Why Are My Dreams Realistic?

Chapter 7 : The Kid Name Aki : (part 2)

The chime of the clock that continuously ticks reverberates inside my head. My thoughts wandered through many clocks as I pondered the meaning of life. Although it was easy to understand the meaning of life, its importance seems a bit off. Was it grievous for the time we have to spend? Or was it just a penance for not understanding what happiness lies between life and the world around me that I wish to spend with?

A breeze of air passed by on a balmy afternoon. The smell of salt lingers in my nostrils. The back of my throat tasted like burnt sand that was carried into the gusts of wind.

“Welcome to one of my playgrounds!” Aki opened a blue door lavishly. The bright light of the sun peeks right through the door—the pungent smell of the ocean that played around inside my nostrils. The warm gusts of wind blew with sand. The door greeted me like a first-class guest as it gave me one of my wildest dreams that I wanted to achieve at all costs.

Tears began to fall in my eyes. A feeling of unbelievable happiness swirls inside me. My heart began to pound even louder and louder. The sight in front of me was like a broken opaque gem. The shattered pieces of happiness in the hourglass were like a one-in-a-million sight that embraced me with the sun's warmth. It feels like my heart was filled exponentially.

“~sniffle…” 

“Oh…”

“S-sorry. I’m just happy. ~sniff…” I said. My voice was hoarse. I’ve been crying so many times for the last few hours that I can’t even count how many I’ve shed.

“I didn’t expect you to cry so hard.” Aki patted my head. “There, there. We came here to have fun, right? Then tears are not supposed to be in a happy place. So cheer up, Mori, embrace this world, and fill it with happy memories.” 

I turned around and saw Aki’s warm smile. “Heh…~sniff. I’m sorry. I’m just… really happy to be alive.” I said with a smile as I wiped off the tears on my face.

Aki stopped patting my head and walked forward, which caused the door to disappear. He held out his hand once again and invited me over. “Should we?” 

I grabbed his hand with a smile on my face. “Yeah.” I felt a lot wonderful after I cried. As I held his hand. He suddenly ran, losing my balance but not falling. I got caught up but instantly got back up with much strength as I ran alongside him.

There’s joy in loneliness, and there’s loneliness in happiness. You feel happy when you’re alone, but after a long time, you miss seeing others. You’d start to look for a way out of the space you’ve created, but you’re unable to escape it. You feel like you’re suffocating to the thoughts inside your head and ponder whether your actions are right or wrong. There’s only a monochrome sky that gazes upon you in the four corners of your room.

Then there’s loneliness amidst happiness. Happiness slowly fades like seasons that lose their colors and wither. We dream of something, and then we forget it like flowers. The sunlight gently beams toward our pallid faces and deliberately dulled our senses of loneliness, changing it anew with friends alike. Scrupulously creating a new sense of happiness in that loneliness until everything fades into nothingness like the flowers that flew in the sky.

We played on the beach. We splash ourselves with the ocean water. We smiled like it was the last day of an adventure. My life feels much more vibrant than it usually is. My heart beats more loudly than I usually know.

Another gust of air arrived. The sea waves, in unison, create a small wave that only hits the shore.  

The incessant regret that I’ve once created as my persona, I disregarded it just once in this happiness he called playing. We decorated life in the sands by sculpting different sandcastles or figures of ourselves in a precise way of carving. Tools that were unexpectedly helpful tell the gentleness as the sunlight and the ocean greet me with a smile of their gentleness.

“Phew~ This is so tiring, isn’t it?” Aki said as we refine our 8-foot-tall sandcastle.

“Not really. I’m having a lot of fun.” I said while cleaning the excess sand on the other side of the sandcastle. 

“Yeah. I noticed. Hehehe.” Aki let out a soft laugh. “I noticed that you’re really talented. Did someone teach you?” 

“No. No one taught me.” 

“Really? That’s impressive! I’m a little guilty that you’ve mostly created this sandcastle with precision, even though it’s your first time. I’m a little envious…” 

“Is this a compliment?” I said with a look of confusion.

“Probably… I don’t know. Maybe? Well… we’ll just leave it as it is and make it as a compliment.”

 I walked to the other side, where Aki was. “What does that even mean?” 

Aki looked at me briefly, then returned to furnishing the sandcastle. “Hmm… I don’t know, but I guess we could interpret it as a compliment that I’ve given to you. It means that I’m proud of you.” He let out a smile.

I scratched my head briefly and responded. “Ohh… okay then.”

******

It took a long time until every part was unblemished. The sun was about to set when we finished. My arms were sore, and my legs were trembling.

It was really fun to do this. Sitting at the seaside after finishing the sandcastle while looking at the setting sun. The astonishing sight of the setting sun as it shines its light one more time before the moonlight shines. My stomach began to growl. I’m hungry after all this energy that I spent for so long of idling.

“You hungry?” Aki asked. He stood beside me as he looked into the setting sun.

