Transition and Restart

Chapter six, 2016, springtime in summer

Midsummer's eve,2040, an end

The dinner party was breaking up, as it did every year before it all came together an hour or so later again.

But this was an end. Scattered clusters of guests sat chatting with each other in different parts of the garden.

Earlier Ulf walked away to help one group who wanted to try out the spa-pool, but he was coming back now.

Christina wanted him to help preparing the barbecue. He was the only one with any experience to speak of when it came to setting food ablaze. She grinned at the thought. She wasn't fair. He was good at the grills, good at planning and doing, as long as someone sane reined him in. Left to his own devices he sometimes became a disaster in the waiting.

And I had to bail him out. Those were hilarious memories. Christina smiled and tugged her shawl closer to her as the evening breeze crawled down the hillside full of water and salt and the evening chill. Soon she'd climb that small hill and enjoy the view while the charcoal took heat.

The party as such continued around her. She was aware most of the guests never felt the transition between the part that had been and the one that was about to be. To them it was one evening very much like a life is just one life lived.

Her grip on the shawl tightened. One life lived but for those of us who lived twice. For us there are endings where we lose everything and beginnings where we gain everything anew.

The dinner party had broken up. For all practical purposes the Swedish traditional midsummer's party came to an end.

Chapter six,2016, springtime in summer

They were taking their usual Friday walk from school to their mall when Urufu's trousers came alive.

Urufu dug up his phone from a pocket and took the call. "Hamarugen speaking."

Yukio looked at his friend. Who called him at this time? He took another step and tried listening in on Urufu's call through the sound of ever more insistent cicadas.

"Yes, that's correct. He was one of the four who assaulted Wakayama Noriko."

Now that's an interesting call. Urufu had stopped dead in his tracks.

"You what? Sorry sensei, I mean would you please explain?"

Yukio couldn't help staring. A teacher calling this late? This could take some time. He picked up his umbrella from the bag. The clouds hadn't looked promising when they were about to leave school. And by now it was darkening faster than dusk could amount for.

"Eh... what do you mean expelled?" Urufu's face had turned white in the lamplight.

What on earth is going on? He's done absolutely nothing!

"I see. Thank you sensei. I'm truly grateful."

Ah so it wasn't him who was expelled. Urufu, you're so going to tell me later.

"I see. No I'm not familiar with Uyoku dantai."

Crap!

"Right wing loonies? Yeah, we have those idiots back home as well. A bunch of them have seats in our parliament hidden in plain sight among a racist populist party."

OK where do those nut-cases fit into all this? Heavy drops of water hit Yukio's forehead. And here comes the rain. Yukio handed Urufu his umbrella and dug through the contents of Urufu's bag in search for another one.