In a large office room filled with monitors and displays with data charts and different weird numbers, the clock hit 8:00.
People started getting up and leaving one by one with tired and happy voices.
Everyone that left was either in a group or on their phones and talking with their families through holographic images before them.
Sounds of people leaving the large office could be heard throughout the area.
The office was becoming quieter as time passed.
I also stood up and made my way to the door.
Before exiting, I stopped before the office gate.
Searching my pocket I took out a triangle object.
It was my precious phone.
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[8:30 P.M.
*12 Dec. 2069
*Weather:-cloudy (could rain)
*Status…]
————————————————————–
“Awesome. Now it will be raining…” I mumbled and closed the floating display before me.
A weird expression appeared on my face.
This was some unexpected weather.
“Oh well. might as well take an umbrella…”
Before leaving the office building, I took the umbrella from a white vending machine like robot and stood before the door.
<Have a nice day>
A mechanical voice echoed from the door and I left the office with a normal, lazy look.
“Well, no one is waiting for me to return home anyway…might as well take a walk today,” I yawned.
I wasn’t able to go out for quite a while because of work but, today happened to be a fine day.
I started walking through the streets which were looking more colorful in the cloudy weather.
As we lived in a technologically advanced society, I was used to this beautiful site.
Just as I was about to start roaming around the streets, I felt a gentle touch on my left cheek.
It was the first drop of rain, gentle and cold.
After a minute, the small drops scattered down and turned into a large downpour.
I simply opened the umbrella and started walking.
***
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh…
The sound of rain could be heard like background music as I walked ahead.
The gentle smell of rain entered my nostrils and glamorous lights shone all across the streets.
Today seemed a little peaceful as the background music and lighting were complementing each other.
This was totally different from the past couple of days.
While walking on the platform with a white umbrella in my hand, I stopped at the crossing and waited for the lights to turn green again.
After a few seconds, the triangle lights turned green, and I started walking.
But…
Suddenly… I lost my senses.
The world started spinning and all background sounds started disappearing.
The very next moment, everything became cloudy and some panicked voices entered my ears.
“Hey! someone got hit by that truck! Call the ambulance!”
“Hey! Hey!! go check up on the driver…”
“Oy! Can you hear me! Don’t close your eyes and try to remain conscious! T-try to breathe!”
The panicked voices continued but my consciousness was scattering.
‘I guess today wasn’t that peaceful… never thought I, would get involved in the same kind of accident as… them,’ tears flowed out but maybe, the blood around me was too much for anyone to see that.
Something similar had happened with my parents. And, after that, my life changed.
‘This… was an empty life anyways,’ I thought, letting my body loose.
Without family or even friends, Life was just rolling for me.
‘They say your whole life flashes at the last moments, maybe… this is it.’
I was only 10 when my parents passed away in a car accident.
Then, I was raised by my old grandparents.
Life was just empty after that day even though my grandparents were nice.
Preschool and grade school were also just like that.
Making friends was not that hard but, the thought of someday losing them always flashed through my mind.
Then… during my high school days, I played many games that helped me when I was alone.
But, not even they helped me that much.
Then once more, some dreadful day came, and… my grandparents passed away. Leaving me by myself.
Well, through those many years I learned being alone was a way for me to not feel lonely in the future.
That’s pretty much how my life was.
‘Well I don’t know if I’m angry or thankful for this but, I hope the afterlife will be pretty average.’
Thinking those lines… I closed my eyes.
‘Death sure is painful.’
It hurts like hell.
The impact of the collision was so great that my insides were almost obliterated.
Just when you thought the day was peaceful…
Well, maybe I will get to live a good life after all this.
‘Maybe it is not really that bad day, to die…’
I lost my consciousness completely. Leaving behind a cold, blood bathed corpse.
***
In a dark room, with a large candle holder, some unknown voices entered my ears.
“…his hairs are like yours but the shade is golden, like a midday sun.”
An unknown man’s voice that carried great love and gentleness entered my ears after some time.
“His eyes are exactly like yours, red like a ruby.”
A gentle voice of a woman could be heard after that.
Both sounded extremely happy which left me more confused.
‘Hmm? why do I feel so strange… and what are these people?’
I tried to recall what happened and tried to move.
But I felt extremely powerless.
Just like a baby…
‘Wait!’
I tried to feel my body and hands.
A very small and smooth hand entered my vision after turning my head.
An earthquake occurred in my eyes.
‘huh…’
With a long and deep inner sigh, I managed to calm myself.
In unexpected situations, we must keep our minds calm.
