Chapter Two: A New Kit in a Nest
…
"Fascinating, that was a lot faster than the previous test."
"Hold still, it won't hurt… not that you will feel it anyway."
"This is disappointing."
"Still awake after this?"
"You did such a good job."
"Don't you want your reward?"
…
He woke up with a start, instantly rising from the bed. Something fell down on the ground, but he didn't care to see.
He was too busy gasping for air, feeling like there was not nearly enough of it in the room.
There was still darkness everywhere, apart from the blurry green light on the wall next to the bed. He felt like he was supposed to get up, to get ready and be present in five minutes. Whatever feeling that made him think that was gone the second he felt his stomach tremble and his throat being dry like sandpaper.
He needed a minute to realize the green light was not there to let him know he had to get up at once.
It was just a silly flower shaped nightlight for toddlers who were still scared of the dark with a glow-in-the dark sticker of a butterfly next to it.
The room was much larger, the pillows were soft and the sheets kept him warm.
And there was a window.
Big wide window of a bright moonlit sky and stars along with lights of faraway skyscrapers.
The moon was nearly full, coating the room in mystical light that almost felt gentle.
…
Right…
… he was taken in by another foster parent.
…
Miss Nahida Kusanali… small woman in light, flower patterned dresses and even brighter smile. Always trying to talk to him, always asking questions… always getting on his nerves.
He has seen them before, bright, soft spoken, motherly women who spoke in a kindergarten teacher voice, always happy and always getting on children's level when talking to them. Treating children like precious little treasures and showering them in positivity until they gave in.
He didn't like those, they were always sugar coating everything, rarely switching to their actual voice and constantly addressing how much pity they felt for those they care oh so much about.
Yet when he needed them, they continued with their fake positivity even when he made it clear it just makes it worse. Then they would get angry that it didn't work and carried on until they snapped and called him a lost cause.
There were times when he preferred absent ones, those who would just keep him in the room, called him for meals and didn't give much thought about him at all. He liked his alone time, but at the same time the loneliness brought up the flashes of pain he was trying hard to forget. Before he knew it he would do something wrong, hurt himself or run away without a single emotion or thought in his mind.
He would just run away until pain ended and that never made it any better.
Sometimes he would find himself in a hospital, which just made the pain worse.
Other times he would be fighting whoever was there when pain blinded him.
Or he had no recollection whatsoever.
He just knew that sooner or later they had enough and took him to a new place where the cycle repeated.
…
Will it be the same this time as well?
…
He no longer hoped for anything.
It always ended up like this.
What was there to look for when even if everything looked right, something else always ruined it?
He liked this room, he liked the big window… hell he even thought a bazillion stupid plushies and pillows were decent.
And Miss Kusanali…
… he couldn't tell.
She had the same annoying positive aura around her, same colorful talking manner, same energetic approach to life…
…
… but no pity.
…
Just talking to him.
Talking about what interested her, curious what he thought, addressing things happening around her…
Like he was just a normal mature child.
No baby talk, no upbeat persona, no overbearing protectiveness…
just…
…understanding.
He didn't know why, but when it came to Miss Kusanali, he just felt… at peace.
He could tell from a mile away that she was one of those types who will dedicate their life to taking care of a child, but like… in a different way.
She would ask questions, yet stopped when he couldn't answer.
She would come close, yet keep her distance.
She spoke softly, yet in full honesty.
For some reason he felt like she could read his mind.
…
That's why he let her take him, though he still didn't get his hopes up. Who knows how long she will be willing to keep up with him.
How long before she tosses him away like others did…
Or worse…
Sees potential in him.
…
It was still dark yet he couldn't fall back asleep.
He emptied the entire water bottle and nibbled at one of the rice crackers. Bland and crispy, just like he preferred most of his foods to be. He wished he could have another cup of that tea, but he doubted his foster parent was awake nor did he know if he was allowed in the kitchen during the night. Compared to that awfully overly sweetened peach iced tea at Aaru Group Home it certainly tasted a lot more bitter and therefore better. He recalled reading about the sumerian herbs used for the tea mixture, however he never got a chance to taste any of that. Hopefully he could have it again if Miss Kusanali feels like it.
He rearranged the plushies and pillows for the tenth time, tried to look for constellations in the night sky, nibbled at the second rice crack… anything that would help him fall asleep. Maybe try to read one of the books set on a small wall shelf above the nightlight?
After ten minutes he was no longer focused.
