All Monsters Are Human

act four: I

Now I have neither happiness, nor unhappiness.

- Dazai Osamu

act four: Twisted Fate
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The wind.
It stung his face, and dried his teary eyes.
Strange, how the wind exists, but it is not painted.

"He was right here."

"I know."

Strange....how the yellow glowing light from the stars reminded Victor of Lucas' maize-coloured hair.

"Shouldn't have left him confused and sad."
"Quite a fancy trick you pulled, transporting him to this place."

"As long as he is safe."

"Why do you love him so?"

"...Don't know. Why do you care?"

He sat atop a painted roof, under a painted sky.
Strange...how everything that is beautiful, is just a figment of imagination.

"A fool, you are."

"A fool in love, I am."

"You really think he won't try and find you again?"

"Yes I do. A person does not go out of their way to find someone they resent."

"You think he hates you?"

"He must hate me now. I left him alone with no explanation."

The wind sighed tiredly.

"A fool, you really are."
"He will find you again. He is deeper in this mess than you think."

"Then I will just avoid him until my time is up. and then i disappear from this world as I should have centuries ago."
"7 days. It is not too long now."

"It won't be easy."

"I know. That damned thing is clever, that's why I'm stuck with you now, outsmarted and miserable."

Victor dangled his legs off the roof, gazing at the, tranquil, cornflower sky.

"Starry night really is my favourite painting."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know... there's just something special to it, it gives a sense of...joyful melancholy."
"It was nice talking to you."

"Was it? Aren't I just a nuisance for you?"

"Not really. I guess time really does heal, doesn't it?"
"Goodbye, for now."

The wind stopped.

Victor jumped off the roof, landed with a gentle tap on the ground, and carried on walking.

"I know you're here."

A deathly howl rang throughout the entire village, and Victor's surroundings started to crumble and melt away before him, bringing him back into the dark hallway.

here we go again.

~

Today, Lucas felt that he would make an extra effort to say goodbye to his mom before leaving for school. After getting ready, he headed downstairs to eat his breakfast, then summoned all of his courage to open his mom's bedroom door.

Will it be different today? he wondered.

"I'll see you later mom, I'm going to school now."