Once a journey has begun, another one is made

While I’m watching a movie with my headphones on, out of the corner of my eye I notice the landscape finally revealing itself, and I lean toward the airplane window.

«Stop! I’m still watching the movie!» exclaims Laila. I feel her tiny body wriggle free from the headphones. She floats in front of me, hands on her hips. «Care to explain why you turned your head?»

«You can see Mount Fuji!» I whisper.

«Let me see!» she cries, plastering herself against the window. «Wow!» Her eyes seem to sparkle… no, they’re literally giving off sparks. Turning to me, she exclaims, «Finally, I see you smile!» She whips out a magnifying glass and brings it to my mouth. «Well, I wouldn’t exactly call that a smile. It’s your usual boiled-fish face, but at least the corners of your mouth are slightly tugged upward.»

“Can’t she just enjoy the view in peace?”

°°°

After changing planes and enduring an endless line, we’ve finally arrived at Sapporo airport.

Laila stretches. «At last, we’re here! I couldn’t stand being stuck in that cramped headphone anymore.»

I quickly scoop her up with both hands and hold her against my chest. I glance around to make sure no one saw her.

«I know you like playing with dolls, but now’s not the time!»

«Oh, sorry, but you know you can’t show yourself.» I open my hands just a bit. Even though she complained, I see she’s all snug, complete with a little blanket. «Five more minutes.»

«Please, be careful. Do you remember last time?»

«Yeah, it was hilarious watching you panic when that guy thought I was a toy. You were like, ‘Ah, th-this? I-it’s not what it looks like! It’s just a doll!’ Ahahahah!»

I notice how everyone is staring at me strangely, and I try not to meet anyone’s eyes. My gaze darts around, searching for a place to hide. “The bathroom! That’s the only option.”

I stuff Laila into my pocket. «Hey!» she protests, while I grab the suitcases and walk quickly. Panting, I enter, shut the door behind me, and pull her out. «Okay, here you can safely return to normal.»

«Are you sure?» she asks with a smile.

«Y-yeah?»

She shrugs. «Well, if you say so.» And she grows back to her normal size. She opens the bathroom door and we step out. “I forgot this is the men’s room! Everyone’s staring at us—what must they be thinking?”

«Ah, that was sooo much fun! We should do it more often, darling.»

“Shut up, don’t give them the wrong impression! And since when does she speak Japanese?!” I bow repeatedly, apologizing to everyone. I feel like dying of embarrassment.

I don’t utter a single word the entire bus ride. Laila, on the other hand, keeps staring at me with that mocking grin of hers.

Finally, the bus stops. The doors open. Without a word, I grab the suitcases and rush out, Laila following close behind.

«Hey, wait! Didn’t you forget something?» she teases.

«N-no, I don’t think so,» I mumble, patting my pockets and checking the bags.
«Sure? Because it looks to me like you forgot to relax!» she mocks, overtaking me to peer into a shop window.

I ignore her—I’m used to it by now, more or less. I pull out my phone, set the navigator, and follow the directions to the onsen. In spite of… well, Laila, I can’t help but admire the lights, the colors, the people flowing in a river of words I barely understand. It’s exactly how I imagined it. A shiver of excitement runs down my spine—I feel truly happy.

Before crossing the street, I look both ways. Seeing no cars, I start walking. A car stops a couple of meters away, and I bow slightly to thank the driver. I don’t even have time to take a step before I’m shoved. I turn, but there’s no one. I turn back again—just in time to see a van speeding straight toward me. I stumble backward, barely avoiding it.

I freeze, clutching my chest, trying to take deep breaths. The car honks. I bow in apology and resume walking…

In an instant, I find myself on the ground. I don’t understand what happened. The pain is intense; even breathing is agony. A blurry crowd gathers around me. Then everything goes dark.

«Søren!»

.....

«Laila’s voice. It’s so far away… Ah, in the end, I didn’t really mind having her around.»

«So you do like me,» her cheeky face appears in front of me.

«Huh?! What?»

«I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist this beauty for long,» she says smugly, gesturing at herself.

I hear the sound of waves crashing against something, pulling my attention. Looking around, I realize we’re sitting in a boat, a thin veil of mist covering the water stretching endlessly in every direction.

«Where are we?»

«You’re dead, and this is the Sanzu River, the Styx, or Gjöll—take your pick.»

«What?» My head spins, and I feel like vomiting, though I can’t. «How did I die? I dodged the van.»

«Yeah, which was rude of you. I had to make it back up.»

«So it was you.» My sickness evaporates in an instant, and I jump up, rocking the boat. «Are you stupid?! Do you have any idea how much that hurt?!»

She stays unfazed—in fact, she casually picks her nose. «Don’t blame me, you’re the one who made the wish.»

«I didn’t ask you to kill me!»
Calmly, she pulls out her finger and wipes it on the boat. «At first, I didn’t have many ideas. Luckily, I had two months to learn about your world and do some research through your manga and anime.»

«And out of all the possibilities, you picked the most overused one?»

«Yeah, but at least now you’re talking, instead of mumbling two words.»

“She’s right, but I don’t like raising my voice. Maybe it’s my fault—I should’ve told her how I would’ve preferred to go. Still, it’s not fair.” Defeated, I sit back down. «Sorry, but… couldn’t you have waited until after the vacation? Do you know how hard I worked to get here?»

«Not my problem.»

«Do you realize this way we missed the onsen I booked?»

«Onsen?» she asks with slight curiosity.

«Yeah, and the beer,»

«Beer.»

«the sushi,»

«Sushi!»

«the ramen, the crab, the butadon, Lake Toya, the hike up Mount Asahi, and plenty of other things you bragged about learning.»

«AAAAAAHHHH! ROW BACK!» she screams in panic, leaning over the boat and splashing her arm in the water. «Ah, all that good stuff…» she mutters, resting on the edge, dejected and defeated.

“The fact that she’s also frustrated about missing the experience actually makes me feel a little better.” «So, am I heading to the afterlife now?»

«No. One of the rules imposed on us is that we can’t kill anyone.»

After saying that, she stares at the horizon with a strange look… not her usual self. I don’t understand why, but I don’t have time to dwell on it. «I-I don’t get it—you said I got run over, a-and I felt my life fading.»

She sighs and rolls her eyes, as if I should already know. «That was just an event to help you mentally transition to another world. See how nice I am? I just left a fake shell back there and brought your intact ass here.»

«Ah, thanks.» Though I don’t think I should really thank her—she almost gave me a heart attack.

«What’s that sound?» In the distance, I hear a roaring crash.

«Finally, we’re here.»

The boat speeds up. Behind me, the horizon breaks into a massive waterfall. I stare, trying to figure out what to do.

«Relax, just sit and enjoy.»

“I don’t want to give my back to the waterfall—falling backward is horrible. But I don’t want to ask Laila to switch, either. I don’t want her thinking I’m scared.”

The roar of the water grows deafening, drowning out everything else. The mist rises, and I can already glimpse the abyss ahead. So I sit on the floor, clutching the seat with both arms.

«Don’t tell me you’re scared.» Laila’s lips move, her voice barely audible over the roar. She leans toward me with a mischievous smile.

«No, I just want to make sure I stay with the boat.»

She bursts into laughter so loud it blends with the thunder of the falls. “I don’t get what she finds so funny.”

We reach the edge. My heart pounds in my chest, my stomach twists. My palms sweat as I claw the wood like a drenched cat. The boat tilts. Laila raises her arms in triumph. The boat plunges into the abyss. She laughs, pure joy spilling from her. I can’t close my eyes, but I can’t look at anything but the wood. The last thing I hear is the roar of the water mixing with screams.