Perhaps he should just wait to pass out like he always did so far…
And possibly remember it all again…
No… he had enough of it for one night.
If he could just shower, just drench himself in cold water until he felt like passing out, maybe that could help.
Miss Kusanali did allow him to use the bathroom with no time restrictions. Shouldn't hurt to go for a quick shower. It was the kind of luxury he rarely had since group homes had shared bathrooms and foster parents had strict schedules when you could use them for anything other than for toilet usage.
As quietly as he could he crawled out of the bed, instantly feeling the coldness outside of his warm fortress of blankets. Heading towards the doors he felt the ickiness of the cold sweat on pajamas, he definitely needed to wash it off. Seeing no sense in changing into his only other extra pair of pajamas, he rather settled for black shorts and dark blue shirt along with high white socks. It was going to be morning soon anyway.
Slowly opening the doors, he was rather surprised at the sight of numerous little lights across the hallway. Curiosity got the better of him and he stepped to the one he knew was in the direction of the bathroom. Once he got closer he could read the glowing letters that said bathroom. Just to make sure, he headed towards another in the shape of a direction mark, living room.
Were the lights there to help him navigate where is what during the night?
Impressive if that really was the case, he thought.
With no trouble he flipped the glowing lightswitch and got inside the bathroom. He didn't really get a good look at it before since he only had a minor toilet break and a quick wash up after the accident. It was certainly a lot bigger and less cramped than he remembered with everything neatly arranged. Not even his dirty clothes were still in the basket and were actually being washed at the moment. The washing machine was so quiet he barely noticed it as he was getting out of his sleeping clothes. Miss Kusanali surely was a busy woman if she had stuff being done even during the night.
Before he didn't even notice all nicely organized hygienic products at various plastic shelves and baskets within the shower stall. At the lowest shelves were things that were probably aimed at him since they were a lot more colorful than the rest. And it wasn't just a simple bar of soap and sickly sweet scented shower gel and shampoo mix. No, there were various shampoos for different types of hair, soaps for sensitive skin, conditioners, sponges… so many choices he in fact didn't know what to use.
In the end he just grabbed the most generic shampoo and rubbed it in his wet hair. No matter how basic it was, it still smelled amazing, like the fresh morning after a rainy day. Aaru Group Home was located right at the border where forests ended and desert began. Rain was rare, but when it did rain, the dry air instantly became refreshing and pure. He couldn't connect it to any herb he smelled before, but it surely felt nice.
The scent of something new.
Scary, but welcoming.
He didn't waste that much time with body gel and just squeezed a little amount to quickly get it over it.
And only now did he spot the band-aids on his knuckles… and water-proof ones to add up.
When did he hurt his hands? When did he have them treated?
The previous day still felt foggy from dinner time on.
Did he snap after the accident? Did he destroy something? Did he hurt himself?
Did he… hit Miss Kusanali?
For a few long moments he just let the shower head cover him with cold water.
Why did he have to mess up so badly on the first day already… he wanted this to work, he really did. But if he already got so many things wrong on the first day here… he didn't know what would follow.
Trying hard to ignore his intrusive thoughts, he rather focused on drying himself. There were more than enough towels set on the cupboard right next to the shower stall so after wrapping the big towel around his waist he used the smaller one to dry his hair.
His indigo hair was almost at his shoulder length by now, having been cut shortly before getting to Aaru Group Home. He always did it by himself, though it didn't always turn out the way he wanted. Other kids would often make fun of it so when he found that sunhat, he gladly used it to hide the hair he disliked so much. Miss Candace often offered to fix it up for him, but he always refused. Just the sight of scissors in someone else's hands gave him major creeps and a good reason to run away or punch something.
He wondered if he could use the blow dryer though considering it was in the middle of the night he didn't want to wake up his guardian nor did he have energy to search for it. Maybe if he could at least tie it in some way so he doesn't look like a complete scarecrow the next day…
Much to his surprise there was a small basket with at least three combs and brushes set right next to a sink along with a box of various hair ties, headbands and hairclips. All in neutral or darker colors unlike usual glittery hair accessories he noticed at foster families that had girls. It was almost like Miss Kusanali knew he'd need something for his hair…
Trying to shake off those thoughts he rather focused on picking a smaller hair tie since he didn't have that much hair and made it into a small low ponytail. For those few bangs that were getting on his eyes he found two thin and long indigo hairclips that practically disappeared when clipped to his hair.
