TheRemnant: This is Not Flesh & Blood

Acceptance, Change, Fate, & Faith (Cont. Part II)

SCENE NINE: BUS

Shikauhno is sitting towards the front of the bus with earphones. She is looking at her phone when the Ryojima Cellular Broadcast Alert System pops up on her screen. She opts out of the RCBAS notifications and inserts her phone back into her pocket.

Nearly all seats of the bus are filled.

The bus stops and a man wearing a beanie with a guitar strapped to his back mounts the bus. Shikauhno's eyes brighten and she pulls her earphones out as she opens her mouth to speak. The man simply passes by her without a word; she realizes it is not Naninatso. Disappointment washes over her face.

'Nothing can be the same.'

She sits back and stares out of the window. She sees a chubby man in a black jogging suit running in place at a stoplight. And a woman with two kids hurrying to her destination.

'Not anymore.'

SCENE TEN: SHIKAUHNO'S APARTMENT

Shikauhno is eating a microwaved meal. She finishes her final bite. She looks around her room and her eyes fall on her suitcase in the corner. Setting her tray and fork down, Shikauhno walks over to the suitcase.

She lays it on its back, unzips it, and searches for something inside of it. Finally, she pulls out a thick, burgundy book. It is the Holy Bible. She sits with her legs crossed and places the Bible in her lap. She traces the cover with her fingertips.

She recalls her conversation with Saku, "Do you believe in the existence of God, angels, and evil spirits?"

Shikauhno answers honestly, "I used to; but I'm not that naïve anymore."

Saku continues, "Whether you acknowledge their existence or not, this unseen realm exists; and it is far beyond what the human mind can possibly fathom."

"If I do believe, then what does that mean for me? What will it mean?"

She begins to shout, "What will it mean, huh!?" Shikauhno calms down and slowly opens the Bible. On the first, blank page there is fancy yet constrained handwriting that reads

"TO: SARAH, MY BELOVED CHILD

MAY YOU DEPART FROM SIN AND

LET GOD RENEW YOU

PSALMS 51:10

-MOM"

Shikauhno stares at the words, for a brief moment; a pained look crosses her face. She closes her eyes for a few seconds and the screen turns black.

"Now it's time for me to believe...on my own terms."

Shikauhno flips two more pages until she is on the first book of the Bible. Genesis.

The camera focuses on these words as Shikauhno carefully reads them aloud, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

Her voice drifts into the next scene.

SCENE ELEVEN: OCEAN

The screen is black and Shikauhno's voice continues, "And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep."

The sky is now dark. The reflection of the moon reflects brightly in the ocean water. The ocean is calm and still. The wind is low and quiet and the mysterious books continues to lie on the sand unclaimed and only touched by the water.