small wooden bookshelf next to the food cabinet. On it rested a microwave oven topped with a hot plate. An empty aluminum pot sat on one of the hot plate's burners.

Ryoko nodded. She walked over to the cabinet and looked inside. Taro's sparse collection of thrift-store-bought mugs, glasses, plates, and bowls graced the third shelf, along with a beer mug full of silverware. Ryoko took down two ceramic mugs and fished two spoons out of the beer mug. She set them on the bookshelf next to the microwave.

"Water?"

Taro pointed to a door on the far wall. "I usually get it from the sink in the janitor's closet."

Ryoko looked over at the closet door, which was a good forty feet away from the set. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. As she did, the image on the TV set flickered. Then she walked over to the closet, aluminum pot in hand.

Taro sat in his chair at the kitchen table and watched his new friend prepare the tea. She was amazing to watch. So beautiful. So… real.

Taro rose when Ryoko returned with two mugs of tea. "I hope the color of my blouse is okay," she said as she set Taro's mug on the table in front of him. "You requested a very specific hue."

Taro turned, moving the sleeve of his t-shirt near Ryoko's blouse. "It's a perfect compliment."

Ryoko giggled and nodded in agreement. "You're an artist, aren't you?"

Taro felt his face flushing a little. "Yes. I am. Painting and sculpture."

They both sat down.

"Like Michelangelo." Ryoko crossed her legs and took a sip of her tea.

Boom - boom - boom.

Taro turned to the front door. Someone was pounding on it.

"Hang on," Taro told his guest. "I think I know who that is. I'll be right back." He got up, jogged to the front door, and pushed down on the handle, opening it.

An older man with grey hair stepped into the room. Taro bowed. "Hello Uncle Shiitaki. Welcome. How are you?"

The uncle smiled and patted his nephew on the shoulder. "Taro-kun."

"I have someone I want you to meet," Taro said excitedly. "A friend." He turned and walked back to the kitchen table - but was shocked to find that Ryoko was gone. So was her tea mug. He looked over at the TV set. It was off. He dashed to the VCR and pushed in the tape slot. It was empty. The red tape box was gone as well!

Near panic, Taro rushed over to the food pantry. There, on the third shelf, next to his mug full of utensils, was the red tape box. Ryoko's mug, still warm to the touch, rested on the box. Before he closed the pantry door, Taro paused. Something was off. He looked carefully at his beer mug.

His favorite steak knife was missing.