Lily of the Valley

Lily of the Valley: 2-5

Welcome to WHITE SPACE.

He’d been here as long as he could remember.

OMORI looked around the familiar surroundings. A laptop, a notebook, a tissue box, a cat, a lightbulb. He examined each of them, despite knowing that nothing ever changed here.

He stood in front of the lightbulb. It was dark. Despite providing no light, he could see clearly the springs inside. He stared into the lightbulb that remained unchanged, just like this space. He continued to watch it, not averting his gaze, despite knowing it will never light up. It was like he was expecting something. Yes, as if he was -

“Waiting for something to happen?”

He heard a voice from behind. MEWO’s voice was deep, as if a computer had pitched it down. He crouched down next to her and patted her head, and she purred like a normal cat. When he did this, he noticed a kitchen knife sitting on the ground, just a short distance away from her.

He stood up and went to pick up the knife. Despite the lack of any discernible light source, it shined and glistened as he held it out in his hand. He put it away and turned around. A monochrome door stood in the center of the space. He stepped in front of it and turned the doorknob.

Before he could walk through the door, he found himself in another place. Green plains stretched across his sights, seemingly ad infinitum. The sky was as blue as it could be, and he could see little clouds. OMORI looked around in bewilderment, not used to the unfamiliar scenery of colours and sensations.

There was a voice behind him.

“Hello, little brother. Come have a seat.”

Oh. It was just MARI, his older sister. She was kneeling on a picnic spot on top of the grass. Its red and white checker patterns were the only discernible landmark amidst the infinitely stretching plains. She gestured with her hand and invited OMORI to take a seat by her side, and he complied.

“The weather is great today, isn’t it, OMORI?”

She said, as she pulled food and drinks out from the picnic basket. There was too much here for just the two of them. He stared at the assortment of snacks. He could not help but feel something was missing. He looked behind them. The picnic spot was wide enough for more than two people. He looked back at MARI. She tilted her head in confusion, with a smile on her face.

“Hmm? What do you mean, the others? It’s always been just us two.”

Yes, of course. What was he thinking? It has always been just them. OMORI and MARI; siblings and family. The two were inseparable. All they needed was each other by one’s side.

Time passed by as the picnic basket became empty and wind blew against their cheeks. Even though they had been sitting there for what seemed like hours, the sun hadn’t went down. OMORI dozed off. His eyes repeatedly blinked, but he didn’t lose consciousness. Amid this hazy state, he heard a tune. He could hear someone playing piano faintly from somewhere. At first, he could not tell which song it was. But as it continued, it reached deeper into his memories.

A familiar melody played in three beats.

Recognizing the melody, he came out of his daze. He stood up and looked around, horrified at what the plains had turned into. The green and blue scenery had been replaced with a black void, and dirty scratches of white stretched across the sky instead. The ragged lines had a chalk-like texture to them.

In panic, he looked for the comfort of his sister, and turned his head to where she was sitting. But as soon as he saw what was there, he started stepping back in horror. What stood there in the place of MARI was a shadow. Its vertical eye stared back at him, and it inched closer as he stepped back.