(Thursday Afternoon)
(August 23rd, 1973)
(3:15 PM)
The wind whipped through their matching grey hair as the old bicycle rattled down the dirt road, its rusted chain lamenting under the strain of Tomas's pedaling. Hanae clung to his back, her laughter echoing across the quiet countryside. "FASTER TOMAS FASTER!" she shrieked, her voice rising above the cicadas and the creaking spokes. "Okay, okay! Hold on! My legs are going to cramp up because of you!" Tomas shouted, grinning despite the burn in his thighs. The two of them were a blur of motion; grey school uniforms flapping, cheeks flushed from the wind, eyes squinting against the sun. The world felt light, like nothing could touch them. "OH! HERE'S THE SLOPE! BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Hanae yelled, her voice a mix of thrill and mock terror. Tomas's eyes widened. "Wait—W-Woah!" He yanked the brakes. Nothing. The bike only picked up speed. That's when he faced defeat and embraced what was happening.
"WEEEEEEEEE!!" Hanae screamed, arms raised like she was on a rollercoaster. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH WHY DID I EVER LISTEN TO YOU TO PEDAL FASTER?!" Tomas wailed, his voice cracking as they barreled down the hill. They hit the bottom with a jolt, the bike bouncing wildly before skidding to a stop in a cloud of dust. Somehow, miraculously, they stayed upright. Hanae hopped off, beaming. "See? We're okay!" Tomas slumped over the handlebars, panting. Even appearing a little deranged,
-"I think I lost my voice from screaming." Tomas said, as his voice sounded a bit raspy. Then Hanae followed along until she got cut off in mid-sentence. "We should totally do that again, Toma—"
-"NO! WE ARE NOT. YOU PSYCHOPATH!" Said Tomas, as he detests that option and what Hanae is about to say next. "HAHAHAHA! I know you enjoyed it."
He rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth twitched. For a moment, everything felt perfect. They parked the bike by the fence and walked up the path to their small, weathered home. Tomas reached for the door, still chuckling under his breath. But the moment they stepped inside, the air shifted.
The laughter died.
Mr. Dvořák stood in the living room, his back to them. He turned slowly, his face pale and drawn. His eyes, usually warm and kind, were shadowed with something heavier. "Mr. Dvořák?" Tomas asked, his voice suddenly small. The old man nodded. "She's resting now. But… we need to talk." They followed him into the kitchen, where the scent of ginger and boiled rice lingered in the air. A bowl of half-eaten porridge sat on the table, steam still curling from its surface. "She's got pneumonia," he said quietly. "It's gotten worse. She's been hiding it for too long. Working through the pain. Ignoring the signs, I believe." Tomas's stomach dropped. Hanae's hand found his under the table. "I gave her some herbal remedies,"Mr. Dvořák continued. "My wife—she used to be a nurse, you know—she helped me. Made her porridge, tried to get her to eat. We did what we could."
"She didn't eat much," came a soft voice from the hallway. Mrs. Dvořák stepped in, wiping her hands on a towel. "But she drank the tea. She's strong and stubborn as an Ox, just like I remembered."
"She always has been,"Mr. Dvořák added with a sad smile. "Even as a girl. She and my wife went to school together. She's always the one standing up for everyone else, but never for herself." Tomas's fists clenched. "Why didn't she say anything?"
"She didn't want to worry you two,"Mrs. Dvořák said gently. "She said it was your guy's birthday. She didn't want to ruin it." Tomas stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. "I'm going to talk to Mr. Vaněk. He's been overworking her for weeks. She's suffering because of him."
"Tomas—" Hanae started. But he was already storming toward the phone. He yanked the receiver off the hook and jabbed the rotary dial with shaking fingers. "You knew she was sick!" he shouted when the line connected. "You knew, and you still made her work double shifts! You don't care if she dies, do you?!"
"Tomas!" Hanae cried, grabbing his arm. "Stop! Please!" He slammed the phone down, chest heaving. Mr. Dvořák stepped forward. "Son… I know you're infuriated, but this isn't the time." Tomas turned away, eyes burning. "I can't just sit here." Hanae placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then don't. Go help the elders like you planned. Clear your head. I'll stay with Mom." He looked at her, searching her face. She was scared too—but steady. Braver than he felt. "Okay," he whispered. "Okay." Mr. Dvořák nodded approvingly. "Good. I'll stay a little longer and show Hanae what to do. She's going to pick up the steps in no time."
