WHALE TALE || JAY P.

XXX

PART III - 'Charybdis Island'

J

"This is the Charybdis Island, Jay,"

I have been in the hut for as long as an hour, listening to the stories the man had told me, especially about the ones of this particular isle we currently reside in.

"Charybdis Island?" I asked in curiosity as the man hummed and smiled.

"Yes, the Charybdis Island it is. Quite fascinating, isn't it?"

The man had asked me with the warmest smile I have ever seen in my life as I nodded nervously, finding it too difficult to have chosen to say otherwise as I began to notice how much the man liked this island.

It was more like he 'cherished' this damned place.

Insane.

"How long have you been here, sir?" I asked the man in the most polite manner I could ever present myself in.

The thought of being 'courtess' had never once come across my head. In fact, I have to admit that I didn't realise the words that came out of me, not mentioning how I began to speak with respect unconsciously.

I took a glance at the man and looked away immediately when I caught my strange acts. It felt as though I could never possibly be rude to him despite my nature to be selfish and arrogant.

What the f*ck is wrong with me??

"If I tell you, will you believe me?" was what the man asked in return.

I only looked at him with another confused expression as I nodded my head and made a 'go ahead' gesture, signalling him to continue.

What does he mean by 'will you believe me'?

It's not like he's been in this damned place for a decad-

"13 years, it has been,"

"Ohh, 13 years. That's not long HAHAHA..."

Wait.

"13... years...?"

My face had instantaneously turned into a pale white sheet as I turned to look at the man again, this time with bewilderment, a face too shocked by the surprising news.

"Told you you wouldn't believe me, young man,"

I could feel my mouth forming a large square shape in response to the awakening truths the man had told me, my mind continued to form no words as I stared at the wooden floor with a blank face.

The man who has always had a smile on his face, on the other hand, looked as though he was the calmest person alive as he continued to chuckle warmly like usual.

Perhaps, a little more than usual.

"13 years, are you serious??" I asked again.

My body was still stuck into its original position that was frozen in the wooden chair, my eyes refusing to blink as my mind began to register what I had just heard.

It wasn't because I could not believe in him, but the raw thought of a man living (no) surviving on a humanless island that I had tried countless times to escape from was still here right now, currently brewing tea for me and talking about his stories.

What even is this stupid thing I'm hearing, huh??

"Yes, indeed I am, Jay,"

Perhaps I've finally gone insane like how I had decided to start loving her?

No.

I must be dreaming.

Naturally, my mind had taken control of my body and started to go through its usual denial phase, my finger reaching up towards my cheeks to pinch them hard as I prayed for it to all go away.

There.

As I opened my eyes again, still with the thought of running away from the truth, I could only see the man who was still smiling at me warmly.

F*ck.

This is not a dream.

"Now, let's talk about your mission, shall we?"

I took a deep gulp and refused to nod my head this time. It was obvious that I had found everything uncomfortable in this instance, even with the man who had originally made me feel the peace I hadn't felt in quite a while.

I'm beginning to feel suspicious of all these things he told me.

"No, I want to know who you are," I said frankly.

This was when I had finally caught the man off guard, his eyebrows arched and his eyes looking away from me while he let out a sigh for the first time.

"This is not the right time, Jay. I'm afraid I can't tell you just yet,"

The man had only replied with his usual smile, although it had almost seemed a little concerning in my point of view.

"Why is that? Why is it that you know me but I have absolutely no idea who you are?"

I had begun to pour out all the questions I had bottled up inside of me, the man's eyes looking at me as though he had understood it all.

He understands me?

Lies.

How could he even understand what I'm feeling?

The thought of knowing nothing but he knows it all...?

"If I told you right now in this moment, you'll get emotional and act rashly," The man said in a calm tone.

"Your patience is needed in this crucial time we spend on this island. I ask for your cooperation as we speak of your mission, Jay,"

It felt as though I had just met the most incredible human being ever to exist in this world.

How could he talk about patience right now?

How is he staying calm when I am literally fighting off this annoying curiosity in me??

"What if I told you that I have been expecting for your arrival all these years?" The man asked as I stared at him in puzzlement.

What is he talking about...?

"The dream you had of me, that is what led you here, I believe?"

The words of the man had rang a familiar picture in my head.

All of a sudden, the things that were all puzzling and the scrambled thoughts in me had all come to sense in an instant, as my eyes brightened along with the truth I had finally uncovered.

So this is what the dreams were all about.

"You're the man in my dreams,"

I spoke in a direct manner, my eyes fixed on the man's as he smiled and nodded his head several times.

"You're the man who called for me for this mission I had been 'appointed' to,"

He nodded his head once more, still with a smile hanging on his face.

"You're Mr. Mysterious,"

"That's right." his eyes told me.

"You're..."

I took a gulp, my mind still refusing to believe the dots I had connected and the very fact that I chose not to believe from the start even when all the dreams had revealed the truths to me.

"You are her father..."

At last,

I remembered it all.

-

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