MAD LAD

Dream’s Echo

"Ryo, you dummy, stop crying already. It’s just a scratch."

"Ryo, let’s play."

Bow-wow!

"Ryo."

"Hey, Ryo."

Ryo stirred from his dream, the remnants of emotions clinging to him like a haze. "It's that dream again," he mumbled to himself.

For quite some time, Ryo had been haunted by visions of a blonde girl and a white puppy. Despite his curiosity, his parents always brushed off his inquiries about them. In his dreams, the blonde girl was young, with bright eyes, an infectious smile, and long, shimmering blonde hair that danced in the sunlight. Her presence brought a sense of peace and joy. On the other hand, the white puppy was small and fluffy, adding to the dream's comforting aura.

"Who is she?" Ryo pondered silently. "She talks to me like she knows me, yet I've never seen her in reality."

As Ryo woke, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. The setting felt familiar, but he couldn't recall how he ended up there. Venturing out, he overheard voices—it was Uncle Joe's place. Uncle Joe, Ryo's father's older brother, worked as a mechanic at a private institution.

Cassandra, Uncle Joe's daughter, was in a heated argument with Uncle Joe and Aunt May. She was the only child of Uncle Joe and Aunt May and was three years older than Ryo. She had striking jade green eyes and long, flowing black hair. Despite her outward beauty, she was not known for her kindness. Her sharp tongue often revealed her true, less pleasant nature.

"Why do I have to put up with that weirdo?" Cassandra exclaimed, her frustration evident.

"He's lost both his parents. Have a little compassion," Aunt May pleaded.

"But can't he live elsewhere? People are going to think I'm weird too!" Cassandra protested.

"He's part of this family now. That's final," Uncle Joe declared firmly.

Cassandra, furious, stormed off to her room, banging the living room door shut as she left. As she passed Ryo, who was standing by the door, she gave him an awkward stare. “Weirdo,” she muttered.

Joining Uncle Joe and Aunt May in the living room, Ryo was greeted warmly.

"Good morning, Ryo. Did you sleep well?" Aunt May inquired.

“Yes,” Ryo replied, still puzzled about his current whereabouts.

“We were just about to have breakfast. Come join us,” Uncle Joe invited.

“Ryo what would you like to eat?” Aunt May spoke.

“Anything will do”

“Don’t be shy, just tell me what you want to eat”

Ryo's disinterest extended beyond just food; it encompassed nearly everything around him. “Sunny side-ups eggs will do,” he said.

As They began having breakfast. Uncle Joe suddenly sputtered the tea from his mouth.

“You put salt in the tea!?” Uncle Joe remarked, frustration evident. “Stupid woman.”

Aunt May, taken aback, decided to taste the tea herself to confirm. To her surprise, it indeed had salt instead of sugar. “I'm sorry, I've just been out of it since yesterday” she explained. She had accidentally put salt instead of sugar in the tea.

“Don’t drink that, Ryo,” Uncle Joe warned. However, Ryo had already finished his tea, unaware of the salt mix-up. He simply drank it without noticing anything amiss. He couldn’t notice it or simply was unable to notice it.

"Where is Cassandra?" Uncle Joe inquired of Aunt May.

"She said she had something to attend to, so she has already left," Aunt May replied.

"She said she had something to attend to? And you didn’t even inquire about anything else? Like where she was going or when she will return?" complained Uncle Joe.

"She is not a kid anymore; she is a grown-up university student. You have to give her some personal space," Aunt May retorted.

"To me, she will always be the little Cassandra," Uncle Joe declared sentimentally.

"Jeez, when will you grow up?" Aunt May commented dryly.

Uncle Joe was Ryo’s father’s older brother, and though not wealthy, he worked hard as a mechanic at a private institution.

"Ryo, take a few days off university. You can go when your mind is at ease," Aunt May suggested.

"I have a few days off before the start of the new semester," Ryo replied.

After they were done with the Breakfast Aunt May invited Ryo to come watch T.V with them to take his mind off things.

Uncle Joe turned on the TV, only to be shocked by the devastating news.

Following yesterday’s report of a house fire on the outskirts of Okinawa village—the two bodies found burnt to a crisp are yet to be identified. This was the last active house in the abandoned village. Mr. Gen, could you please brief us on the events that took place?

“Isn’t that near Yuu’s house?” Uncle Joe asked.

“I think so,” Aunt May responded, uncertain.

‘’Ahem... Well, it has been determined from the evidence gathered that a third party was involved and this was not a case of suicide. One of the victims had his neck crushed almost as if a bus ran over it, while the other had his fingers chopped of and they ugh Eh?...... A stolen van found outside the house has been returned to its owner, presumably the work of the two deceased. The intense flames burned the bodies beyond recognition, and the police are using tomography to identify them. Forensic analysis has found that gasoline was used to burn the house. Interestingly, the owners of the house died the very same day. Investigations are ongoing to determine the connection between these cases. That’s all from me, Ms. Nina.”