"I'll be back before six," Tomas said, grabbing his coat. "Don't let her out of your sight."
"I won't," Hanae promised.
As Tomas stepped outside, the sun was beginning to dip behind the hills. The wind had died down. The bike leaned against the fence, waiting. He climbed on, the pedals heavy beneath his feet. The joy from earlier was gone. And he didn't know it yet to see it coming.
(3 hours passed)
(6:47 PM)
As Tomas was done with his work and was about to pedal back home. He was then stopped by an elderly couple. "Tomas, thank you so much for the work. We're at least glad that we have a sweet boy like you, too help us out. With our age, we're not even sure if we can lift this type of stuff". Said the elderly lady as she spoke in a sweet tone of hers while she smiled cheerfully towards Him. "It's no problem, Mrs. Fiala, I'm only doing this because I wanted to," Tomas said, replying. "Oh, Tomas, before you leave, we just want to give you and Hanae a little present for your guy's birthday," Said Mr. Fiala as he handed Tomas a crochet blanket that was surprisingly taller than him in length. And a box of puzzles. "Haha, my wife really loves keeping her hands busy, to the point she lost what time it was. But I believe the blanket is big enough to fit the two of you, while you both do puzzles together". Said Mr. Fiala, showing the biggest grin of his in appreciation and everything else towards Tomas. Same with Mrs. Fiala. "Thank you a ton, Mrs. and Mr. Fiala. I'll let you both know how much Hanae and I will be enjoying this in our free time".
Tomas said his final words to the elderly couple and pedalled away. From their house to theirs takes about eight minutes or so, depending on how fast or slow he's pedaling. Usually, every time Tomas comes home, his bike has a bell, so he'll ring that to indicate that he is here. Before he can grab the things and enter. He heard a loud and abrupt screaming coming from the house.
"TOMAS, I NEED YOUR HELP! IT'S MOM!" A shout echoed through the entire house, followed by a yelp from Hanae. He sprang up, heart racing, and dashed through the front door to see what was happening.
"What's wrong, Hanae!?" Tomas asked, his voice laced with worry.
"Mom is having a hard time breathing!"
Without any thinking, Tomas ran to the living room where he saw his Mom running a cold sweat on her forehead, as she was struggling to breathe, while her breathing sounded very labored. As if someone was strangling her in mid-sleep. He grabbed a paper bag and placed it over his mother's mouth so she could breathe in there and control her breathing. Which did help, but what was the main issue was her fever.
"Did Mr. Dvořák tell you anything else?" Tomas said.
"No, right before you left, everything was normal. Mom's fever was stable, and her breathing was just fine. All he told me was to check up on her and give her remedies every four hours or so. And when she drinks medicine, she needs to eat something, and that's all. He left a couple of minutes after you, since there was an emergency call from his family as well. I think it's with his oldest son. And that's about it," said Hanae as she explained everything in depth, but with full concern.
"Well, those remedies aren't working. Can I see the medication bottle?" said Tomas while Hanae handed him the bottle. And that's when everything went wrong. A deep sigh left him, just enough for Hanae to give him a concerned look.
"What?" Said Hanae questioning
"We can't give this to Mom."
"Why not?"
"Because it's expired," Tomas said, handing back the bottle to Hanae to see. "Consuming expired medication will worsen your symptoms. Since Mom is already heavily sick, and if she took it now, she will probably be in chronic condition." From this point, everyone was speechless, honestly.
"Well, there's nothing else we can do. We're running low on medication as well. Should we call the hospital then?" Hanae said, her voice trembling while comforting their mother.
"No, we can't afford the hospital bills. Do you remember when Mom took me to the hospital after I broke my arm?"
"Yeah."
"Exactly, we were scammed by the doctor who took all our insurance money. We are NOT going through that again," Tomas replied, determined not to relive that painful experience.
Not many options were left open, but only one solution. And that would be going out to get medicine and coming back to treat it.