I rubbed my belly. “Yeah… I’m ashamed that my stomach is acting on its own.” I looked at him. I saw how his face glistened as the reflection of light in the ocean directly hit his pallid face.

Aki rubbed his chin. “Hmm… What type of food do you like?” 

“Anything is fine. I’m not a picky eater…” I said.

“That pause seems long for someone who said he’s not a picky eater, but oh well. I guess we’ll be having steak.” He smiled. 

Confused about what steak was, I asked him. “Uhm… What’s a steak?”

“Hmm… A steak is a cuisine made of pork meat. It's rich in flavor, although I’m unsure how to cook it myself.” He walked five steps to the right. “Well then, shall we eat?”

A sudden breeze of air arrived as a white door appeared out of nowhere to where Aki was pointing. He then looked at me with a smile. “After you.”

I stood up and walked towards Aki. As I approached the door, I noticed a carving with an unusual symbol around it. There were flowers and a circle in the middle of the door. I looked at it carefully so as not to miss any details. 

“Uhm… what’s wrong?” Aki asked.

I retracted. “No. There’s nothing wrong. I was just astonished by the carvings made in this door.” I said.

“There are multiple doors with the same carvings as this in my world. Although many, there’s no one but me living in it. But since you were here, I felt slightly at ease.” He looks quite unhappy for some reason.

The door didn’t make any sound as I opened it. There was a strong smell of food and steam coming out as I opened the door. The pungent smell greeted my nose and stomach as it growled even louder.

“Welcome to my aromatic world of different cuisines. However, I don’t know some of it. That’s just food food!” Aki said as I fully opened the door. “Cough! Cough! What an intense room it is, really.”

I sat down on the left side of what looked like a long table. The end of the table was too far for me to see on my end. Many foods were laid out lavishly on a conveyor belt. Aki sat down on the other side. He flicks his fingers.

The conveyor belt stopped moving. “So. Choose what you like, Mori. But I tell you, a steak is much better than what’s in front of you.” He said with a smile. He took a bite of what he calls a steak. He made a face that seemed contemptuous as he savored the feeling of the food inside his mouth.

I also took a bite. The taste seems unnatural and flavorful compared to what I usually ate in Domus. I filled my plate with various unfamiliar cuisines that were much more vibrant. I savored the taste in my tongue. I filled my brain with different information that rolled around in my tongue. The further I savor the feeling, the more I get lost in thought.

“Mhmm… This place is really delicious. *Burp!* Excuse me.” There’s no piled-up food on Aki’s plate. He was elegantly savoring the food. “Haa… What is it?” I didn’t know he would notice me immediately as I looked at him. 

“Nothing. It’s just that… you’re acting pretty weird compared to earlier. You seem to be behaving rather elegantly…” I said.

“Cough! Cough!” Aki slightly choked on the food he was eating. He grabbed the glass of water in front of him. “Haa…” He took a deep breath after he began to talk. “Hahaha. Sorry about that. I don’t really want you to see me how I usually eat. It would be weird. Probably…” He turned his eyes away from me.

I finished what was on my plate. My stomach was bulging with many foods that I ate. It’s my first time seeing my stomach bloated with lots of food. As we rested for thirty minutes, Aki asked me something.

“So. What should we do now? I wanted to keep playing.” He said with a smile.

“If you have any suggestions then,” I said.

Aki thinks for a minute. He looked side to side, then began to talk. “Ah! What about your dream!? What dream do you want to achieve!” Aki said enthusiastically. 

“A dream…” I think for a long time. I have a lot of dreams that I want to achieve. Although it would be a long journey, I’m still willing to complete it gradually. I closed my eyes and thought about something. A green land appeared in one of my thoughts—a vast green land. I opened my eyes with a broad smile on my face. “I want to experience sleeping on a vast green land under a tree.”

“Mhm… A meadow… Okay!” He said. Then suddenly, the door that we’ve entered changes to green. Aki hurriedly left his sit and opened the door. “Is this what you want?” He said.

As the sunlight graces the room floor, the smell of flowers enters through the door. With the sight in front of me, I couldn’t help but walk towards it. I crossed another world beyond the door and greeted me with one of my wishes. A place filled with flowers and a vast land of greeneries. I sucked it up as my tears began to fall again.

I’ve never been so happy to experience this feeling. The same sunlight that grazed my skin earlier on the beach feels different in the meadows. The wind feels cool, and the leaves dance with joy as the wind blows. The birds sing in a rhythm as they pass by.

“Is this what you want?” Aki asked. I looked at him, almost tearing up. He gave me a warm smile. “Okay then. I guess we can lay down here or have fun.” 

The zealous feeling that filled me exploded as I ran down the slope and rolled. It was such an incredible feeling that I even wished it wouldn’t end. The mission that I need to do. I want to forget it, but it means putting aside my other wishes. So, just for this day, I’ll let out all my happiness until I’m ready.