One Night in Patroklius Bay

"I can now smell the ocean," Biwako said.

    Ozawa is a large seaside town, in Hosokawa prefecture, Eastern Abesoria, which is known for its humble wooden bungalows, painted with flowers. At the same time, in the outskirts of the city center lies a mangrove forest where sequoia trees are planted. The town itself has a warm to temperate climate, and it can be as hot as 30-degrees Celsius during the summer, that's why shops close as early as 1pm due to the extreme summer heat of the place. In this town, people are fiercely Christian—they staunchly believe in what the Bible says, whether it is the Old or the New Testament.

As she goes home to Ozawa by riding her scooter, Biwako at first feared that her family might disown her because of her unconventional look that might offend conservatives: She is wearing a black midriff sleeveless blouse, black leather pants, and not only that, she also has three piercings on her left ear, a nose piercing on her left nostril, a navel piercing, and at the same time, she is sporting tattoos on her left upper arm and her lower abdomen. Having body modifications is frowned upon (though not necessarily taboo per se) in Ozawa due to the notion that it is a sign of "disrespecting the sanctity of the Almighty's creation."

Biwako was skeptic about her older twin sister Mayako's current state, since they haven't heard from each other for years. As she enters Ozawa, she eavesdropped a conversation between two strangers.

"Have you heard? Mayako has already passed away due to cancer."

That conversation devastated her.

Having been divorced from her husband for three years, Biwako, fondly called as Biwa by people close to her, she will never forget when her older twin sister was kidnapped by her boyfriend's murderer—and was forced to live with him for the rest of her life.

"She was pure and innocent, to the point that people cannot even touch her, even in only one nanometer distance," Biwa said. She added, "I have never heard of her ever since she was kidnapped."

As she reaches her final destination by riding the black scooter she invested on, suddenly a lot of painful memories reached her mind. She was rather ostracized from her own hometown's social circle after finding out that her supposed secret same-sex relationship with her queer lover was rather publicized, and was turned into a scandal—leading her to drop out of school. After that, her lover dumped her for no reason.

That caused her severe trauma.

Ozawa is rather a conservative town that isn't open to new ideas. When Biwa was born, it was rather a destitute town, where poverty was rampant, and crime rates were high. It only became a first-class municipality when the head of state, rather the czar, went to the place and implemented his "Midas Touch Policy," where waste fuels will be produced out of simply put, rubbish. Ever since, Ozawa became a decent town with complete amenities for survival, though not as wealthy as other cities in Abesoria. However, the deeply-conservative mindset still stays up to this very day.

As Biwa enters Ozawa, she was looking for the address of her family home—she has not stepped foot since she arrived to Allobine, Abesoria's capital, where she already have a family of her own, and at the same time is employed as one of the minister of parliament's official spokesperson. She struggled to look for the address of her hometown, given that there's already advanced technology for smartphones to navigate such address or locations, still, she found a hard time.

"Oh, it's right there, Madam," one good Samaritan told her.

She finally reached her destination: Her family home.

It is a humble bungalow, decorated with floral designs on the exterior walls, which resembles the humble yet elaborate painted houses of Zalipie, Poland. The roof is blue, and the walls were light beige, painted with different floral motifs such as roses, petunias, poppies, sunflowers, and other types of flowers. Lush greens surround the house.

"Yokoso!" said one mid-aged woman.

It was her mother who greeted her.

"You barely recognize me," Biwa said. "I am your daughter, Biwako."

They were outside the humble one, where flowers and other house plants decorate the house's front façade. At the same time, the clouds diffuse the scorching sunlight, making the atmosphere conducive for an outdoor conversation.

Her mother touched her face.

"Is this my daughter? Long time no see!"

They hugged one another.

"I cannot even recognize you, because I cannot believe that she would be adorned by designs on her belly," her mother said, staring at her tattoos and her navel piercing. Biwa wore a black midriff sleeveless blouse.

"I am still the same me," Biwa said.

"So, how are you doing? Are you married? Do you have kids?"

Biwa hesitated to respond, as she was asked that question. She really cannot even say it... or how it should be said.

"Unfortunately, I am divorced. However, you have lovely grandchildren," Biwa said.

"Oh, I see. Zannen ne (what a waste)," her mother reacted.

In spite of Biwa's circumstances, her mother still welcomed her into the family home.

As they enter the house, Biwa stared meticulously at the interior details: Still, nothing has changed—the same old furniture, decorations, and other household items still remain in the family home where she was raised. She had a lot of questions in mind.

"Wait, how's our older brother Patton? Is it true that Mayako died of cancer?"

"Your brother is right now in jail for killing thirty (30) people when he was driving while drunk. Unfortunately, what happened to Mayako is true—she passed away from cancer," her mother said.

"Is Mayako buried?"

"Not yet. Her remains lie in the local church."

Suddenly, Biwa recalled what Mayako told her before the latter was kidnapped, "If ever I die, bring back my body to a forest where my first love and I met; here, it will bring a closure to his tragic death."

So, she went to the beach where she can see the serenity of the sea: the wonderful deep blue-colored Patroklius Bay, which is named after an ancient city of Patroklius, in the principality of Phasmatangoria. Here, the bay itself gave her the fresh air, and all the memories she reminisced with Mayako:

"Bring back my body to a forest," Biwa heard a whisper.

Biwa buried Mayako's remains into the exact same spot in the said forest where the latter's boyfriend was murdered by her kidnapper. The weather wasn't really friendly, still the place is still unknown to many, and it seemed remote.

"May you rest in peace, Mayako," Biwa said.