Moon & Suzuki: The Life We Had Before

Chapter Six

I stare at the letter far much longer than necessary. I don't read the words written in such a sloppy way. Instead, I hyper-focus on one word; "died". If I tried I could've read the whole letter at least fifty times before I actually allowed myself to.

"Moon child,

The residents of this apartment have owed a lot of money to us for the past few years. They're in severe debt. I'm sad to say that they had to pay us back one way or another. I allowed them a choice and they picked it. Don't feel as if you're to blame.  Why am I even trying to comfort you? You are part of the bloodline - you're the one that now owes us the money they couldn't pay back. We know who you are, your sweet parents helped with that.

Your father died for his offenses to my country and refused to pay it back. Your dearest mother, she was so beautiful while her tears glowed under the soft moonlight. Don't worry, she's still with me. If you want to get her back, find her.

Go to your old home again, then maybe try to use someone else's boat next time. Then, make your way back to Japan, you know how to get there, don't you? I've kept my eye on you for a while, you're so selfish.

Selfish child. I wish I could say my own isn't as bad. He truly is a hassle, wouldn't you say?

Near the water side resides an abandoned building. Go there, but be a good son and pay the 1,500,000.00 yen they still owe. Even your appa's life wasn't valuable enough to pay all the money they owed before.

We know you're the only one that would ever read this Jae-chan,
S. K."

Any empathy on the letter seems to have is like a mockery. I begin to hate ever leaving, no feeling of freedom could ever make up for this. I have to live the rest of my life knowing that my last goodbye was a harsh one, one of anger and hatred covered with worried tones.

The only makeup for that is partial, one to my eomma. I need to find my way back, regardless of the danger growing while my power deteriorates to a mere boat that doesn't even belong to me. Instead, it belongs to this demon. This demon. Did I just befriend the devil's child and fall in love with the devil's blood?

I look around for money that they might have left before I left myself, but everything was cleared out. I leave the apartment and put my stuff together in a bigger bag I find.

Walking back to the train station didn't feel this long three hours ago. The leaves begin to darken around me and the sun stops smiling. Its shimmer is covered by the clouds full of anger that begin to rumble.

The clouds are hungrier than these demons. No, impossible, I think. My way to the railroad becomes stiff. The road itself begins to fade and my view fogs up. The sky seems covered in death and pollen. My heart pulls me to the deep end.

My life seems almost impossible to retell, like nothing else happened. My mind drowns me in my own questions.

The signs, I knew them. Of course I did, how could I not? Now, even my future seems blocked with angst and terror. I cannot repeat the words replaying in my head aloud, I'll get criticized for my own anger and curses being uttered out loud.

In one lifetime, just one, can I get a life without war and be able to meet only those who won't bring me misery? Can the coincidences stop interfering? Maybe in another plot line Suzuki and Emi wouldn't be as involved as they are now. I want a happy ending, or at the very least give my parents one.

While walking, I come across life. Little creatures crawl around and I begin to take it as an offense. How can these useless things live and do nothing but my appa had to die? How unfair it is that they're the only color that I see. Why can't they darken and match the dirt they live in? They're worth just as much. But then I leave it. I think that anything could happen, that could be appa.