Only once he was done fiddling with his locks did he notice a big mirror above the sink.
And there was him.
…
"Such a fragile stature and weak body."
…
He immediately covered his bare chest with a towel and crouched down until his face was buried in his knees.
No, don't look at me, his thoughts screamed.
Don't look at something so small and ugly!
"As expected… worthless."
No, no, no leave me alone!
"Why are you even here?"
Shut up!
…
He didn't know how long he was lying there, just curled up in a ball as the tears he hated so much again ran down his cheeks. His hair was almost dry by then as was the rest of his body. The cold shower indeed made him more sleepy as well as drained as he always was after moments like this.
Carefully standing up and instantly facing away from the mirror, he put on the clothes and tried to find a way back to his room. It was still dark at least, though he could see hints of purple and pink that were usually followed by a rising sun.
Just a few more steps and he will be back under the soft safety of blankets and pillows…
…
He was woken up by the fresh scent of tea, very similar to the one he had the previous night.
There were sounds of dishes being moved, the beeping of kitchen appliances and rustling of whatever was being taken out of the fridge.
"Well, you could've let me know you'd rather sleep on the couch!"
The boy didn't comprehend what he heard at first, but once feeling a much harder surface and a much fuzzier blanket on top of him, the realization hit him.
He never got to his bed and somehow found his way to the living room. To be fair, the couch was also green and covered by many blankets as well as pillows. Still, it felt just as comfortable as his bed. He just hoped Miss Kusanali wouldn't be mad about it…
"Oh don't worry, I was just concerned if it was cozy enough." Nahida smiled while mixing up whatever was cooking at the stove. "Some kids I fostered actually preferred the couch."
"Is it really okay?" the boy muttered from underneath the blanket.
"Of course it is! Though the couch is not as soft and might give you a sore back after a while." she poured something creamy into two small bowls "If you want we can make it into your bed later, like a mattress cover and more proper sheets."
He was rather surprised that she was not bothered at all. Sleepwalking, showering during the night, sleeping outside his room… he was scolded if not yelled at for all of these before at previous homes and families. Here Miss Kusanali was more concerned about his well being than him moving around the apartment while she slept.
"Now let's have some breakfast before it gets cold!" she nudged at the table with several steaming dishes.
The boy slowly picked himself up and headed towards the table, but not until he swiftly folded up the blanket and fixed the pillows in the way it looked presentable. The breakfast surely was something, probably because it was just the two of them and his guardian had more time to prepare it. The first meal of the day was more or less chaotic at most of the group homes, with school-aged children rushing around and ending up eating just a piece of bread, younger ones throwing tantrums when they couldn't get what they wanted and older ones helping guardians to make it more in place. Other foster parents were either the type that left the food on the counter or sat down with him until he cleaned the plate because they "weren't wasting food at that house".
He knew his eating habits weren't exactly healthy, but he couldn't force himself to eat more than he could. The more flavor there was, the less appetizing it was to him. Not that he didn't like it… it just didn't feel right to him.
Anxious that there would be another accident, the boy carefully eyed the options before him and was left in a bit more of a question of what he should have. There was a sort of porridge, numerous little bowls of what were likely additions for it as well as pieces of fruit and a mug of tea.
"It is called Khabeesa." Nahida joyfully explained while putting all sorts of things in her bowl "Or Cream of Wheat porridge. It's pretty bland in taste, but if you want you can add cocoa powder, cinnamon, dates, nuts… well anything that's on the table. Each person has their own take on this dish. I like mine with honey and Ajilenakh nuts!"
Of course she did, the woman was crazy about those darn nuts.
Not in a mood to experiment too much, he just ate it as it was with a tiny bit of cinnamon sprinkle. She was right about being bland, just like steamed rice without anything, though he could taste hints of milk and butter. For once he ate a bit more than usual, even adding a bit of pomegranate seeds to make it a bit more savory.
It wasn't all that bad and a cup of tea at the end fit nicely.
"I like how you styled your hair." she grinned as a slight blush reddened his face "I see you found the hair care basket."
"I… sorry… shower…" he mumbled, anxiety making his words nonsensical, fearing that he indeed made a mistake by going for a shower during the night.
"There is really no need to worry about that. I set everything for you for a reason. My only concern was that you might need help, but Candace assured me you could take care of yourself just fine and I trust both of you on that." she wiped her face with a napkin "Now let's clean this up so we can continue where we left off yesterday."
