No. 6

CHAPTER 4 - A Name For White Darkness

My elder brother is a cannibal!
I'm brother to a cannibal.
Even though I'm to be the victim of cannibalism, I'm brother to a cannibal all the same!
-Lu Xun, Diary of a Madman

***

Shi-o-n. She tried calling his name. Since being brought here, how many times had she called it? No matter how many times she did, her voice never reached him.

Safu let out a deep, deep breath. The sound of her own sigh reached her own ears very vividly. And it wasn't only her sighing: the faint sounds of her own body as she shifted, her heartbeat, and even the name she'd called out silently, all echoed back to her vividly with a clear outline. On the contrary, her eyesight was always vague and closed off, blankly white. It was like she was in a fog.

Where am I? She let her gaze roam about.

It was a white world, like she was seeing through layers and layers of lace curtains. A world enveloped in fog. When she first awoke, she had thought for a fleeting instant that she'd wandered into a deep forest. But she soon realized how different it was. The only thing here was the white darkness that closed off her vision. There were no birds chirping in the canopies; no bubbling brook, no swishing of the trees. There was no fragrance of flowers, nor the smell of dirt. It was odourless, soundless. Only the sounds of her own body and soul became clearer and clearer by the day.

Inside a deep forest...

Safu sighed again. She had walked through a forest with Shion once. It was a forest park in the centre of No. 6, however, so all animals and plants were minutely scrutinized and managed by human hands. 'I don't think a place like this should be called a forest,' Shion had said, and grimaced in clear dislike.

Oh, I remember. How many years ago was it? I can remember it so clearly.

Safu smiled. A feeling of happiness coursed through her body. It was very warm, soft, and comforting. Every time she thought of Shion, every time she revived the hours she spent with him, she could smile.

I remember. I was beside him, and I was very happy. Shion, don't you think memories are amazing? The memories of being with you still bring me happiness. Yes, it's true. I haven't forgotten a single thing. Your tone of speech, your gaze, your gestures, your scent... I haven't forgotten anything.

You told me once, while we were walking through the beech-tree block of the Forest Park.

"They call it a forest, but it's a place that's under human control. I don't feel right calling it a forest. I wish they would at least let us walk in the natural wood in the North Block. It's hard to get permission, though."

"But this is your workplace too, isn't it?"

"That's why I can tell how much more it's being managed. I feel like nature should be more unpredictable― like something that surpasses human intelligence. Safu, don't you feel anything wrong with this?"

"Hmm. Well, I don't feel much resistance really," she had pondered aloud. "It's so beautiful here, after all." Safu let her gaze wander amidst the numerous branches that framed her above her head. The beech leaves were beginning to turn yellow. Catching the sunlight streaming down from the clear autumn sky, they looked almost like they were glowing.

"Oh, look!" she had said.

"Hm?"

"There was a squirrel. It went running along that branch."

"Beech trees bear fruit during this season, so animals come looking for food."

"Can you eat the fruit?"