From ANOTHER STORY, by yasu
The sky that should have been bright was clouded over by steel-colored clouds. Through the cracks in those clouds shone a red moon that never set, dying the seas red.
On the wind, a singing voice could be heard. An indistinct sort of singing voice, like a whisper...
The voice sang the same melody, over and over again, echoing over and over.
As if there were memories, shut away, carried within that song...
Entering the temple, there was a solitary old man sitting in the middle of some great stairs. It seemed that the singing voice was his. Now, the place was completely dilapidated, but to the old man sitting in this temple, it was not difficult to imagine the stones brought back up to their height again, having been restored to the way the building was supposed to stand. The old man always sat in this place, spending most of his days there.
"Gramps!"
The voice interrupting him was that of a spirited young girl. The old man turned toward the direction the voice was coming from. A short time later, the cute-faced girl was cheerfully hopping up the stone stairway, toward the old man. Then, she sat down right next to him.
"Ah, it's you...so you've come by again, hm?"
"Yeah, because I heard your voice. Gramps, you're always singing that song, aren't you?"
The old man laughed and replied, "Ha-ha-ha, I guess so."
"Um...Gramps?"
"What is it?"
"Is it okay if we talk again?"
"My, my, what kind of crazy story are you going to have us listen to today?"
"What do you suppose there could be, beyond that sea?"
"Beyond the sea?"
The old man looked out at the sea. At one time, it had been Gaia's beautiful blue sea, however, now it had been transformed to a sickly-colored, ghastly sea of sulfuric acid. The old man gazed out at it with sorrow, loneliness, and a feeling that he had given up. He was, of course, looking at more than just the horizon over the water; he was looking with eyes far away, to the perfection of the world.
"So, what do you think there is?" the girl asked, restlessly, without waiting for an answer.
"Ah...hmmm....what could there be out there?"
"Well, I think there's a sort of...'puni-puni' land out there."
"Puni-puni? What's that?" asked the old man, surprised.
"A 'puni-puni' place is a place with all sorts of really cute things living there..."
With that, the girl began the "Tale of Puni-Puni".
The girl didn't know what in the world her name could be, nor where she came from. The old man didn't know, either. Though she had only suddenly appeared before him a few days before, every day she told the old man all sorts of fantastic stories. Surely, they were just the stuff of children's stories, but since the girl's stories always had plenty of imagination, and at times she was astonishingly good at telling them, they had made for a quite grand tale.
The old man, suddenly remembering, thought things over.
"In even a world such as this where dreams are lost...to have a girl who can tell so many stories...how surprising, this one..."
The girl, eyes sparkling, continued to tell the "Tale of Puni-Puni".
"That's enough for today. Thank you."
The girl, being interrupted in the middle of her story, made an unsatisfied face--as if to say that no, it wasn't enough.
"So today gramps is going to tell a story? What kind of old guy is this, anyway..."
The old man, taking a moment to look at a stone statue nearby that still had all of its stone limbs, began to speak slowly.
"When this world was at peace, this place was the center of it. Though now it has all fallen apart, this place was the "Gaia Museum", the sacred Temple of Music. Humans created this place to thank the gods for what they had, and to implore them for everlasting peace. Every night, a musical group known as "Arc" kept appearing on stage at the Gaia Museum so that humans would never forget love, dreams, wisdom, courage, or hope. Me? No, I'm not a member of Arc. Every night, I was the one who would open the doors to this place, as its manager. Actually, I was the one appointed to remain here, as a god myself. Ha-ha-ha, it's really not that surprising. As you can see, though, I'm an old man now.
Before I knew it, I too had become able to remember the human emotions of affection and love, having had many opportunities to be involved with the people who came here.
Then, while still being endowed with a godly station, I fell deeply in love with a human woman. Though such things were prohibited, as long as the peace in this world lasted forever, it wouldn't be a big problem at all. But, the world of Gaia, having the sixth melody containing all those sorrows released upon it by the foolish humans, changed into a very ugly place.
This temple, the sacred symbol of peace, fell to rubble, and Arc, bearing too much grief, sealed away their hearts and turned to stone. The eldest of the gods, being very angry with the foolish actions of the humans, tore Gaia apart and hid away the five melodies all around the world. Thus, the world entered an era of darkness, being truly devoid of love, dreams, and hope.
Of course, with the Gaia Museum falling apart, no one could hear music anymore. I, having nothing to do, had to return to the Land of the Gods. I thought of bringing the woman I loved with me. Promising to return to her no matter what, I took her to wait at the "edge of the Earth", where it was closer to the land of the gods, and went to beg permission from the Eldest.
However, the Eldest was enraged that I would fall in love with one of the foolish humans, and ask him to allow it. And so, he turned me, who loved humans so much, into one, and sent me back here so that he could keep watch over me.
Now having lost my almighty powers, I could not go to the "edge of the Earth", even if just to meet with her again.
Then, a long time passed.
Having become a human, I was not a thing of eternal youth and longevity anymore.
So, I became a senile old man.
