A collection of short stories

Ikari

The year is 2029. It's a small bar in Hakone, the air is heavy with cigarette smoke. Sitting in the corner is a young man with a look of unbearable sadness and resignation in his eyes, nursing a glass of whiskey. Someone goes up to the bar, a woman with red hair. She's about to order a drink, but they catch him out of the corner of their eye, glancing in her direction. "Hey, who's that guy?" they ask the bartender. "What's his problem?" "Oh, him? That's just Mr. Ikari. He's a regular. He's done some crazy shit, but cut him some slack, he...he had a tough life." The newcomer strokes her chin in confusion. "...What sort of crazy shit?" The bartender sighs. "He ended the world."

The broken promises, the severed ties, the lonely nights, the bitter cynicism, the conniving backstabbing: those bad times become nothing more than dust to the wind when the world finally comes crashing down. And when it does, will it have been worth dwelling on dust? Or would you have preferred smiling in spite of every reason not to? Unfortunately, we're not all built to bear it all and still be able to shine. Our lights dim, and life goes gray. Am I in any position to say that hope is worth having? No. But I want to believe that life always works out in the end, if you'd only choose to let it happen. You're the one holding the shovel: will you dig the rut you're stuck in, or climb the mountains you make for yourself, and stand tall at the top? Here's to a good run. May our stories be both happy and sad ones, because living in the sunshine all day is impossible and boring.