The magical smile

Oxy 2

The sudden disappearance of my feelings for Henok must have surprised not only me, but Henok as well. The attraction that had existed between us also vanished completely.

It felt as though some kind of cord connecting the two of us had suddenly snapped. In a way, I was happy that the cord that had bound me to Henok against my will had been broken. But every now and then, I missed that strange feeling. You know that feeling you get after eating caramel—the sweet sensation that lingers in your throat as a reminder after the caramel itself is gone? The caramel is no longer there, but you still miss the taste. In the same way, sometimes I wished I could go back to that feeling.

But I never truly regretted leaving it behind. And I never could. After all, it was a feeling I had fallen into without wanting it.

Then one day, when I woke up, something unexpected happened. I didn't understand what had happened, but I simply didn't feel like myself.

I repeatedly found myself thinking about the moment when Henok and I had collided and almost kissed. His lips kept appearing in my thoughts, whispering to me, “Kiss me. Kiss me.” And it confused me.

I felt as though there were some kind of spirit inside me—something that kept pushing and driving me toward Henok.

And one day, that very spirit drove me to the point where I was forced to ambush Henok.

As luck would have it, the palace lights had gone out. I quietly stood at the end of the corridor and waited for him to come.

To tell the truth, I wasn't feeling anything at all. Even with Tanzan, the first time I knew we were going to make love, my breathing had become uneven, and saliva had gathered around my mouth without me even realizing it.

But as Henok approached and was about to reach me, I suddenly ducked and hid without knowing why.

Henok, however, came all the way to where I was hiding and stood close to me.

Without knowing why, I kissed him.

Without understanding what had come over me, I had been longing desperately to kiss him.

But after I kissed him, I came back to my senses, almost as if I had suddenly awakened from anesthesia.

The feelings I had for Henok vanished instantly.

And yet, without knowing why, I continued kissing his lips.

Now, I was myself again.

And the woman kissing Henok was the real Oxy.

Without realizing it, I gradually began to become emotional.

Suddenly, the palace lights blazed on, and Tanzan appeared with his soldiers.

The mistake I had made became immediately clear to me.

Henok wanted to take me and run away.

But where could I possibly run after leaving Tanzan behind?

I love Tanzan.

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Henok 3

When the fireflies flew off in different directions and disappeared, the darkness swallowed me, and I stood there frozen. Perhaps the snake that had been sleeping while curled around its eggs had woken up. In any case, the fact that the fireflies had abandoned me and fled suggested that there was some kind of danger nearby.

Since all I could see in front of me was darkness, I did not dare move from where I was. I closed my eyes.

A red glow appeared around my forehead. I waited, hoping the light would gradually become brighter and illuminate everything. But I could not regain the ability to see through the darkness.

I began drawing the darkness in my mind. And within that darkness, I imagined the forest. Gradually, I imagined moonlight shining through the forest. With my eyes still closed, I explored my surroundings through my imagination.

Now, guided by the moonlight I had created in my mind, I was able to move through the forest.

With my eyes still closed, I became aware of the ground I had created in my imagination. Guided by the moonlight, I found a narrow path and began walking along it, brushing against the densely overgrown trees as I went.

When I reached the end of the narrow path, I found another forest. But this forest was not as dense as the first one.

As I walked through the forest, I suddenly stumbled and fell, and I opened my eyes.

When I opened them, I found myself surrounded by darkness.

I could hear the sound of some kind of wild animal lurking nearby. I steadied my breathing and sharpened my hearing.

I prepared myself to defend against an attack that could come from any direction.

I did not want to simply stand there and wait, so I slowly began walking forward. At the same time, I was trying to determine whether there was anything following me.

But I could not find the slightest clue.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of something dropping with a loud thud.

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Henok 3

When the fireflies flew away in different directions and disappeared, I stood there, swallowed by the darkness. Perhaps the snake that had been sleeping while curled around its eggs had awakened. Whatever the case, the fact that the fireflies had abandoned me and fled suggested that there was some kind of danger.

Since all I could see in front of me was darkness, I did not dare move from where I stood. I closed my eyes. A red light appeared around my forehead. I waited for the light to gradually become brighter, but I still could not regain the ability to see through the darkness.

In my mind, I drew the darkness. Then, within that darkness, I imagined the forest. Gradually, I imagined moonlight shining through the forest. With my eyes still closed, I surveyed my surroundings through my imagination.

Now, with the help of the moonlight I had created in my mind, I could move through the forest.

With my eyes still closed, I imagined the ground beneath me. Guided by the moonlight in my imagination, I found a narrow path and began walking along it, brushing against the trees that had grown thickly around the path.

When I reached the end of the narrow path, I came upon another forest. But this forest was not as dense as the first one.

As I was walking through the forest, I suddenly stumbled and fell, and I opened my eyes. When I opened them, I found myself surrounded by darkness. I could hear the sound of some kind of beast lurking nearby. I steadied my breathing and strained my ears.

I prepared myself to defend against an attack that might come from any direction. I didn't want to remain standing still and simply wait, so I slowly began moving forward. At the same time, I was trying to find out whether anything was following me.

But I couldn't find any clue.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of something falling abruptly with a loud thud.

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The Hidden Mind

As I turned my face toward the direction from which I had heard the sound, I found a woman holding a burning torch in her hand.

> “Welcome to our kingdom, Henok!”

It was a voice I knew.

Seeing my confusion, she brought the torch closer to her face, allowing me to recognize her. It was Emu.

The moment I saw her, countless questions rushed into my mind.

> “Aren’t you surprised to find me here in the middle of the night?” she asked.

