An Untethered Mind

“Kureha!” shouted Riku as he yanked Kureha to him and away from the attacking stranger.

The stranger reached out and snatched Kureha’s bag where her camera was hidden.

“Hey!” yelled Kai as he wrestled with the man.

By now the others were alerted and turned in confusion and shock.

“What the hell?!” said Rin as Arata rushed forward to help.

The man pulled Kureha’s bag from her arm.

“No! My camera!” shouted Kureha as she reached out to no avail.

Then Riku’s cane swung by her and struck the man in the face. The blow from the thin metal was not catastrophic, but the stranger’s howl of pain signaled it had been enough. Arata jumped forward and grabbed the bag just as Kai rushed forward and slammed his shoulder into the man’s chest. The bag left his hands and he crumpled to the ground. Kai pulled the stranger’s hood back to reveal a middle-aged man with wild eyes.

The man fell to his knees and let out an unpleasant laugh.

“Dammit! I almost had you!” he laughed.

“What the hell man?!” shouted Kai.

“You should not be laughing right now,” growled Riku as he steadied himself.

Kureha saw a look in Riku’s eyes that she had not seen before. Hate.

“Calm down kid, it’s just a purse snatch.” groaned the man as he plopped himself onto the ground.

“We’re going to call the police on you,” said Arata.

“Go ahead! I see them daily! They got no money to keep the jail open, so I’ll be out again tonight,” said the man.

Kureha now noticed he was wearing a full business suit beneath the rain jacket.

“Why did you try to take my bag? Did you see I had a camera?” asked Kureha.

The man smirked and nodded.

“Do you need money or something? If so just ask, do not attack my friend!” declared Shiona.

“No, girl. It’s not that. I just saw you all had something that mattered to you and I wanted to take it. It was either the camera or your boxes. I like taking precious things from people,” he said with an unstable grin.

As he spoke, he never blinked or looked away from Kureha. His stare unsettled her to the point that any peace from the day’s activities evaporated on that sidewalk like raindrops in summer.

“You like to take things people care about, just to hurt them?” asked Kureha.

“Yep. None of this matters anymore. People care about ‘stuff’ too much. Untethered. We should all be untethered now. I’m untethered. I untethered from my job. My family. All of it. I’m free! Free until the end.”

He spoke with confidence and conviction, which made him even scarier.

“You’re nuts,” snarled Riku as he stepped towards the man.

“Am I? I at least realize all of this is bullshit now. Crap. A waste. You’re worshipping that camera and those silly boxes instead of preparing your mind and soul for the end,” he grinned as he tilted his head and swayed.

“So you think you’re helping people by taking what they care about, because the world is ending and that somehow will be good for them?” asked Rin, trying to make sense of his rant.

“Nah man, I’m just untethered. Untethered. I just want to take. You know? Untether your stuff from you, and tether it… tooooooo…. Mmmeeeeeee….” he said as he rolled onto the ground.

Riku shook his head to Rin and Kureha. Logic was not going to be available. Their assailant was insane. His clothes were dirty and wrinkled as though he had not taken them off in weeks. His face was unshaven and stubbled. Bags hung heavy beneath his neurotic, twitching eyes.

“You need help,” said Kai as the group decided to leave him.

“Here, missy here, here get a picture of me!” the man called as he stood and posed.

Kureha shook her head in rejection and pulled her bag close to her chest. By now workers were coming out to inspect the commotion, and the man realized his time was up. He brushed himself off and straightened his tie then started to whistle the tune of the music box as he walked away alone. 

As he walked, Kureha felt a sense of anger and challenge wash over her. She unpacked her camera and snapped a single photo of his back profile as he walked away. Kai watched her and nodded.

“He tried to take something from me, so I’m going to take his story,” she said in a vindictive tone.

It wasn’t like her to be possessive, and the anger flowing through her was foreign but she let it run uninterrupted. Her hands were shaking and tears of hurt formed in her eyes.

“You okay?” asked Kai.

“What a terrible way to face the end of the world. How selfish, cruel, and insane,” she sniffled.

“His poor family. I guess people are going to respond to The End differently, but yeah, glad I’m handling it better than that,” said Kai as he watched the man turn a corner and vanish.

“To hell with that guy,” replied Riku as he limped past them toward the van.

Riku’s voice was still full of hate, but Kureha didn’t press it. Instead, she and Kai joined him in his walk.

“Ok but for real, you just smoked someone with your cane. That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” said Kureha as they walked.

Riku finally smiled.

“Sorry, not sure what came over me.”

“You kidding me?! I almost cheered when it happened. I would have but I was too focused on getting Kureha’s bag. Shit was hot. And extremely funny,” said Kai as he wrapped his arms over Riku and Kureha’s shoulders.

After that, the van’s tank was eventually refilled at a gas station after three previous stops had turned up fruitless. From there, the group set off for Sapporo, the final stop in Hokkaido. As they drove, Kureha uploaded the photos of the day onto her social profiles. Her attacker’s photo was uploaded separately as a single post, with a caption reflecting on their discussion with the lost man and how the end of all things affected all of them, but it was up to them to choose how to respond.

Kureha prayed she would not devolve into that man’s state and instead decided to focus on the peace she had briefly felt. Breathing slowly, she focused on the glow of the lamps and the hundreds of small flames that had washed over her in welcome reprieve. Like an ember taking hold of tinder, the reprieve returned to her as she looked at the photos of Arata and Shiona full of happiness. That warmth, even if only temporary, would linger in her a bit longer, and she welcomed it as she closed her eyes to rest.