Dusk Until Dawn

Chapter 17 - End of an Era

Mr. Herbert, Yukina, and I all sat on a bench that was facing a river. The breeze from it made me shiver a bit more than I already was.

Am I truly ready to listen to his story? Probably not. He's been gone for 12 years.

I took a deep breath. Okay. Yeah. I'll be fine.

Mr. Herbert sighed after a long silence. "This place has helped me a lot these days."

Yukina glanced at me, then at Mr. Herbert. "What do you mean?"

I saw Mr. Herbert beginning to pick his nails. He let out a small laugh.

"I've been riding a rollercoaster these past couple of years." He paused. "And the ride has been exhilarating, but it has also been the most depressive one yet."

-

Flashback to 14 years ago...

William Hart's POV (Mr. Herbert)

"Dad, dad, look!" Yukina hurriedly pulled out a piece of paper with a big red 100 on the top right corner. "I got a 100 on my math test!"

I smiled from ear to ear. "Really?"

Yukina put her hands on her hips. "You need to buy me ice cream now. You pinky-promised!"

I laughed through my nose. "Fine. Let's get ice cream in the morning then."

Saeko placed some bowls on the table. "Honey, can you help me set up the table?"

I immediately leaped off the couch and made my way to the cupboard. As soon as I placed some plates on the table, Maia suddenly started crying.

"I don't want to eat this!" She wailed.

I looked at what Saeko made for dinner, and it was fish. And then everything started to make sense.

I crouched down to meet Maia's height. "Maia, if you finish your dinner, I'll get you ice cream in the morning."

Maia immediately quieted down. "Real-Really?"

"Hey! That's not fair! I'm eating fish and I'm not crying! Why can't I get more ice cream?" Yukina whined.

"Yukina, if you eat too much ice cream, you'll get a bellyache." Saeko comforted her.

I set my focus back onto Maia. "Okay? I'll pinky-promise you."

Maia nodded as she hiccupped. I smiled as I picked her up and twirled her around. Her hiccups turned into little giggles.

"Okay, okay, let's eat now," Saeko clapped. "Will, honey, you seem rather energetic than usual. Did something happen at work today?"

"No, I don't think so. I'm generally energetic, Saeko." I took a bite of my fish. It was a little salty.

Saeko grimaced when she tasted hers. "Ough. I think I put too much salt in this, don't you think?"

I beamed. "It is, but that's okay! We're not perfect."

Saeko laughed nervously. "Are you sure, honey? You usually don't like salty things."

My smile never left my face. "I'm not so sure about how the kids think, but I can handle this."

Saeko took a few portions of pasta from Maia and Yukina's bowls. "If you say so."

A thought crossed my mind. "Speaking of salt, it's actually good for you in some ways. It can prevent your muscles from cramping, and it can also help you sleep better."

Saeko raised her eyebrows. "Really? How does- "

"And speaking of sleep," I continued. "Did you know that humans spend 1/3 of their life sleeping? That means that the average person will sleep for around 229,961 hours in their lifetime! I read all of this from an article."