"Miss Kusanali… what happened last night?" the boy asked in a very quiet tone, pointing at his patched up knuckles "Did I…?"
"You just had a bad dream and hit the wall by your bed in your sleep. You scrapped them pretty badly." Nahida replied in a sad sigh as she headed towards the drawer with first aid "Let's change them up alright?"
No questions about what the dream was about nor discussion about how much of that wall did he damage.
Just patching his knuckles with galaxy themed band-aids.
He would usually back off when someone tried to treat his injuries unless if it was serious, though in cases like those he didn't have much choice. His body was fragile after all and those with power over him could do whatever they wanted…
"Here, all done!" Nahida's voice brought him out of his thoughts "Now we really gotta go clean this up so we can feed Irmi!"
"Irmi?" the boy asked when he suddenly felt unknown fuzziness at his leg.
Please don't be a dog, he silently begged as he turned around, not wishing to see a canine creature. Some foster parents kept pets, mostly dogs who didn't know what a personal place was or cats who were never there. He really wouldn't mind a cat, but dogs he just couldn't stand with all of their energy and unwanted licks.
A white bunny the size of a medium cat was the last thing he expected… yet accepted.
The fuzzy creature only brushed against his legs while keeping its eyes at the plate Nahida was bringing.
"Alright alright, I know we are late, but just give us a few more minutes." she set the plate on the counter next to the fridge "Come on, help me out."
Without a second thought he got there, following instructions on which veggies to cut and how much. The bunny was impatiently tapping with its back legs, like passively aggressively telling them to hurry up. Fortunately most of the veggies were already pre-cut, they just needed to add a few new ones. They finished it up with some fresh herbs and a fistful of pellets.
"You can take it to his room." Nahida smirked as she practically danced to the doors of a nearby room.
Not giving it much thought he followed her and became instantly baffled at this so-called bunny room. There were pillows, tunnels, a castle shaped hidey house, a freaking automated water fountain as well as numerous wooden toys. No wonder he already got so much selection when it came to his clothes, room and hygienic products, even her bunny was spoiled rotten.
The sight of the room nearly made him forget why he was there until the bunny started chewing at his socks. Usually this sort of thing pissed him off, but for some reason he just put the plate next to the water fountain where he assumed the pet was drinking. The white fuzzball rushed to the food the second it was put on the floor. The crunchy sounds of Irmi nibbling at the lettuce soon filled the room.
And what a room it was. Despite being completely accommodated to the bunny, there were still a few closets and wardrobes in there, some even had the entire lower section made into a tunnel or hiding place for the pet. Nahida likely used that for extra storage since apart from the all bunny equipment there wasn't much else in there.
"Great, now we can continue where we were left off yesterday!" Nahida made a small clap as she headed towards the doors "As you can see this is a room for Irmi, my pet bunny. He is mostly napping here, but I do let him out every afternoon to explore the rest of the apartment. He won't go to your room unless you leave the doors open."
Half of what Miss Kusanali said went over his head as he observed the little creature eating the pieces of lettuce. How idle its life must be, just waking up, getting meals, playing around and going back to sleep. It truly didn't need to do anything big for its little simple life to be fulfilled. Must be nice…
"Kunikuzushi?"
His body twitched as this name was called. He didn't know for sure why it never felt like his own, but that was the name in the papers, the one given to him upon his birth and called by those who didn't knew him at all…
"Was just curious… aren't bunnies supposed to be in cages?"
"Oh that's what pet stores and farmers will make you believe. In reality they are not that different from cats and dogs, they need lots of space for movement as well as playtime and care." Nahida reached for one of the framed photos with a small white bunny, likely Irmi as a baby, on the wall "Irmi used to live in a tiny cage in a house of a hoarder. Social services discovered that the hoarder was also a parent who neglected his children. All the kids were lucky to be taken in by nice families, but the bunny didn't find a proper home for a long time. That's why I decided to take him in! He has a lot more space and toys here, as well as people who play with him!"
He was almost jealous of how loved this little fuzzball was. Jealous… or just insecure and in doubt if his current guardian really meant all those words.
"Well let's get going, you got to see the rest of the apartment!"
…
The rest of the tour he pretty much just saw everything he did so far, just in more detail. He learned that the two doors next to the bunny room were Miss Kusanali's office and bedroom, both to which he was not allowed to enter due to privacy and lots of classified files relating to her work. She also explained that she also had her own bathroom within the bedroom, so he had that one bathroom all to himself which he quite liked.