Even now, I can't fulfill the promise I made to her.
I wonder, has the woman I loved already died...?"
The old man, speaking that much, let out a long breath. Gazing out at the reddish-brown sea, his eyes blurred, as if they were about to run over with tears.
Then, both the old man and the girl sat there, falling silent as if they had always been that way.
Soon, the old man's cracked lips parted. Then, he started to sing that song, soft as a whisper.
...la la la, la... ♪
"That's the song you're always singing, isn't it? It's a very beautiful song...what song is it?"
"It's the song of love. It's a song that you sing for someone you truly love. A long time ago, I too was in love, and sang it for that woman. But, I can't remember anything more than this one phrase. No, if that's really the case, I shouldn't be able to remember it completely, since the Eldest sealed away the five melodies. Actually, I can't remember the other four melodies in their entirety, either."
"So why can you remember only one phrase of this song?" After thinking for a moment after the girl asked her question, the old man ascended the stairs, as if deciding something.
"Look at this." Slowly ascending the stairs, the old man gently undid the buttons of his shirt. On the left-hand side of the old man's chest, near his heart, there was a wound that looked like it had been made by someone's fingernails scratching against the skin.
"These are the wounds the woman I promised left me with, so that I would never forget. Even now, they remain, the same as they were then." The old man traced the wounds with his finger. "Looking at these wounds on my chest, I can remember the love I shared with her. Within this era of darkness, if it looked as if I was going to forget how much love we had, these wounds made me remember what love is. Therefore, I too haven't forgotten. I suppose you could say that I still love her, even now..."
Then, the old man sang once more.
...la la la, la... ♪
The girl continued listening to the tune, and began to sing along. Upon doing so, in the blink of an eye, a flower sprouted from the withered land underneath the girl's feet.
"Though there has been nothing that could breathe new life into Gaia since then..."
The old man, amazed, stared at the flower blooming at the girl's feet.
"Is there some way to save this world, perhaps?" the girl inquired of the old man.
"Only one. That is, to find the five melodies that have been hidden all over this world. But, to be able to do so, to keep the journey from destroying them, the person must truly possess love, dreams, wisdom, courage, and hope. Only such a person can become the Messiah and save this world."
"The Messiah?" The girl tilted her head.
"That's right, the Messiah. I've been waiting in this place for a long time, waiting to see such a person. Until now, there have been those with your same depth to show up here, but those people...now that I think of it, they didn't have the same guts at all. Hearing of the danger of the journey to find the five melodies, they all vanished in the blink of an eye. It was always like that."
After a short silence, the girl asked the old man,
"Do you think I could save this world?"
"I don't know about that. And, I suppose, I may not live long enough to see what happens, but I think that if you were the Messiah, that would be a good thing." The old man hugged the girl gently. Within the old man's heart, the girl before him was tracing his scars with her fingers gently. Then, she said,
"So, should I try it out, then?"
"Eh?"
"I suppose I have to go out and look for the five melodies, don't I?"
The old man gently separated himself from the girl's embrace.
"Really?"
"Yeah! If I can save this world, then you, gramps, might be able to see that woman you loved once more."
"That's true...but it's a very difficult journey."
"I know."
"You might not make it back alive."
"It's fine! Surely, I have to see if I can save this world!"
"Hahaha, looks like I can trust you. If it's you, I have a feeling that this world really can be saved. I can't win over your resolve, can I..."
"That's right!"
Seeing the strength of the girl's resolve, the old man pulled a tattered object from the pocket of his worn coat.
"This is the miraculous map. If you really are the Messiah, I suppose the map will lead you to where the five melodies are hidden."
In the old man's hands was a very old map, but on the yellowed paper, not a single thing was drawn or written. When the girl tilted her head in confusion, he said,
"Depending upon whom is holding the map, its appearance changes. Only a person who truly possesses "love", "dreams", "wisdom", "courage", and "hope" can see anything on this map. As for you, I think it will work."
"Got it," the girl answered.
"Around the stone mountain, there is a ship. Please make use of it."
"But...the sea is sulfuric acid, isn't it? Won't something like a boat fall apart?"
"You should be able to travel across the seas with the protection of the miraculous map."
Next to the mountain, among the secluded islands, an untarnished silver boat showed itself.
"So, please use this boat." The old man, while looking as if he was through speaking, let down the ladder from the deserted deck.
"So...ride on."
With those words of encouragement, the old man helped the girl up the ladder, then left the deck.
When she entered the steering room, the boat somehow began to float and bob. The girl, steeling her nerves and taking the helm, unfolded the miraculous map.
In a flash, the image on the map changed to a very dark place. It appeared that would be the first place that the girl would arrive to.
"Cast off!"
As if waiting for the order, the ship made one heavy clanging noise, and shot off, slipping into the open sea.
"Gramps! I'll come back for sure!" the girl called out once again.
With a gentle smile, the old man watched her leave. The image of the waving girl became smaller and smaller, until he could see her no more.
