The Unfamiliar Familiar

It was the time of the meeting; Scarlet waited patiently outside of the Memory Bank. Thoughts were flooding in her mind about the identity of the mystery person she was meeting with. She tried calling Theo at night, but he did not respond. She was afraid of anything unpredictable that could happen. Despite the note's request for her to come alone, she felt too vulnerable to go without someone else. Pim was snuggling in her bag, waiting, and was her loyal protector from anything that could be of danger to her. 

Many people were constantly coming and going from the bank. She tried to stand in an area that did not block their pathway. One of the goblins who was putting the books away noticed her standing outside.

They started whispering to one another.

“Poor girl looks like she was stood up.”

Two of them sighed deeply with their hands folded, “Young love.”

The elder goblin overheard the others playing around so he tapped the cover of one of the books loudly.

Tap Tap Tap

“Get back to work.” His eyes narrowed at them.

The other goblins jumped and started to gather their books right away.

Elder goblin smirked, “You better get to work!”

A figure in the shadows saw Scarlet alone and a smile emerged across the person’s face. Scarlet felt a chill up on her spine and she was too frightened to leave her spot.

She felt a gentle tap on her back. When she turned around, it was a small piece of dangling cured meat attached to a thick string. Pim saw it waving in front of his face. His tongue flickered back and forth uncontrollably. The long string was connected to the end of the wooden stick which was held by the masked figure.

The piece of meat was irresistible for Pim, he screamed in joy.

“Woooo, Wooo!”

He leaped out of Scarlet’s bag. He started running around after the chunk of meat.

Scarlet yelled, "Come back here, Pim!"

She started chasing after Pim, they went into an alley way away from everyone.

Pim pushed through the crowd chasing the cured meat that the shadowy figure was luring him with.

I can’t believe Pim could run so fast!

She tried to catch her breath and leaned in towards the wall to breathe in. She was not very sporty throughout her life, so she lacked stamina.

Pim eventually made it to a dock area near the body of water. Scarlet was slowly following behind. The water gave off a salty, fishy odor but the breeze carried some fresh air in.

The shadowy figure was standing before them with arms folded.

Pim bared all of his teeth and snarled at the person.

The masked person drew their arm back, preparing to throw.

The cured meat flew over to Pim, his expression quickly changed, and he started to sink his teeth into the meat happily.

“Pim!” Scarlet looked uneasy. Pim was busily munching away.

It must be a tasty something for Pim to lower his guard.

Scarlet snapped out of it and looked at the person before her.

“Who are you?!”

There was no answer, instead the figure pointed to a medium size kayak and motioned for them to get in.

Pim was still eating and Scarlet pulled him into her arms, he struggled to wiggle free.

I’m nervous, I’ve never been out in the water as much before.

She held Pim tightly in her arms. She started to slip while getting on but fell into the figure’s arms. She felt a sense of familiarity. Her fingers gently dug into the figure’s arms grasping tight, shivering.

The masked person directed her to the middle seat of the kayak. A paddle was given to her.

I don’t know how to use this. She looked at it while waving around.

That person moved to the back of the kayak, controlling the direction of where they were going.

The waves in the water were moving the kayak at a steady pace.

I’m not sure where this person’s taking us. The water feels so calm though.

Pim looked ahead, giving the figure a couple of glances to show he was watching him.

At the shore's very edge, a tall solitary lighthouse stood as the waves crashed along its base. On the structure's surface, it was marked with deep gouges telling a story of the many violent collisions it had endured. From behind its barred windows, it seemed to watch the world with a haunting gaze. The person carried in the kayak and left it on the ground. They walked inside afterwards.

It was a simple house, on the dresser, there was a photo of three kids together smiling happily. Two boys and one girl. The boy looked like Theo, and the other one possibly looked like Flen.

They appeared to be good friends.

The figure then spoke, “Have a seat.” He went to his small fridge and pulled out some more smoked sausages for Pim.

Pim’s face lit up.

His arm had an X tattoo, and Scarlet had a surprised look on her face.

“Flen?!” She accidentally blurted out. After realizing what she said, she covered her mouth with both of her hands.

He paused to look at her.

You guessed who I was sooner than I expected…Miss Scarlet.”

He pulled his mask off.

“I guess nothing gets passed you.” He stared straight into her eyes.

So many questions swirled in her mind that she could not decide on where to begin.

She remembered the picture on the dresser.

“Do you know Theo?”

“Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, we were best friends.”

Were?

“Why did you put that note on my desk and what are you planning on doing to us?”

He walked over to Scarlet and sat right by her side.

“I’m worried for you… that’s all.”

He paced back and forth a little in the room.

“I’ve seen many innocent lives lost here. If you don’t belong here, you shouldn’t have to stay.”

“I’m doing this for Theo.”

“Theo this and Theo that. Why is he so important to everyone.”

Flen was frustrated.

“I think your well-being is more important.”

Scarlet had a concerned look on her face.

“Here, I’ll show you something." 

He showed them to the spiral staircase that ascended the center of the lighthouse all the way to the top. The winding staircase was terrifying; with a single railing, a misstep could mean a fatal fall.

It was quite windy up top. Scarlet held onto the railing so she could steady herself.

Flen’s hair was blowing in the wind while staring deeply in her eyes. “Miss Scarlet, you look identical to Rose.” 

“I used to dread anything to do with words-- reading, writing, you name it. Rose patiently guided me and revealed how wonderful it all was. I came to care for her very much.”

He tenderly took her hands and gently pulled her closer, his palm coming to rest softly against the nape of her neck. “I really miss her.”

A faint blush flushed her cheeks as she met his kind eyes. He drew her into a warm embrace.

“If it’s alright, could we stay like this for a little bit longer?”

She felt comfortable in his arms and stayed like that for a while.