The kitchen counter had a lot more doors and storage than it seemed as well as hidden appliances and a whole pantry in a particularly big cupboard. She also made sure to let him know that two compartments underneath one of the counters had healthy snacks, premade tea bags and even a small refrigerator with bottled water, juice boxes and fruits. Those would be always available to him if he ever felt like having something small between meals, though she also expected he eats at least half of his regular meals and helps at preparing them.
There was no dining room, just a table with chairs between kitchen and living room. The couch he already got to know was a lot bigger now that he saw it up close, with an equally big amount of pillows, blankets and even a few plushies. No wonder he mistook it for his own bed when being half awake. A coffee table next to it looked more like a bunch of boxes with a wooden board on top of it and it turned out that it was indeed that, just that two boxes served as hidey houses for a bunny and the rest served as storage.
"If you ever feel like playing a board game, this is where I keep them!" Nahida's hand slipped through cards, figures, dices and other similar game items "Of course there are also coloring books, puzzles and crosswords if you're more interested in those. I do own one game console and a few games if you want to play it, but I only allow it in moderation alright? Same story with a tv remote."
He never really had a time to use either of those, so it wouldn't be a problem, he thought. The boy was curious about them, but the only time he could have it all for himself without a group of kids fighting for remote or a nagging guardian was back in the hospital and he didn't exactly have pleasant memories from that time.
The rest of the tour was more or less uneventful since after Nahida introduced her grand armchair with an extended table as her actual office, they just had a few more rooms to check. Besides the bathroom which he'd already seen enough of during the night, there was one more room for drying and ironing clothes. By that time a set of laundry from the night was done, so Nahida used the opportunity to explain how she did the washing while they hung the wet clothes on the drying racks. Kinda interesting to see a more traditional way compared to practically all foster families he has been at that just tossed them in the dryer to save time.
There was not much need to check his room again, but Nahida still insisted that she shows him some hidden corners, like the bookcase that had a lot more books than it was visible. They were neatly organized as well, with thick and heavy encyclopedias and science books at bottom, more lighter, fictional ones above and comics as well as graphic novels next to it. There was even a small tablet-like device with a pair of headphones that Nahida explained was a reading tablet with even more books on that had an option to be listened to as e-books.
"I saved the best for last!" she smiled as she nearly dragged him out of the room towards another one, right next door.
The boy didn't know what to expect, perhaps a playroom like so many group homes had one, but those he avoided since they were always crowded and loud. What was in there was the last thing he expected.
Plants… everywhere he looked.
Those long climbing ones spread all across the room to make it look like a jungle, potted plants on shelves and cubicles, cacti with bright red colors, typical sumerian roses as well as mysterious lilac flowers not many knew much about. There was even a glass cabinet with a bunch of saplings and herbs as well as growing veggies.
Of course there was a big pot with a small Ajilenakh tree. So much about her having no idea how to growing those, though this was quickly debunked when she started telling how she received it as a moving-in gift and therefore being the oldest plants in the apartment when it was already this big and didn't grow much since then.
Then there was a giant window which was actually just one glass sliding door leading to the balcony. The kid was surprised when breathing in the clean air, probably due to the balcony facing the forest area away from the direction of a city. Apart from a wooden flowerbed with more plants there was nothing else at the balcony, just him and the warm breeze of spring. It really felt peaceful and it wasn't that much different from a sunsettia tree back at Aaru Group Home.
He didn't know how long he gayed in the distance by the time he felt a tug on his sleeve. Nahida gestured to spread his hands like he wanted to scoop something. Next thing he knew he had a fistful of various seeds on his hands and before he could ask why, birds started to show up for a quick snack. They didn't seem scared at all when casually landing at the balcony rail and even on his hands to get the seeds. Miss Kusanali must've been spoiling them too since they didn't mind any quick movements, even getting cozy enough to settle on his shoulders to nibble on the bigger pieces.
Somehow his guardian had an ability to turn him into a living bird feed!
Though sooner or later, the seeds were gone and so were the birds. He could tell why this was Nahida's favorite place. It felt like a little sanctuary, maybe even a temple where the only companions were silent plants and occasionally chirping birds. The boy hoped this was one of the places that wasn't restricted and much to his joy it was as long as he would help with taking care of the plants, like watering them every few days. She even offered him an empty flower bed where he could grow his own plants. That made him think of his own patch back at Aaru Group Home where he also planted some herbs. He wondered if Miss Candace and Miss Dehya would take care of them now that he was gone.