“This concludes our report on the Okinawa house fire. It has been summarized that the house got on—‘’

Uncle Joe switched off the TV in disbelief. “That was Yuu’s house! First the car accident, now this fire—what on earth is going on?” he muttered, panting frantically.

There it was, a sharp pain and incessant beeping filled Ryo’s head as memories rushed back like a flood. Time slowed to a crawl. The few seconds it took felt like hours.

“Where have you been, young man!? I told you to come straight here from the graveyard,” Uncle Joe exclaimed.

“Sorry, I lost track of time at the graveyard. I just wanted to say goodbye and didn’t realize it had gotten so late,”

“Just come inside,” Uncle Joe sighed.

“From now on, this is your home, dear,” Aunt May said, trying to offer some comfort.

“Okay,” Ryo responded, his tone devoid of emotion.

As the pain subsided and he returned to reality, Uncle Joe had collapsed from the stress. Aunt May frantically urged him to wake up. Although he regained consciousness, Uncle Joe remained unstable.

“Ryo, stay here. I’m taking Uncle Joe to the hospital,” Aunt May instructed.

Ryo assisted in getting Uncle Joe into the car as they headed to the hospital. As Uncle Joe and Aunt May left for the hospital, Ryo retreated to his room and settled onto his bed. The space was noticeably smaller than his previous room, but he paid little mind to it. After all, his previous room had been mostly empty, so the size wasn't much of a concern.

Ryo thought hard about how he had gotten from the graveyard to Uncle Joe’s house but he still couldn’t remember anything, when he tried to think about his house his head started to hurt so he stopped thinking about the house altogether.

“I think I have dementia,” he thought.

He closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. He found himself in an empty children’s park.

"Am I dreaming?" he wondered.

There it was—the white figure he often saw in his dreams. "Is that the dog I always see? If so, the girl must be here too," he thought. He followed the dog, which led him to a small boy crying alone in a dark corner of the park. The child was about four or five years old, with black hair, and his face was obscured by his hands and arms.

"Who are you?" Ryo asked, his voice tinged with concern. The boy didn’t respond, his sobs filling the silence. Ryo hesitated, then gently shook the boy’s shoulder. Slowly, the child looked up, but where his face should have been, there was only a smooth, featureless void—a horrifying emptiness that absorbed the light around it. Ryo's breath caught in his throat, and in an instant, he jolted awake, his heart hammering in his chest.

‘’What was that?’’ he thought, placing one hand on his forehead, still confused from the dream.

The door's creak cut through the air, prompting Ryo to stir from his thoughts.

"I'm home! I'm so hungry. Get me something to eat, Mom," Cassandra called out.

"Your parents aren't home, Cassandra," Ryo informed her as he stepped out to meet her.

"Oh, its you. I guess we'll be living under the same roof from now on," Cassandra said, her tone filled with irritation. "So, where did Mom and Dad go?" she asked, rummaging through the fridge for something to eat.

"They went to the hospital,"

"The hospital? Who did they go to see?" Cassandra questioned, her mouth stuffed with cookies.

"Uncle Joe collapsed, so Aunt May took him to the hospital,"

"Papa colla-- cough-cough," Cassandra choked on her food, her face contorting in discomfort.

"Water, water," she managed to gasp, reaching out for the glass Ryo offered. Ryo handed her the glass, watching her gulp down the water.

"Wait, Papa collapsed?" Cassandra's eyes widened in concern.

"Yes, he saw some news on TV, and then he collapsed," Ryo elaborated.

"After watching TV?" Cassandra seemed puzzled.

Ryo remained silent, prompting Cassandra to impatiently dial her father’s number on the house landline.

"Hello, Mama. How's Papa?" she asked as she finally got through.

"Oh, Cassandra dear, Ryo must have told you. It's nothing to worry about; your father collapsed due to some strenuous stress, but now he's just fine. We'll be back after the doctor has finished the other tests. Take care, dear," her mother reassured.

"That's a relief," Cassandra sighed, sinking onto the sofa. "Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" she turned to Ryo.

"Telling you wouldn't have changed anything," Ryo replied, his tone impassive.

"huh? Of course, it would have, you i***t,"

Despite being older than Ryo, Cassandra was barely taller. When they stood side by side, it was impossible to tell who was older.

Ryo headed back to his room as Cassandra settled into the living room, eyes glued to the TV.

Ding-Dong. The doorbell echoed through the house.

"Ryo, get the door!" Cassandra called out, not bothering to look away from the screen.

"Aren’t you closer?"

Cassandra's eyes flickered toward the hallway. "Can’t you see I am watching TV? Just go get the damn door!"

Person A: “I can’t keep pretending like this doesn’t hurt me! I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you, and every second without you feels like a lifetime.”

Person B: “You don’t understand. It’s not that simple. I can’t just give up everything for us. I have responsibilities.”

With a resigned sigh, Ryo made his way to the door, only to be greeted by the police.

"It's the police. We need to talk," the officer announced, his voice firm and unyielding.

Ryo stood in the doorway, his face void of emotion. “Alright,” he said, his tone flat and unfeeling.