As for me, the question I wanted to ask her was why she had disappeared and left me behind.

> “Your subconscious mind sent me a message in my dream, telling me to come and rescue you,” she said.

> “But I never sent any kind of instruction to my subconscious mind,” I replied, still confused by what she had told me.

> “Perhaps you are gifted,” she said as she held the torch and led me along the path.

> “How?” I asked, still confused.

> “Some creatures naturally have a highly developed subconscious mind. By using that hidden part of their minds, these creatures are capable of performing miracles. Especially when they are distressed, their subconscious mind begins working on its own, searching for a solution to whatever problem they are facing.”

She explained this to me as we walked.

After we had walked for a short while, we came upon an incredibly beautiful palace. Two dangerous lions guarded the entrance.

Emu stood at the palace door and knocked. A monkey opened the door for us from inside.

Still amazed by everything that was happening, I entered deeper into the palace.

The palace was extraordinarily beautiful and immaculate. Admiring its beauty, I said to her:

> “You certainly didn't build this palace yourself.”

> “I don't even know who built it. But it is a comfortable and suitable place for a queen of the forest,” she replied.

> “What do you mean? How can you not know who built it?” I asked, confused.

> “Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you. The secrets of the forest belong only to the forest.”

When she said this, the woman standing beside me no longer felt like my wife. She seemed like a completely different person.

After all, there had never been any secrets between Emu and me.

> “You can rest in the guest room,” she said, pointing toward the guest quarters.

Then she left me.

I began to feel a strange sense of loneliness and alienation.

It felt as though I were staying as a guest in the home of someone I had never met.

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The Matter of Emu!

As soon as I woke up in the morning, I began looking around the room where I had slept. A ray of sunlight coming through the window caught my attention. I walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain.

Standing by the window, I began surveying the surroundings. I noticed the grasses moving around the palace. They looked to me like palace soldiers marching around. Their sharp, blade-like leaves made them look as though they were carrying swords.

Still amazed by what I had seen, I left my room and entered the main hall of the palace. There was a golden throne in the main hall. I passed through the hall and headed toward the palace dining room.

Inside the dining room, I found some leftover food and a piece of paper with something written on it. I picked up the paper and read:

> “I knew you would come here looking for food. I have a lot of work to do, so I couldn't wake you up so that we could have breakfast together. Besides, even though I am a queen, I don't have servants like the ones you saw yesterday. I prepare my own food myself. If you're going to stay in the palace, I would be happy if you helped me prepare the food.”

As soon as I finished reading the message, I felt uneasy. I knew I had nowhere else to go. Perhaps I should say it made me feel somewhat discouraged?

I tasted some of the leftover food and left the room. But wouldn't Emu get bored living alone in this enormous palace?

When I became bored and decided to leave the palace, the monkey was standing at the door and stopped me. If she could speak, I would have told her that I wanted to leave. I stood there confused. She looked at me carefully, then stepped aside and let me pass.

Outside, two frightening lions were guarding the palace. Fortunately, I passed them without them bothering me.

Not knowing whether I should stay near the palace or get farther away, I began walking instinctively. Perhaps Tanzan's soldiers were searching the area for me at that very moment. Besides, at least when I got hungry, I could find food at Emu's place.

Finding shelter was better than simply running away without a destination. Still, I had begun to feel a deep sadness and loneliness. I sat beneath a tree and looked up at the sky.

“I wish I hadn't listened to Oxy,” I said to myself. “Would anyone leave a warm palace life and go into the forest because of their own foolish mistake?”

Then again, even if I hadn't listened to Oxy, I probably would still have been imprisoned because of Kose's flute. Even so, I would have preferred to remain imprisoned there rather than leave the place I knew and end up here.

But what could have happened to Oxy? What had Tanzan done to her? Surely he wouldn't kill her. I couldn't imagine him being cruel enough to kill his own wife. And I didn't think he would put her on trial either, because perhaps he would be too ashamed to reveal what she had done.

Maybe she would be banished from the palace. Perhaps she would even be forbidden from returning.

If that happened, I would have to go looking for Oxy.

Just thinking about her made my heart begin to beat with happiness.

“My dear Oxy, I won't be able to resist coming to find you. My beloved, my sweetheart—just thinking about you makes my blood begin to run warm.”

As I was lost in my thoughts, I suddenly heard something rustling. I sprang to my feet from where I had been sitting.

Emu emerged from the forest with a young woman.

When I looked at the girl, I could easily guess that she was still in her teens.

“I found her wandering around the forest after she got lost and couldn't find her home, so I brought her here,” Emu said.

“Then why did you bring her here instead of helping her find her home and taking her back to her family?” I asked angrily.

“Oh, stop it! She'll stay here with us and help prepare the food,” Emu said, pulling the girl toward the palace.

“What? Taking a young girl away from her family isn't the right thing to do,” I told her.

“A young girl?” Emu said. Then she turned toward the girl and asked, “What's your name?”

“Wubamer,” the girl replied.

“Wubamer, how old are you?” Emu asked.

“19,” Wubamer replied.

“Then why are you making such a fuss? Even by human standards, I'm not much older than her. Perhaps I'm only seven years older,” Emu said.

“But how old are you?” I asked, laughing. “100? 200? Or perhaps 1,000?”

“I don't know. I've never counted,” she replied, completely unfazed by my teasing.

But seriously, how old could Emu actually be? Although it's impossible to say for certain, I guessed that she might be more than 500 years old.

“Actually, Wubamer's arrival is a good thing. The loneliness inside that palace was almost killing me,” I said as I followed them from behind.

However, even this comment of mine failed to annoy Emu. Without giving me any answer, she simply continued walking.