As Omori and friends made their way down the aisle it suddenly felt like millions of eyes was watching their every move. Eventually, Omori stopped in his tracks and turned around. Everyone else followed his movements and saw the shadow version of Basil yet again, this time disappearing into the black hole on the stage.
Omori and the others ran onto the stage and looked inside the hole. It went down for what looked like an eternity. An endless void if you will.
Omori looked at everyone as if he was waiting to hear their thoughts.
“It looks like a long way down...do we have to jump?” Hero asked Omori.
Omori looked down the hole and then at his friends again. He backed up slightly before running forward and jumping.
Hero was quick to follow with Kel and Aubrey, jumping into the void like they did the hole under that black fuzz.
They finally hit the ground with a thud as Hero got up slowly with the others.
This place looked old and ancient like they have stumbled across something no one should have found. White egret orchids filled the room with old trees growing out of the ground. Vines also covered the walls and there was a minimal light source coming from torches and the hole above them. A haunted yet beautiful melody played through the place as Hero noticed how dusty and dirty everything was with books covering the floor.
Books? Thinking of it, the place looks like a library.
“Did you know that there used to be a big library here? Apparently, it was so badly taken care of that it sunk into the ground.”
Mari’s words rang in his head as he let out a tiny gasp, “Guy’s, do you remember that library Mari talked about?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah! I remember her talking about it! Do you think we’ll find Basil down here?” Kel asked Hero.
Hero didn’t want to burst Kel’s bubble but he doesn’t think he is going to be down here.
Hero sighed and lied instead, “I have no idea…”
Omori looked around at everyone before letting out a quiet sigh, motioning for the others to follow him. They did before they ran into a spider web that randomly built itself. Hero was unlucky enough to run into it face first.
“Ha!” Kel chuckled as Hero quickly took down the web with his bare hands.
“Damn it! At least there were no spiders in it…” Hero shivered, “Omori, can you take the lead?”
Omori nodded, moving with the group until another spider web built itself. It was quickly taken down with Omori’s knife. Hero silently wondered how the webs never seemed to stick on the knife. Perhaps it was just some weird dream logic.
They continued to walk forward before Hero noticed a ladder leading up to a glowing blue book.
“Hey guys, I am going to check that out okay?” Hero pointed to the ladder.
Hero walked away and climbed up the ladder and grabbed it. He noticed a tiny bookmark in it and so he flipped to the page.
Hero widened his eyes as he read aloud to the group.
“One by one, they fell asleep on the car ride home. It was a long day at the beach, after all, and everyone was exhausted. Blank was the first to nod off, then the rest.”
“Who is blank?” Kel asked.
“Don’t know, the names are scratched out. They have three letters in their name though.” Hero stated.
“...Kel?” Aubrey offered.
“Me? Why would I be brought up in a book?” Kel asked.
“Hold on, I’ll keep reading. As the sun sets over the freeway, blank's head accidentally drops onto blank’s shoulder. The sudden jolt wakes him but he doesn’t dare open his eyes. He pretends to be asleep and steady his breathing. He listens to the sound of the road. He feels the soft sun on his skin and the slight tinge of pain on his nose from tomorrow’s sunburn. He is happy…very, very, happy...he makes a vow to himself, that no matter what, he will remember this moment forever.” Hero finished.
Everyone stood in silence for a moment as they processed what Hero just read. Hero, being able to see the marks, can tell who the names are.
Kel, Aubrey, and...Sunny.
Wasn’t this Sunny’s dream? Wouldn’t this make this book one of his memories? He vowed to himself that no matter what he would remember the moment in the book but if it is buried this deep in his mind then what does that mean?
Did Sunny try to forget this moment? Why? Nothing bad happened in it and it seems happy.
Hero bit his lip. Is...is Sunny okay? Hero figures there is only one way to find out and that is to keep exploring. He climbed down the ladder and looked at the group, “We should probably find more of these.” He stated.
The group minus Omori nodded their heads. Omori just stared at Hero with a look Hero couldn’t describe before turning away.
Hero wonders what that is about.