Thinking clearly was always the best course of action.
‘Maybe I can start over?’
This thought was the first one to appear after a while of thinking.
A very cliché scenario if you want to say…
Reincarnation.
A situation where a soul gets transported to a different body or reborn as a different individual.
Looking at my surrounding I can easily say… this one was a fantasy world.
‘Well, it has to be…’
A good clean wooden room with a large bed, a fancy table lamp with bright candles on the table by the side, a unique robe by the ceiling, and a study table with an ink-pot and glowing feather pen.
“He is adorable…” .
The young man said with tear-filled eyes.
“Here, come to papa.”
The young-looking person who I presume is my father, took me from the young and gentle-looking woman and gently embraced me.
This was different from the previous gentle and safe embrace.
This felt caring, gentle, and protective.
‘My new parents…’
This thought suddenly crossed my mind and… my little self started crying out loudly.
This was the cry of relief.
A cry that only I could understand.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaa…”
The once-forgotten parental love.
‘This may be the best thing ever happening to me…’
The memories of my previous life.
The memories of the parents and grandparents of that time.
The memories of that previous world which felt like a void to me.
A needle that was always stuck to my heart.
All those thoughts passed by once again.
‘Didn’t think it would be this painful… yet, good.’
Maybe I can really live my life and have my family again.
While those all thoughts were passing by my mind, the room was starting to get chaotic.
“Uwaaaaaaa….”
“Hu? Hey…
Hey baby… why are you crying…!?
I’m your great daddy… !”
Holding the baby me, the father panicked and started to shout.
Seeing this, a mischievous smile appeared on my mother’s face.
“My god honey, it looks like our little baby doesn’t like papa…”
Mother teasingly said in a quiet voice.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaa….”
The sound of crying continued like the background music.
And, the father’s panicking voice also continued.
“Hey, hey, please stop crying… please?”
The father, which was as gentle as a feather and greatly protective, continued to console the crying baby.
“hehe…”
on the other hand, a quiet and happy laughing voice sounded before us.
Seeing all of this after calming my overwhelming emotions… I felt something filling the once empty spot inside of me.
“huu…
looks like the baby is calming down.”
After a long consoling of the father, the baby stopped crying out loud.
But, the small cry was still going on.
This could not be helped as the instinctive cry of the baby could not be controlled by the adult soul inside the body.
“Aww… Come here. Let mama give you a little hug.”
Saying this, the mother took the baby from the father and gently caressed his head, and kissed him on the forehead.
‘Mothers are always amazing.’
Just being in the embrace of the mother was enough to calm my baby self.
The special embrace of the mother is the safest place a baby could feel.
“See, he likes mom more~.”
Mother said in a teasing tone, smiling at the father.
“No, he doesn’t… hum!”
Father turned his face to the other side which was currently red like a rose.
Mother and father then started talking and mother joyfully enjoyed teasing father while father would always turn and hide his red face from time after time.
‘It feels really good…’
Maybe, because of being alone and always feeling empty inside, I had grown tough like a rock.
I thought being cool all the time and always being rational was enough.
‘Maybe I was wrong.’
This feeling that I thought has lost and won’t be able to feel ever again in my life, was here again.
‘I don’t want to lose this ever again.’
Well, thinking like this is one thing but who knows what the future has in store for us.
***
“Well, that’s enough for today.”
Mother said in a tired tone and laid me in a small bed next to her and kissed me one last time before going to bed herself.
“Goodnight honey~.”
Father said and got to bed with mother after kissing her on the forehead.
Laying on my bed I was on a train of thoughts once again.
‘The world which I came from was a modern world with highly developed technology.
But this one should be different as this is a fantasy world. Or so what I think.’
This could very well be the same world but in the past.
‘Is there magic, in this world?’
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Magic was quite common in fantasy worlds.
Maybe there could be monsters and some bad people who want to take over the world.
Would I be some protagonist fighting those people?
I would rather not as I had no interest in playing hero for others that much.
‘Well, whatever it is will be more fun than my previous boring and alone, cold life.’
But if there really are bad people who are a threat to my family or me…
‘I will have to get strong.’
Even if this world doesn’t have magic and stuff, I will get strong enough to protect at least my family.
That would be my goal in this life.
‘If I’m going to live a life, regardless of how it is, would be a happy one with people close to me.’
With those thoughts in my mind, my eyes started to shut down.
‘I will, in fact, be sleeping like a baby today… after a very long time.’
The night was quiet and peaceful.
Just perfect for a good night’s sleep.