"Come here!"
The practically magical indoor greenhouse almost made him miss another wonderful addition to it right by the door. It was one of those swinging sofas he only saw at exhibition areas at hardware stores, swings but bigger. This one had fake ivies wrapped all around its rails, further decorated by a white pillow and little white flowers everywhere.
Before he knew it, he was seated next to his guardian who gently made the swing sway, just enough to make him more relaxed than anything else in the last few months. Nahida would start talking about her work, the bunny, the plants, even a little bit about herself as the time passed slowly.
He really didn't care what she was saying, he just like that tone of her voice. So energetic, yet calm and relaxing. Only when she started talking about routine was he paying attention again.
"I work from home so unless there is any emergency at the main office, I won't be going anywhere. I hope I can count on you to not bother me during those few hours in a day, thought if you still need anything, I can take a short break to help you out. Don't worry, I will find something to keep you busy." she winked in a playful way "Other than that, we still need to arrange your homeschooling. Candace complimented your curiosity and ability to learn fast, though she was a bit sad you didn't want to take tests."
"I-I… just don't like them…" he crossed his arms after taking a deep breath.
"I see…" she sighed while getting up "Well then I will just have to find a different way to see how well you can do academically. Nothing to worry about, it is really just to see where your strengths are and what you want to learn. Which reminds me… I have a little task for you!"
…
He was a bit worried about what that task was when he was seated at the coffee table in the living room and three heavy boxes were in front of him.
"A friend of mine will start to homeschool their foster child soon and he could use some new material." Nahida opened the boxes one by one, revealing stacks of textbooks and educational books within them "Just go through all of them and see if there is anything you like, then sort it on the table. The rest I will go through myself and see if there is anything that my friend can use. In the meanwhile I will get some work done, but you can still ask me if there is anything you need help with."
The amount of books to go through will surely keep him busy for a while and to be fair he hasn't seen so many at one pile to begin with. Well his guardian gave him a task and he will make sure to complete it before long. He could easily just flip the pages and glance at titles, but with so many different subjects at hand it was hard to ignore them, especially if they had nice photos or illustrations attached.
Before long he wasn't done even with a quarter of one box, mostly because he managed to find the textbooks that actually looked interesting. A few he even started to read before remembering what he was supposed to do with them. One time he glanced at his guardian at the armchair and could hardly recognize her, not only because she was now wearing glasses. She looked very serious and focused when typing on her laptop or scribbling down on the important looking papers on the extended desk. There was also a phone call that she replied in a professional but also easy going manner. He knew that she worked at an adoption agency as well as various projects connected to child welfare, though not entirely clear what exactly. Judging by the call she was helping someone filling up paperwork regarding the adopted child as well as advising about educational programs.
She surely was busy, but so was he as he went back to sorting the textbooks. To add a little bit of his personal touch he also organized them for less chaos when Miss Kusanali will go through them. Science books, biology books, history books…. there were just so many.
He knew he said he would go through all of them, but by the time he finally reached the end of the first box he was drained from all the reading. It was rather hilarious that one thing that kept him awake during most of the days also managed to tire the hell out of him. What felt like hours was indeed an hour and a half of the passed time. He should probably drink something, maybe even have a snack to make Nahida happy after she stressed so many times that he should be more caring towards his eating habits.
Opening that same cupboard he quickly found a regular bottled water and a small box of precut Zaytun peaches. With the coffee table being all covered up by books and not feeling like eating at the dining table, he asked if he could go to the greenhouse.
Back at the little sanctuary, he put the snacks at a little table by the swinging sofa as he again enjoyed the peaceful serenity of this place. Nahida intentionally left the glass doors open to let in some fresh air and by this time the whole room was nicely ventilated.
The swaying of the swing sofa made him gradually doze off, even with the sun so high up in the sky and keeping him warm with those gentle rays.
…
And he was asleep, just like a kit in a comfy nest.
…
He was no longer in the real world, but in a much more peaceful one, a place where the painful memories couldn't get him. Just a small garden with a wonderful view of the hills and ocean behind it.
Just him lying on warm tatami mats in a baggy kimono, resting his head on a lap of the only person he probably ever trusted.
How he wished to go back to that time…
When things were simple and no one played the game of pretend with him…
…
"I miss you Niwa…"
…
But this wasn't the life he could ever get back to…
Everyone was gone… only he was left…
All alone…