Cutting down two more spider webs, Hero walked to the next ladder he saw and grabbed the book.
“Can you read down here so we can see?” Aubrey asked.
Hero nodded and climbed down the ladder. He moved to sit on the floor and patted the ground next to him, motioning everyone to sit by him as he read. Once everyone has settled down he opened the book to the page with the bookmark in it and began to read.
“A puddle of juice sinks into the carpet. Hovering over it is none other than blank, holding an open juice box. He looks at his friends, who are all wearing the same face of disappointment. He lets out a guilty chuckle. In what seems like less than a second blank disappears out the front door. A tiny kitten makes her way through the stain, leaving sloppy, wet tracks across the carpet. Blank’s face turns red and yells for blank, but blank is already long gone.”
Hero chuckled a bit, for he knew what this memory was about. Kel, on the other hand, seemed embarrassed.
“Blank hands blank some wet paper towels. It looks like they are the only adults here...and if they don’t clean this up soon the carpet is going to stain. They’ll have to deal with blank later.” Hero finished.
Once again, a happy memory that seemed to be buried for some reason Hero can’t understand. The names are once again obvious despite being covered. Kel, himself, and Mari.
Aubrey wore a face of concern as Kel seemed to be thinking. Omori looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t dare open his mouth.
They walked to the other side of the room and Hero found yet another book. He climbed up the ladder to grab it and then climbed down. There was a table nearby for the group to sit at and after bringing some chairs near Hero he began to read.
“It was a hot summer day and all blank could think about was why they couldn’t do this tomorrow. The backyard was a mess. Planks of wood were strewn about the area thanks to blank and blank’s hard work. All-day, blank watched blank lug planks of wood back and forth from his dad’s pick-up truck. He watched blank hammer his fingers over and over and made note an hour has passed since blank has climbed down her ladder.”
Ah, this was the day they were all building the treehouse. He always wondered what Sunny was thinking as he sat peacefully in the grass under a tree without a care in the world.
“‘I will just be their moral support.’, blank thought, as he sat sleepily in the shade of his favorite tree. Of course, he knew this wouldn’t be the case. Soon his friends will ask for his help and he won’t be able to refuse. The treehouse is for everyone, so it is only fair if everyone puts some work into it. Blank knows this and agrees...but reluctantly. He slides up and wobbles his way to the mess. He knows he needs to put his fair share, but it just had to be on the hottest day of summer.”
He had to agree with Sunny. That day was probably the hottest day for Hero as well. Having to carry those planks of wood was a pain and his arms hurt days after. Not like anyone else knew that though.
However, one sentence stood out to Hero. He didn’t know why but it did.
“Soon his friends will ask for his help and he won’t be able to refuse.”
He looks over at Kel and Aubrey who seemed to be lost in thought. Omori just stared, tapping his finger on the table with boredom.
Omori was Sunny, wasn’t he? So why isn’t he reacting to anything they are doing? ...Did he not care?
When he gets home from college he really needs to talk with everyone about this.
He grabbed Kel and Aubrey’s shoulder and shook them both lightly, snapping them out of their thoughts.
“Ready to continue?” He asked them.
They both nodded, clearly determined to see this through.
The group stood up and made their way to a staircase. Walking down the stairs and looking to their right, Hero’s breath hitched in his throat.
Mari stood on the other side, on a different staircase than them. She didn’t look like the dreamworld version of Mari, instead, she looked like Omori yet transparent.
Like a ghost.
Upon noticing them looking at her she smiled before disappearing. Hero didn’t know what to say as his lips suddenly felt dry and any words he could think of died in his throat. The others practically reacted the same way except for Omori who seemed unfazed by her presence.
They continued to move forward with the image of Mari in their minds as Hero found another book. He sat on the floor again with the others as he opened the bookmarked page.
“This year, blank was lucky enough to get assigned to a desk next to the small window. Every day during class, blank would gaze listlessly through the opening. Looking at the shadows of the trees, the clouds creeping overhead. His mind drifted elsewhere, into his own worlds, his own stories, and his own adventures. He had a habit of doing this. It was easy for him to get lost.”
