"Uhaa…"
Yawn.
"…ahh… why the hell was that yawn like a monster calling…"
Yawn.
"…why do I keep yawning… am I really that tired… or is it just because I'm living in a way I'm not used to…"
Yaw—
Smack!
"…ah…"
"…even though I tried to control it… that still hurt…"
He looked at his own hand.
"…wow… didn't expect that kind of slap…"
A pause.
"…anyways… stop yawning… or else…"
He froze.
"…wait…"
"…what am I doing… threatening my own body… just for yawning…?"
He stared at his hand again.
"…am I…?"
A small breath left his mouth.
"…well… whatever…"
"…for some reason… I'm living better here than I was around humans…"
Before… I rarely got any rest…
But now—
Yaw—
Smack!
"Damn—!"
His head hit the ground.
"…am I going crazy…?"
"…why am I even annoyed…?"
"…did something happen…?"
A pause.
His eyes stayed still for a moment.
Like he was trying to remember something—
But nothing came.
Silence.
"…whatever…"
"…let's stand up…"
---
He slowly got up and walked toward his bag.
Nothing was gone.
"…oh… thanks wind… for not taking my only cloth…"
He untied his shirt and wore it.
"…better…"
"…why… was my t-shirt a bag…"
He froze.
"…no…"
"…why am I saying 'was'…"
"…it was a bag… right…?"
He looked at his body.
The shirt was on him.
Silence.
"…then when did I wear it…"
He touched his chest.
Slowly.
Like checking if it was real.
"…I know I have to move… but let me feel a little normal first…"
---
A thought came to his mind.
"Hmmm…"
"…why was this even here…"
A small frown.
"…why do I feel like I'm forgetting something…"
"…is it even important…"
"…or am I just thinking too much…"
He stayed still.
Thinking.
---
"…wait…"
"…why is my t-shirt a bag…"
"…why did I thank the wind…"
"…I know I made it into a bag… to carry things…"
He looked at it again.
"…but it's empty…"
Silence.
"…what happened…"
"…why did I empty it…"
"…and if it's empty…"
"…why didn't I wear it…"
His grip tightened slightly.
"…it's my only shirt…"
"…how did I forget that…"
---
"…what's happening to me…"
---
He raised a hand to his forehead.
"…wait…"
"…there was something…"
A pause.
"…wait…"
His expression changed.
"…why am I saying that again…"
"…what was I just thinking…"
---
Images flickered.
Broken.
Unclear.
---
The cave.
Darkness.
Walking out.
The tree.
Dropping the bag.
Leaning.
---
Then—
Something else.
---
A shape.
Unknown.
Wrong.
---
For a split second—
It felt like it was looking at everything.
At once.
Pulling.
Taking.
---
"…no…"
"…no… no—"
---
SLAP!
---
"OUCH—!"
---
"What the hell—?!"
He staggered slightly.
"…why did I…"
"…why did I hit myself…"
---
His hand trembled.
Then—
his whole body.
---
"…no…"
"…not just my hand…"
"…my whole body is shaking…"
---
A breath.
Unsteady.
---
"…I think…"
"…I need to rest…"
---
He sat for a moment.
"…now what should we eat today…"
"…ice cream… rice and curry… or roti made by mom…"
A faint smile appeared.
"…how long has it been…"
"…since I ate something like that…"
---
His eyes softened.
"I still remember… going to school without eating…"
"…telling her I wasn't hungry…"
"…not taking lunch…"
A pause.
"…but…"
The smile faded.
"…I'm sorry, mom…"
"…I just felt… left out…"
"…my friends had better food…"
"…even though yours meant everything to me…"
"…I still chose theirs…"
A sigh.
"…what would you have done… if I told you…"
A small laugh escaped.
"…I don't even need to think…"
"…you would've scolded me…"
"…or maybe got a little jealous…"
"…and then…"
"…you'd make something even better…"
A quiet smile returned.
"…yeah…"
"…I know you would…"
---
A voice echoed in his mind—
"Eat before doing anything… you never eat when you play…"
---
His lips moved slightly.
"…yeah yeah… I'll eat…"
"…don't worry…"
---
He climbed the tree.
Ate quietly.
Then climbed down again.
---
He picked up a small stick and placed it in the ground near his things.
"…done eating…"
"…now…"
A pause.
"…wasn't there something important yesterday…?"
"…what was it…"
---
He walked in circles around the tree.
"…hmmm…"
"…hmmmm…"
"…hmmmm…"
---
Crack!
"Ouch—!"
He looked down.
A rock.
"…oh…"
"…I remember…"
"…these rocks…"
"…I can make fire with these…"
A pause.
"…but…"
"…am I forgetting too much these days…?"
He hit his head lightly.
"…I know my memory wasn't good…"
"…but it wasn't this bad…"
"…am I just stressed…?"
Another pause.
His fingers stayed on his forehead a little longer this time.
"…or… something else…?"
Silence.
He lowered his hand.