The red moon, as if blessing her departure, continued to keep watch over the girl, forever and ever...
Nozomi, having finished reading "The Old Man and the Girl", let out a sigh of relief.
"It's as I thought...I did write this story."
A kindly old man, the janitor, had lived in this room she was sitting in, long ago. Reading this, she remembered that old man had been the model for the old man who lived on Gaia. It tugged at her heart to remember. Those things that had yet to leave her still smoldered within.
"That janitor was my first friend...I wonder if he always remained that cheerful, in the end?"
Beginning with these memories of the old man, Nozomi slowly began to remember the days she spent in elementary school. As a child, Nozomi was forced to change schools often. For no other reason than that she was a transfer student, those who welcomed her were standoffish from the start. Even so, eventually she would warm up to them as fellow classmates. But, as soon as she finally felt like she had friends, she had to transfer again...this pattern repeated in her life over and over.
As for Nozomi, her chances to make lasting friends were not very many at all.
But, the students at this school were different. Perhaps due to the secluded environment, they were not standoffish to her at all, and warmed up to her like family. However, for Nozomi, who had never made friends, while this was nice enough, she was not able to return such warmth in the same way as her classmates, and, as it turned out, she spent more and more time alone.
Playing by herself was truly her strong point. Drawing pictures and spreading the wings of her imagination, writing stories...
That day, as well, Nozomi was playing in the world of her imagination. Becoming one of the people in her stories, she talked to the flowers, letting her voice be heard anywhere she went...
"That's an interesting story, isn't it?" The old janitor asked her, watering the flowers nearby. Nozomi was embarrassed. But, the old man thought that Nozomi's stories were interesting, and would be glad to hear them, if she had any more to tell. And so, Nozomi went to the small room where the janitor lived after school, and he listened to the stories she had written. Before she knew it, sometimes, when she didn't have any stories, the old man would listen to what was troubling her. It was like this that she and the old man opened their hearts to one another.
"I really want to be friends with my classmates...but I don't know how to go about doing that..."
"That's easy. Just offer to tell everyone these same stories you've been telling me."
The Next Day...
At school, during the first recess, Nozomi gathered her courage and tried telling one of her stories to Kiyo-chan, the girl in the seat next to hers.
Though she looked surprised at first, she listened to Nozomi's story. As Nozomi finished her story, deeply moved, Kiyo-chan climbed to the top of a ladder and said very loudly,
"That's great, Nozomi-chan!! It was really interesting!! Oh, that was so great!!"
Hearing Kiyo-chan's excited voice, their surprised classmates gathered around. Just like that, on that day during recess, Nozomi ended up telling one of her stories in front of the entire school.
After school, she went to see the old man in his little room.
"Thank you! Just like you said, I've managed to get along with everyone!"
"Oh, really? That's good..."
"But, it's so awful! Kiyo-chan and You-chan and Shuichi-kun, they told me they want to hear a new story again tomorrow! I can't write new stories every day! I've always been alone in school, and so I've always had plenty of time to think, and oh, no...!"
"So, just use the time you've been spending telling an old man stories to write down the ones you've made up so far."
"I can't do that! I might not have time to talk with you anymore, then..."
"Hmm, that is a problem...so let's do this. Since no one's using that storage closet back there, I'll let you borrow it for a while to use as you like. After school, you'll be able to talk with me from there, right?"
And so, that little storage closet in the back of the old man's room became Nozomi's "Secret Little Room".
In the days after, Nozomi became the most popular student in school.
If she were to compare...,thought the grown-up Nozomi, the time she spent here, in this place, might be the brightest time of her entire life.
Thinking of it that way, to visit this place again on the day when her life, in the end, would disappear...there was no way having done so was a simple accident.
But, to find the school, and her secret room, all over again...that was an occasion, indeed. If the things that happened today wouldn't have happened, she probably would not be able to remember what she had been able to do while she was in this place.
To Nozomi, looking at these things after so many years-- in the same way that this small mountain of things before her let her see the dreams of her future-- they also let her look back at her past, now.
If something had not allowed her to remember her past in the first place, though, she supposed that finding her will again, even in this place, would have been difficult.
She was reuniting with her memories of her childhood, but more than that, within the memories of the well-traveled Nozomi, without seeing this place, awakening those memories of the things she had been able to do would have been impossible.
Perhaps, the hope to return to the place where she once shined had been sleeping within her, in the depths of a great sea of memory; and Nozomi was now diving deeply into it. Or perhaps, somewhere, Nozomi had a mysterious power inside of her. In any case, Nozomi felt something like fate.
"Even like this..." Nozomi said, looking around her Secret Room. "Even like this, it hasn't changed at all since then, has it? Even though it's been close to 20 years since I've been here..."
She tilted her head, as if she felt something strange. After thinking for a little while, she took a look at the clock resting against an old pillar, and once again glanced over toward "ANOTHER STORY". The strange thing about that clock? It still told time quite precisely. It read 3:25. From the time that Nozomi had last glanced at it, it had ticked away nine more hours.