Hero knew about Sunny’s daydreaming problem. At random times when Sunny felt relaxed was when everything would just fade away for him. Unfortunately, this meant his grades weren’t doing so well thanks to him not paying attention. Mari would scold Sunny for it and he would try to stop it before slipping right back into the habit. Mari eventually gave up and even began listening to Sunny telling tales of his daydreams. They were always fun stories to listen to.
“Today was the same as any other. Blank stared vacantly out the small window as the clouds passed one by one. Suddenly, a hand playfully slaps his back, snapping him out of his riverine. Blank looks away from the opening. Blank smiles. He motions that class is over and that it’s finally time for lunch. It’s pizza day today, and they need to bolt to the cafeteria before it’s all gone. Blank’s stomach growls. He looks at the window one last time. He would have to continue his adventure another day.”
Hero sighed, not knowing what to think after this one. Aubrey seemed to be thinking yet again as Kel just looked at Omori who was dead silent the whole time.
You don’t notice that a person doesn’t speak until you are thinking about them. When has Hero ever heard Omori speak that wasn’t a grunt or sigh?
The answer was never.
Sun- Omori cut down another web that was blocking the path as they continued downwards. Hero looked around and there seemed to be another book on the shelves glowing blue. He grabbed it and sat on the ground, beginning to read.
“It’s sunset. A strange statue watches over the hidden lake. It might have been significant in the past, but time had made the engravings illegible. Either way, it doesn’t matter to the company visiting it today. They’re only here to use it as a diving board. The brothers take turns jumping off the statue. Blank jumps first then blank. Then blank again. Then blank again. The brothers gleefully urge blank to join them, and after some careful thought, blank warily agrees.”
Hero already knows what this is about and how it ends. Of course Sunny remembers it well, he did almost die that day.
Hero still sometimes feels bad about it.
“Blank shuffles up the statue and looks down at the moving water. He can hear his heartbeat. His ears begin to ring. His legs feel as if they would give out at any time. He tries to focus his breathing…”
Sunny was scared before he hit the water. How could Hero not see this? Sunny never wanted to dive, he just wanted Hero and Kel to be happy…
Something twists in Hero’s stomach as he continues to read.
“He feels something crawling on his shoulder and his eyes fly open to meet those of a black spider. In an instant, blank lost all sense of self and hurled himself into the lake. Water fills his nose. He exerts his limbs, but the water is stronger. He’s too weak, too helpless...or that is what he believes. Blank shuts his eyes and waits for the brothers to save him.”
...He was expecting Hero and Kel to help him. They were too busy laughing at the weird way he fell in. If it wasn’t for Mari realizing that he wasn’t coming up then…
Hero preferred not thinking about it.
It seemed to be that way for Kel as well, who didn’t make a sound the whole time. Aubrey bit her lip as she let out a mutter to herself Hero couldn’t hear.
Omori was silent.
They stayed like that for a while before getting up. Omori led the way, slashing down another cobweb.
The last floor had many trees at the bottom. All of them were dead and rotten. It surprised Hero that they keep running into webs but never spiders. Now that he thinks about it, the webs appear whenever the group moves forward.
Almost like it was trying to block them from finding something.
Hero shuddered at the thought and tried to keep a level head. Another book was visible and thus Hero grabbed it off the shelf.
“Everyone is over again today. The special occasion is Saturday morning. From 7 am to 11 am, a group of six friends eat a delicious homemade breakfast and watch T.V together. It’s the most enjoyable part of every week. Blank looks at the clock, 8 am. Two hours left. He would be able to watch until 10 am when his tutor arrives. Blank grimaces. What he thought would be a rewarding hobby was nothing more but a nuisance.”
...What? Hero felt his brain shut down as he paused reading. Aubrey and Kel’s seemed to shut down as well as they didn’t yell at Hero to continue reading. Lost in their own thoughts they began to scramble for an answer for what they just read.
Sunny...didn’t like going to violin practice? Hero reread the paragraph in his head.
“What he thought would be a rewarding hobby was nothing more but a nuisance.”
