ORPHEUS: A Long Journey

Chapter 5 - Park

Zee was blinded as flashes of the past few years in the ship were flashing in front of his eyes, he kept screaming Park's name, asking him what was happening but Park was silent until he heard his voice again.

"Hello Zee, You might be a little destabilized at first, it's normal"

Zee slowly opened his eyes, to a man standing above him and looking at him. The man had brown hair, and look just as Asian as himself. He looked quite well build, but Zee couldn't remember who it was. 

"You're in a safe place, You're on Earth in my office" said the man showing the chair in front of Zee with his hand. Zee looked at the brown sofa in the room and back to the man, he probably looked still very confused since the man talked again

"I'm your psychologist, Dr Park" 

Zee closed his eyes again thinking that it might be a dream, how could he be here and in the outer space at the same time...? But he heard the psychologist sit down on the sofa and his curiosity won over his confusion so he opened his eyes again. The room was very bright and Zee had a hard time to adjust to it. Park, the psychologist let him take his time and for that Zee was grateful...Once he was ready he looked at Dr Park again waiting for some explanation.

The doctor understood that he could continue now and so he did, "We took the decision, together, to make you try the therapy by virtual reality. It was the only solution so that you finally start to go forward again"

Zee laughs nervously, "No no I'm dreaming...I'm an astronaut and I'm on a mission" 

"Nothing of all that was real Zee...You have created a world for yourself to face your reality. Your ship, your mission..all that is the fruit of your imagination. It's like a waking dream, it's part of the process" says the doctor.

"What process?" asks Zee very confused once again

"The loss Zee...you have to accept that you can't kill Death. Let your husband go, realize that his departure is definitive."  Zee seems to slowly realize and remember so the psychologist continues

"You have imagined a place, where you had to destroy Pluto to save your world. Your world, Zee" Upon seeing Zee's confused face again, he continued "Analyse the mission...No contact with Earth, apart from me...Your ship...your ship Zee..You have imagined me as the vector of your spirit...your doctor"

Zee had tears in his eyes, he was on the verge of crying but he was doing his best to hold back as he tried his best to keep believing he was an astronaut. "No" Zee shakes his head..."I'm an astronaut" he said voice shaking. 

"No Zee, you're a model. Ever since you were a child, you've been passionate about astronomy. You talked about it a lot with him just as for greek mythology but you're a model" Explained the psychologist 

And Zee's tears had escaped, running down his cheeks but he tried again "but...I'm on a mission..." he was trying to hold back to a reality where he didn't have to face this...

"To destroy Pluto because it went out of its orbit?" asks the psychologist and he continues "an astronaut alone, without the knowledge to save Earth?...you can see that there is nothing rational about this story"

Zee looked down on his hands..." so everything was false"

"No no everything is true...it's your reality, your treatment. You came to me, to get better and the virtual reality was really efficient, You've been very receptive so I went all the way with you but now it's time to get back to Earth, to leave your ship"

Zee slowly nods his head, "I remember now..." he looks down on the necklace with a ring attached to it, touching it with his hand..."It was him"

The psychologist nods, "Everyone doesn't have the same reaction when they're facing pain, there are some people, like you who need special treatment to be able to face it. But there is something affected me in your history. Representing your husband's death with Orpheus myth...destroying a dwarf planet that has the same name as the God of Hell...It's the first time I've seen someone transpose their story in such a fantasized way."

"So...he's really gone then?" Zee knows the answer, he knows it but still he needs to ask, to tell it to himself again...to be sure that there won't be anyone waiting for him tonight, that no one will eat bingsu with him anymore, that there will be no one else in his bed to keep him warm....his hand is still holding onto the ring they exchanged the day they married...when he closes his eyes he can still remember his face, his smile, his chubby cheeks and the "yes I do" he said the day he became his husband...

"He is on his own ship" says the psychologist as Zee holds on his necklace strongly, "Yours has to come back...it's time to think about yourself" ads Park. 

Zee nods trying to smile, he takes the ring to his mouth and kiss it while looking at the celling...he closes his eyes, and can't help but think...

"You're gone from Earth and from my life, but you'll forever remain in my heart" 

 ☆☆☆☆

I know it's a sad one, but I really love the story of the short movie, I added some fiction in between the lines to have Zee's thoughts but the dialogues remain mostly the ones of the movie !

It's a 30 min short movie, in french but after reading all this I'm sure you guys know the story line. So if you like it, please go and watch that small movie too, it's really good and beautifully done ! :)

Now I'll go back to my own story :)

(This was translated mainly for you Aimy, I hope you will like it ! )