Colours [MASHIKYU]

7 - Green

"My carer was asking questions yesterday," I say to Junkyu after he turns on the light in the Tiny Room the next day, and before he opens another door to take me to a new colour. "She says I've been so much happier these days. It seemed to upset her."

"That's a great thing, that you've been happier, why was she upset?"

"I don't know. And Yoshinori acted all weird when I introduced you to him, too."

"Maybe they're just... not used to you smiling," Junkyu suggests, then tilts his head to the side and smirks. "Which is a really, really big shame. Because you have the best smile."

Of course, this makes me smile, and the worries I had about Diana and Yoshinori melt away, because Junkyu thinks I have the best smile.

"People say I look like a koala when I smile," he says.

He gives me a big smile to demonstrate, and I burst out laughing. "You do! But I don't know how..."

He laughs too and shakes his head. "It's weird. Anyway, ready for green?"

I'm still chuckling over how he looks like a koala when I nod and take his hand.

Green is gorgeous. Tall, elegant trees surround us, the sky barely visible through the canopy of luscious leaves. The grass is damp under my feet, and scattered with dappled light. Chirps of birds I can't see and the rush of a river in the distance fill my ears. I take a long, deep breath, letting the serenity consume me.

The green boy is named Junghwan. He looks young, maybe thirteen or fourteen, and says hello politely and tells us to enjoy our time here before disappearing back into the trees.

"I love this," I whisper. It feels wrong to speak loudly, to corrupt this atmosphere with my voice.

"Me too." When Junkyu speaks, he doesn't whisper. But his voice has a tranquility that no human voice would be able to possess besides his. It blends perfectly with the green. "See those leaves up there? Those are lime green because of the sunlight. You could say they're chartreuse, too. But the leaves down here are more of a juniper. The trunks... I think the trunks would be best described as sage."

He helps me spot some birds in the trees, shows me their mint and emerald feathers. He leads me in the direction of the sound of the river, and when we reach it he tells me its waters are a deep aqua, or teal, and that it's a mix of blue and green and that he'll show me more blue tomorrow.

We sit down on a large, mossy rock on the river bank, our feet dangling in the cool water.

"Listen to the birds," Junkyu says. "They're saying such pretty things."

Saying? I can't understand anything the birds are saying. They're birds. And what qualifies as a pretty thing to say?

"What do you mean?" I ask. "I don't understand what they're saying. Birds don't talk like us."

"I mean, they're not saying as in talking... they're singing." He closes his eyes. "They're singing what they can't say."

So I listen. The birds aren't just chirping like I thought they were. All different notes, put together in a simple but sweet melody... they're singing. In their tune I hear all the things I am feeling. Peace, happiness, contentedness. Junkyu's right. Of course Junkyu's right. They're singing what they can't say.

As I continue to listen, a memory swims in my head, but I can't quite make it out. It's blurry, foggy. I can hear someone singing. Pretty songs, just like the birds. A small child, maybe. A boy.

I only hear the boy in my head for a little, though, because suddenly Junkyu starts singing too. No lyrics, just the notes. My body warms as his flawless, slightly nasal and stable voice trickles into my ears. His voice is unlike anything I've ever heard. I want to listen to it forever.