He could have sworn on his life that Sunny enjoyed the violin and that he loved to practice with his tutor and Mari. Why didn’t he say anything about it? They would have-
“Soon his friends will ask for his help and he won’t be able to refuse.”
A memory hit Hero, hard.
~~~~~~
“Hey, Sunny! I have an idea!” Mari ran up to her younger brother with excitement dancing in her eyes.
Hero knew what she was going to say, after all, he was the one who gave her the idea she plans on revealing.
“What if you,” Mari poked Sunny’s forehead, “Did a recital with me!”
Sunny stared at her for a bit like he was processing what she was saying.
“Ooo~! That sounds fun! Sunny, you should do a recital!” Kel butted in.
“Kel! Let Sunny decide for himself!” Mari scolded.
“Sunny might be doing a recital? Basil! Sunny might do a recital!” Aubrey shouted to Basil.
“R-Really? That is so cool!” Basil shouted.
Mari sighed and rolled her eyes. She looked back at Sunny with a gentle smile, “I can promise you that it will be very fun, so would you like to join me?” She asked.
“Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it! Do- ow!” Kel stopped chanting as Aubrey slapped the back of his head lightly.
“He doesn’t have to if he wants! Let him decide!” Aubrey scolded.
Sunny bit his lip as he looked around at everyone’s faces. He then sighed and nodded, “I can...give it a shot…”
Everyone let out a cheer at that and began coming up with plans for what to do the day of the recital.
~~~~~~
He won’t be able to refuse. He never refused to do anything if it made his friends happy. That line hit harder now as he realized that Sunny felt like he had no choice but to do the recital. The recital was abruptly stopped when his sister committed suicide.
It took all of his strength not to run to Omori and hug him but he made a vow to himself that once he is in Faraway he will try to get Sunny to open up more. Maybe...maybe he might be able to comfort him.
Each time he visited Faraway Kel would tell him how Sunny never leaves the house anymore. How he misses him and wished to see him again. Hero always insisted he needed time.
He should go and try to visit Sunny. He felt like it was the least he could do.
He swallowed when he realized his throat was dry and began reading yet again.
“Instead of watching shows with the rest of his friends, he’ll be the only one to miss out. If only he could watch the last hour with everyone else. If only he didn’t need to play the violin…”
...The story ended there.
He sat in silence for a while with everyone else. Omori looked like he was growing impatient but sat still anyway.
Kel and Aubrey finally seemed to break out of their heads as they turned to Hero who was patiently waiting for them.
“...Are we ready to go?” Hero asked.
Kel and Aubrey took awhile but they nodded.
They got up slowly and carefully as Hero climbed the ladder again and put the book back in its place.
A sudden bang rang out as a doorway opened up, scaring everyone except Omori.
They made their way to the doorway, peeking in to see the shadow Basil standing in front of a barely seeable piano. Shadow Basil turned to them before disappearing, as if he wasn’t there at all.
The room had white orchids and trees like the others, an empty picnic basket simply sat in the corner, a bunch of bookshelves sat in the back, filled with old books that looked like they could break at any second. Hero wonders how many memories are stuffed inside.
Hero walked forward and stood in front of the piano. Etched across the center was the word Hero got used to saying many times over.
“Omori.”
...There was nothing else in this room for them.
They walked out of the room and to the other side where a black fuzz awaited. Omori grabbed it immediately and nodded to himself.
Guess it was one of the good ones. At least someone was happy.
Behind the fuzz was a shelf shining a bright light into the room. The group walked over and peeked through it, allowing themselves to be in for a shock.
~~~~~~
Basil stood still in an empty field, the weird purple sky above him filled with stars.
He doesn’t know how he got here. Everything feels blurry and his head is spinning.
“BASIL!?”
He turned around quickly, spotting Hero, Kel, Aubrey, and Sunny. Their faces seemed relieved to see him.
Did- Did they finally find him? Are they planning to save him from this hell?
No.
Basil felt his face contort into fear as he saw IT rising above from behind his group of friends. It rushed forward, past his friends, and right into him, knocking him backward and splitting him into pieces.
Everything went black and the last thing Basil heard was a voice.
Don’t forget.It’s in the toy box.