Ephemeral Echoes

For The Second Time, I Tried

Fortunately, the light from the houses helped illuminate the path and provided me with a light source.

The day began to darken, the air grew colder, making me shiver. I didn't have enough clothing to keep me warm.

Conveniently in front of me was a dress shop, so I decided to buy a long dress like the ones people were wearing.

The women inside the shop displayed surprised faces as I entered. Even the female salesperson who was measuring her customer's waist stopped measuring just to scan me.

This is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream, I kept telling myself to believe that it was just a dream, and it surprisingly worked. I could ignore them.

I chose the dress not for its beauty. I would freeze if I wore a beautiful dress that couldn't provide warmth from the cold outside.

Besides, I didn't have much time to choose a nice dress, so I just felt the dresses made of thick fabric.

I pulled out a plain white long-sleeved dress. It looked ordinary but was made of thick fabric, just what I wanted.

I couldn't say that this dress was for strolling outside, but rather a house dress that should be worn for sleep.

"Hi, um... I want to buy this," I said, handing over the dress I was holding.

The saleswoman's look was very disdainful, and she roughly took the dress from my hand. "Five Pounds, ten Shillings, and four Pence," she snapped.

Initially, I was confused by Shilling, as I had never heard of Shilling. But I didn't dwell on it too long; maybe five Pounds and a few Pennies.

"Alright, just a sec," I said, responding to her rudeness with a smile. I felt my waist to take money from my pocket. "MY BAG!" I realized.

I should have noticed that I didn't feel the bag wrapped around my waist before. "Shit...," I whispered.

I glanced at the seller, and it seemed like she noticed that I didn't have money. Her face looked as if a bomb about to explode, maybe she was just waiting for my apology that I didn't have money.

But I remembered that morning when I put ten Pounds in my pants pocket at the market. I quickly took it and handed her the damp ten Pounds. "Here."

I thought the bomb on her face would ease when I gave her money. I was wrong; I didn't know what I did to make the bomb on her face explode. "IS THIS SOME SORT OF JOKE?"

She might be angry because the money I gave her was wet, so I didn't take it seriously. "Sorry, the money got a bit wet. I was-"

"What kind of paper is this?" she interrupted with a question.

I started to get confused. "Money?"

"This is not real money. Are you trying to deceive me?" she asked angrily. She threw my ten Pounds, "Get out of my shop now! You strange woman."

All eyes were on me again. Now... not only the wicked man considered me a strange woman, but she did too, or maybe everyone thought of me that way.

The words "this is a dream" were no longer effective. If those words were effective, I wouldn't have picked up my money from the floor with embarrassment. "I-I'm not scamming."

"Get out!" she commanded, shouting.

It was pointless to argue with that woman. I'd rather be cold than have problems with her. "Sorry," I mumbled softly, almost inaudible as I left the store.

I looked around, choosing where to go. But it was useless. Because no matter where I went, there was still no way home.

I walked alone without a goal. At least I could feel a little less lonely if there were kind people around me. But the reality was that there was no one around me, whether they were good or bad. I was truly alone.