AHRU Town

Chapter 16 : The Goodbye

The next day, after Jonathan wakes up early from his sleep, he notices that Alys isn't there. So, he goes check on her bedroom, then notices that neither her nor Gustav are here. Then, he goes see Junia's room, where he also notices that she wasn't there neither.

Then, he notices at the table that there is his usual breakfast for him, where he eats it wondering what is happening. Later, after taking his breakfast and getting out of his house, he notices that Edouarda is waiting for him.

- "Hi Jonathan!" Edouarda says. "Have you seen my host family? I didn't find them."

- "Sorry I didn't see them" Jonathan answers. "Have you seen my parents though?"

- "Sorry I don't" Edouarda says. "But that's not all, when I walked to your place, I didn't see anyone, like if no one lived here anymore."

- "Wait what?" Jonathan exclaims.

- "Let's walk together" Edouarda says.

They continue to walk around the town, where they don't see anyone, not even Sylvie, Jouva or her biological parents. Then, after some walk, they arrive at the town center, where they see everyone, including their host parents, Jouva and her parents. They see those with a warm smile. But they notice that their legs and their hips have disappeared and they're like floating. Jonathan and Edouarda are surprised by noticing this.

But then, the mayor of the city flies to them, with some notes on his hand, then reads it.

"Dear Mr Jonathan Vermier and Miss Edouarda Sylys, the whole village wants to thank you two for helping us to resolve the mystery of the destruction of our town. We were happy to have let you live for those past 3 weeks in our beautiful town that is also yours. Now, Ahru village is in peace with itself, and him too wants to thank you all. We wish you the best for you two, and also for Mr Parson Sylys."

Everyone is applauding them. Jonathan doesn't understand what is going on. Jonathan asks why they are thanking us, and why their legs have disappeared. Then, everyone becomes silent, and no one wants to answer him. Not even Alys, who looks away, a bit shamed and with tears. Jonathan goes to Alys and asks her what is going on, but she doesn't want to respond. Then he goes toward Jouva and ask her the same thing, where he got the same reaction from her, while saying that she can't keep her promise they made yesterday.

Jonathan makes some steps back, where he notices that half of their belly have disappeared now. Then, he looks at Edouarda completely lost and asks her what is going on. But when he looks at her, she notices that she has tears coming from her eyes. Jonathan asks her if she's okay, but she doesn't answer to him.

Suddenly, he's starting to realize something, then him too starts to have tears coming of his eyes, while saying multiple times "no". Then, he asks them if they can't let their ghost body disappear, where no one answers him. Then he tries to pursuit them that he's going to find a way to get them back to their human form, but no one answers him, then looks at the ground, like people who are in shame.

Jonathan goes toward Alys then tries to hug her even if he can't feel her, asking her if she can stay longer with him.

- "You have a nice friend, don't you?" Alys whisper to his ear

- "M...Mom?" he says.

- "Why don't you want to go live with her?" Alys whisper.

- "But... ... I want to live with you... With dad.... .... With big sis... .... Like in the old days... ...." he says while crying. "I have nowhere to live beside here... ..."

- "Sorry sweetheart... .... But we are going back to where we belong" Alys says.

- "No please mom... ... Stay... .... Stay"

Suddenly, Jonathan notices that there is only her head visible, just like the others inhabitant. Then Jouva comes to him, saying that she's sorry she couldn't help you, then they say together that they had fun with him, then Samy goes to him, apologizing to him that he can't keep his promise to play ball with them like before, until their head are now gone.

Now, there is no one inside the village. Jonathan looks around the town center, to the bakery where Gustav works, or at the butcher shop, but he sees no one. Then he starts to cry loudly. And on his cry, he remembers the day he came here when he was at his worst stage of his life and spent his first days alone. Then he remembers when he spent time with Edouarda, then his mom Alys, and finally Jouva, which makes him crying even more. Then, he remembers his kid's days with Samantha, Justine and Samy where they play together, which makes him crying even more. He also remembers the promise he made with Samy where they're going to play ball again after the end of the wildfire mystery, but realize that it's impossible now.

Then, Edouarda comes near him and hugs him, then her too cries. He hugs back and cries with her. Then, after they finished crying, they walked together around the town who's now lifeless. Even the horses have disappeared too. Then they sit together on a bench on the park, remembering their first day when they talk.

- "So... What are you going to do now Edouarda?" Jonathan asks with a low voice.

- "I'm... .... Going back to my living place.... ..." she says with a low voice. "What about you?"

- "I... ... I don't even know... ..." Jonathan says while having tears on his eyes. "Should I... ... live here.... .... All alone... .... .?"

- "Of course not!" Edouarda says. "Why can't you just come to my place and live with me until you find an apartment for yourself and a job?"

- "You're... .... You're sure about this?" Jonathan asks.

- "Of course, dummie" she says with a smile.

- "Thanks... ... Edouarda" he says, then hugs her.

Later, he goes back to his house where he lived with Alys, Gustav and Junia when he was at his lowest and when he was a child. He takes all of his stuffs from his bedroom, puts it on his bags, then goes outside of it, remembering the good time he has passed here by helping Alys cleaning the house or when he celebrated his birthday with Samy, Justine, Samantha, Louise and Edouarda. Then, he looks at the photo of himself younger with Alys, Gustav and Junia in front of the forest. He smiles a bit with a bit of tears. Then, he takes the photo with him. He looks once again at that now lifeless house, then gets out of it, while saying to it "Thank you for everything."

Later, he goes toward Lucie's house, and goes inside, where he sees Edouarda looking at it like an adult that have never came back there for 30 years. Then, he starting to remember his kid's days with Edouarda. After this, Edouarda takes all of his bag.

- "Are you ready to leave the village for good?" Edouarda asks.

- "Actually, there is one more last place I want to go before leaving Ahru village" Jonathan answers with a smile.

- "Okay" she says.

Later, after they gets out of Lucie's lifeless house, they walk together to the place they wanted to visit for a long time. They arrive at the school, who's just like the other places of the town. Then, they go inside, looking around while remembering the days where they run in the corridors like innocent children while the guardian of the school tries to catch them. At one moment, they enter inside a classroom, which was the one where they study. They look at the books who was ranged in the closet, remembering the exercises they did with the teacher, where Jonathan thought that they were too hard to be resolved. Then, they go out of the classroom and goes to the backyard where they remember the days where they played together between classes lessons, and when their principle grounded them when they broke the rules. They find a ball, then passes to each other by kicking on it, like when they did it with Samy. Then, they stop and puts the ball back to where they found it.

- "Are you now ready to leave, Jonathan" says Edouarda with a warm but sad and nostalgic voice, and with tears.

- "Yeah... ... Let's go" he says with the same kind of voice as Edouarda, and with tears.

Then, they get out of the school and goes where they enter to the village for the first time after 16 years away from there. Then, they look again at the village, where Edouarda takes a photo about it with her phone, then they walk away, leaving Ahru village for good.

End of the story of Ahru Town