"…I'll think about it later…"
---
"…first… fire…"
---
He looked around.
"…green stuff won't work…"
"…too much moisture…"
A thought came.
"…those dry grass I used…"
"…and leaves…"
"…I can use those…"
---
"…but I can't just carry burning leaves…"
"…what kind of stupid idea is that…"
A small laugh.
"…I need something better…"
---
After thinking for a while—
"…got it…"
---
"I'll take a long stick…"
"…tie dry leaves and grass on top…"
"…use fresh grass to hold it tighter…"
"…and small flexible sticks to secure it…"
"…so it burns slowly… from top to bottom…"
A pause.
"…and I'll keep extra sticks… just in case…"
A small nod.
"…yeah… that works…"
---
His eyes moved to his old stick.
The one he always carried.
He picked it up.
"…hmmm…"
A quiet pause.
"…nah…"
"…not you…"
He placed it back gently.
"…don't worry…"
---
He climbed the tree again.
After some time—
the torch was ready.
Unlit.
---
"…finally…"
"…even if I feel like a caveman…"
"…doing something on my own still feels good…"
---
He took a deep breath.
"…now the hard part…"
---
"…I shouldn't light it here…"
"…better to do it near the cave…"
"…less risk…"
A pause.
"…not that I can't…"
"…I just don't want to…"
---
He picked up the rocks.
"…let's try…"
---
SMASH!
"…damn…"
"…too loud…"
"…and no spark…"
He sighed.
"…good thing I didn't try this near the cave…"
"…that would've been bad…"
---
"…I need to get better at this…"
---
Time passed.
He practiced.
Again.
And again.
---
"…not too much force…"
"…just enough…"
"…hit the sharp part…"
"…that's where it works…"
---
"…yeah…"
"…I'm getting it…"
---
The sun started to fall.
---
"…evening already…"
"…no point going to the cave now…"
---
"If I ever get the chance… I should find rocks of different sizes…"
"…it's hard to make fire with perfectly split ones…"
A pause.
"…or I could try to—"
He stopped.
"…no way…"
"…idiot…"
"…what if they shatter completely…"
---
Silence.
Longer this time.
---
"…I still remember…"
"…going inside that cave without seeing anything…"
"…it felt like thousands of ants were crawling all over my body…"
---
His fingers tightened slightly.
---
"…no…"
"…not again…"
---
A breath.
Slow.
Controlled.
---
"…better use this time…"
"…exercise…"
"…and honestly…"
"…I should get stronger before going there again…"
---
After resting—
he trained.
---
Time passed.
---
The crimson moon had not fully risen yet.
---
"…I'm done…"
"…ate…"
"…trained…"
"…so what now…"
A pause.
"I only ate in the morning…"
"…why am I not hungry…?"
A pause.
"…wait…"
"…am I really not hungry…?"
"…or is it just my imagination…?"
He stayed still.
"…let's not do anything for a moment…"
"…if my stomach makes a sound… I'll know…"
Silence.
…
Nothing.
No sound.
No feeling.
"…that's… weird…"
"…how am I not hungry…?"
"…did my hunger just… disappear on its own…?"
Another pause.
Longer this time.
"…this is strange…"
"…actually… very strange…"
His eyes stayed still.
"…but why…?"
"…am I questioning myself too much these days…?"
"…or…"
"…am I questioning everything now…?"
A breath left his mouth.
"…whatever…"
---
"…let's walk…"
---
He picked up his stick.
---
"…walking alone…"
"…I always liked it…"
A pause.
"…but here…"
"…it feels different…"
"…I feel… alone…"
---
His eyes moved to the stick.
---
"…at least I have you…"
"…let's walk together…"
---
He started walking.
Holding it like a spear.
Then like a staff.
Then like a sword.
---
"…this is… actually fun…"
A small smile appeared.
---
"…but…"
"…we should stop…"
"…let's sleep…"
---
He climbed the tree.
Ate one more fruit.
Then lay down.
---
Everything felt normal.
Too normal.
---
There was no cold.
Yet—
his body was shaking.
---
"…I know I'm forgetting something…"
"…but what…"
"…every time I try to remember… something feels wrong…"
"…it feels like… I shouldn't remember…"
"…it's like something is stopping me…"
---
A pause.
---
"…whatever…"
"…I don't know…"
"…no… I don't care…"
---
"If thinking about it just makes everything harder…"
"…then what's the point…"
---
"…I'd rather sleep…"
"…and forget all of it for tonight…"
---
"If something happens again…"
"…I'll deal with it then…"
---
"…at least I'll have the strength to run…"
"…instead of wasting time on something I can't even remember…"
---
But it felt Something important.
Something that made him afraid to sleep.
---
He closed his eyes.
Nothing came.
---
A faint unease stayed.
---
"…whatever…"
---
"If I don't sleep… I'll die anyway…"
---
Silence.
---
"…I'll sleep…"
---
He held the stick closer.
---
"…you're with me… right, man…"
---
And slowly—
he drifted into sleep.