Ephemeral Echoes

Match Between Us

I felt stunned by the enthusiastic crowd around me. The cheers and shouts of the spectators created a somewhat enjoyable atmosphere for me.

As the game began, I saw some players carrying flat-shaped bats, and some of them stood in the middle of the spacious field, leaving me confused about how this game was played.

I tried to understand the rules of the game from the spectacle in front of me.

There were eleven players, and I saw George throwing the ball towards Edward on the opposite side of the field.

I hoped George didn't see me. He would explode in anger if he did.

Edward tried to hit the ball with the bat, and when he successfully hit it, he ran between two points at the end of the field.

Team George tried to catch the ball and throw it at the wicket before Edward reached the line using his bat.

But someone from Team George threw the ball off-target, so Team Edward got the point.

The serious gaze of the audience suddenly turned into shouts of victory. Some of the spectators were disappointed because they were Team George.

I began to realize that this game involved throwing and catching the ball like in baseball, but there was a different nuance and deeper complexity in cricket.

The game continued, with Edward now throwing the ball, and George hitting the ball. I wanted to blend in with the spectators, so I shouted, "Come on, Ed, you can do it!"

From the corner of my eye, Emma and Mary slowly turned to me. My broad smile turned into an awkward one. "I'm—Sorry. I... Team Edward?"

She laughed, covering her mouth. "It's okay. I like you when you blush."

When they turned back to the game, that's when I realized that the necklace Emma was wearing was very similar to mine.

HUH? Is she Jeanne? But isn't Jeanne supposed to be in 1886? It's 1827 now. Besides, isn't Jeanne supposed to have blonde hair? I thought before looking at Mary, who was standing next to Emma.

MARY! Mary is the girl with the rose necklace similar to mine. So, the girl in the museum is not Jeanne but Mary. Then who is Jeanne? And why does Emma's necklace exist on Mary?

I fell silent, staring blankly at Emma and Mary standing side by side.

Emma waved her hand right in front of my face, trying to break my reverie. "Rae? Are you okay?" Emma asked.

I was startled, coming back to my senses. "Yes, yes. I'm fine."

"Why were you daydreaming while looking at me?" Emma asked again in bewilderment.

"Your hairstyle is very nice," I praised, just as an excuse. Ughh... I should have come up with a better excuse. "Do you have a hairband? The wind here is making my hair messy."

Then Emma looked a bit confused, as if she didn't know what I wanted. "What is a hairband?"

I laughed briefly. "Don't be silly. You know what a hairband is," I replied. Because I thought she was joking with me.

Emma turned to Mary, gesturing if Mary knew what I meant. But after Mary shrugged, Emma turned back to me and said nothing but showed a confused expression.

My smile faded. "You don't know what a hairband is?" I asked in confusion about their behavior.

After Emma shook her head, I tried to explain, "Um... what makes your hair stay in place after it's braided?"

Emma and Mary still looked confused. So, I added to my words, "Like, what do you use to tie your hair so that your hair..."

I couldn't continue my words because I had difficulty describing a hairband to them. "Ugh... Forget it. It doesn't matter."