"Okay, Hanae, stay here with Mom. Don't go anywhere," Tomas said as he was standing up from his crouching position, while he gestured for her to hold the paper bag for Mom to breathe in. As Hanae looked up at him to see where he was about to go.
"Before asking, I'll be getting medicine and coming back. I'll even try to get those Non-breather Masks if they're available," said in a direct tone, but was still filled with sincerity. "So, be safe, look after Mom again, and I won't be gone for—"
Got cut off by Hanae, "Tomas, but what about the party?" Hanae responded, whose eyes were pleading for an answer.
Oh yeah, the house was not even finished decorating. But only the table cover and a pot of flowers were there. If that counts as decor? But with what's going on right now, it had to be canceled.
"Sorry, Hanae, it seems we have to cancel this celebration. Mom is not well, and we have to take care of her first. Besides, we can always do a late celebration after," Tomas replied to Hanae, as she tried to process what he just said.
"Okay," replied in a detested tone.
"I promise you that, alright?" Hanae didn't say anything else but stayed quiet, but with worry. Which caught Tomas's attention again.
"Hey, it's going to be okay. Just remember that I love you and Mom a lot, okay?"
"I know, I love you too, and bring this bear with you, for safety," said Hanae as she placed the small plush brown bear into his hands. She showed her sad smile at him, and he smiled back.
"You'd better come back. And I mean it," Hanae said in a serious tone, which Tomas promised on, "Of course."
Just like that, they said their final goodbyes and embraced before he stepped out. From that moment, he knew this was a moment he would regret forever. Those would be his last words to his Mom and Sister.
(Coming Back)
The instant Tomas returned, the village was no longer the quiet sanctuary he had left behind. It was a vision of hell itself. Flames surged upward like ravenous beasts, devouring rooftops and clawing at the night sky with a ferocity that seemed almost alive. The air was thick with smoke, acrid and suffocating, burning his lungs with every breath. The crackling of fire was deafening, punctuated by the thunderous collapse of beams and walls as homes crumbled into ash. Screams pierced the chaos, desperate, anguished cries for help from neighbors trapped inside their burning houses. Each voice was a dagger, each plea a reminder of his own helplessness. But then, through the cacophony, Tomas heard something that froze his blood: the unmistakable voices of his mother and Hanae.
"Tomas!"
"Help us!"
Their cries rose above the inferno, fragile yet piercing, as though the flames themselves carried their voices to him. His heart lurched violently, and his mind erupted in a storm of denial. "No… this isn't real. They can't be inside. I promised I'd come back. I promised I'd protect them. I can still save them. I have to save them!"
He staggered forward, clutching the small plush bear Hanae had given him, its stitched smile now grotesque against the backdrop of devastation. His legs moved on instinct, driven by desperation, even as villagers who had escaped the blaze rushed to stop him.
"Tomas, don't! You'll die in there!"
"Get back, the house will collapse on you!" Shouted the villagers
Many hands grabbed his arms, pulling him away, pleading with him to retreat. But Tomas fought against them, thrashing, screaming, his voice raw with anguish. "No! My mother and sister are inside! Let me go! I can still save them!" His words were wild, frantic, a futile rebellion against reality.
The fire roared louder, mocking his defiance. The roof of his home groaned under the weight of destruction before collapsing in a shower of sparks and embers. The voices of his mother and Hanae faded into the crackling abyss, swallowed by the inferno.
His monologue spiraled into disarray: "Why didn't I come back sooner? Why did I leave them? I should have been here. I should have protected them. I promised Hanae. I promised Mom. I failed. I failed them".
Tears blurred his vision, but the image of their faces, twisted in agony, calling out for him, seared itself into his mind. He could still hear them, and the villagers screaming, even though he knew they were gone. The villagers held him back as he collapsed to his knees, his body trembling, and his soul was unraveling.
The fire consumed everything, but what it left behind was more ominous: silence. A silence that screamed louder than the flames, a silence that meant his family was gone. Tomas's heart shattered under the weight of disbelief and regret. He pressed his forehead to the dirt, clutching the bear against his chest, sobbing until his voice broke.
"Why them? Why now? Why not me instead?"
But no answer came. Only the relentless crackle of fire, the acrid stench of smoke, and the unbearable truth that he was too late.