Chapter 2:
Osamu's Box of Talismans
The friendly face that occupied Yurei’s face, still full of happiness, now looked up at Osamu with an inquisitive look mixed in with the smile that remained on his face. His hand still reaching out towards the wooden box that remained nestled inside of Osamu’s bag.
Osamu reflexively tried to move the box out of reach, but before he could, Yueri already had it in his grasp. Osamu tried to blurt out something, anything, in the moment to make Yurei put it down. He didn’t know why, but he felt that Yurei’s parents had some sort of reason for keeping the box hidden.
Yurei’s fingers traced the box that lay in his hand, finding the gap that lines the lid to the box. Lifting it slowly, Osamu froze, unable to do anything to stop Yurei from opening the box.
The lid that had never been open before, the seals cracked for the first time since Yurei’s parents had sealed the box in the first place.
Yurei looks at the box, his smile still remaining on his face as he looks up at Osamu.
“Why do you have talismans…?” he questioned, his face not changing from the smile he always wore.
Yueri took out one of the talismans that lay in the box and seemed to be examining the front of the talisman.
“...and why do they look like mine?”
This question seemed to repeat inside of Osamu’s mind, again and again, never seeming to end, but he couldn’t come up with any trace of an answer, just silence. Almost as if Yurei understood that this was something that Osamu hadn’t come up with a solution to, he decided to place it in the box and hand it back to Osamu.
“When you have an answer, let me know!” Yurei said, in his usual happy-go-lucky fashion.
Osamu said nothing in reply but nodded his head in agreement, eyes avoiding as much eye contact as possible. He’d never felt this way before, never felt such intense emotions before. The reason why he was unable to answer this question, why the words just didn’t seem to form, remained in his mind, repeating like an endless play.
The fact that remained was that Yurei now knew that Osamu carried a box of similar-looking talismans to the one on his forehead and that the origin, reason, and application of said talismans would have to be discovered sooner, rather than later.
The rest of the day played out like most of the days did, firstly to work. Osamu and Yurei both worked in the same place, mainly stacking shelves at the local convenience store a monotonous task for sure, but one that Osamu didn’t mind.
As long as I can keep an eye on him, Osamu thought to himself, while skimming his finger across the dust-covered shelf.
The shelves weren’t cleaned often, but the job was just another method to ensure the talisman on Yurei’s head didn’t fall off, and when it did, it was placed back on. He never seemed to question any of it, after all, Yurei was the only friend that Osamu felt like he had. Osamu believed that he could tell Yurei anything if it was needed, and yet the box of talismans was kept a secret, not only from Yurei but from Osamu as well.
Obviously, Osamu knew of the talismans, but what they did, their purpose, and why he had been told ot keep them hidden all this time was something that Osamu felt was best kept hidden. Whether it was for Yurei’s benefit or Osamu's, the talismans were never looked at, and Osamu never questioned the mission he was given from Yurei’s parents.
They say that ignorance is bliss, but how long is it until that bliss becomes toxic, poisonous?
Osamu let that thought sit with him throughout the day while working on his monotonous tasks, stacking shelves, manning the till, and cleaning the dust from the shelves. Behind each item that was placed on the shelf, perhaps there would be an answer to this question that occasionally bothered Osamu, but for now, he was happy that Yurei was happy…
…Time passes, and now their shift is over and they can go home. Osamu shouts out for Yurei, who puts his head round the staff door, with the smile that always manages to brighten up Osamu’s day.
“I’m coming!!” Shouts Yurei, almost with anticipation and excitement in his voice.
“What are we having for dinner?” Yurei inquires as he tilts his head to symbolise inquiry, just like he’d seen in some anime.
“Hmmm, how about your favourite, chicken ramen?” Osamu replies, showing a slight smile across his face.
“Yesh Pwease!! I can’t wait!!” Yurei replied with so much enthusiasm that even his own sentence sounded like something from a manga you’d read.
“Okay, okay, let’s head home then.”
Osamu and Yurei walk home together, close enough to feel the warmth from each other but far enough to not see through the cracks in one's mask.
Once they got home, both of them were greeted by the warm atmosphere, a direct contrast to the winter air that nibbled at their skin. As Osamu began to prep their dinner, Yurei went into their bedroom to put on some comfy clothes.
Left alone with nothing for company but the sounds of water boiling in the pan, Osamu begins to replay that moment.
“Why couldn’t I answer it?”
“Why do I shudder at the thought of wanting to answer it?”
Osamu began questioning the very foundations that got him to where he is right now, but before he could finish his thought, Yurei burst into the room.
“Is it finished yet?” He enthusiastically questions, his excitement levels were equal, if not greater than those of a kid at Christmas.
“Almost. Why don’t you set the table?” Osamu replied, quickly reminded as to why he is where he is now.
Reminded of the reason as to why he still has any thread of existence, Osamu begins to add the finishing touches to the ramen.
The two sat across from each other, the room filled with sounds of noodles being sucked up and the occasional laughter. In this moment, everything seemed normal, just two people eating a heartfelt meal, but the reflection of Osamu’s face in the broth showed that maybe there was something waiting, something that was weighing on his mind.
The two had finished their meals and both said goodnight to each other. Heading into his bedroom, Osamu placed the box of talismans on his bedside while he got changed for bed, the silver rays of moonlight refracting through the window.
He sat down on his bed, replaying today's events in his mind, again and again, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he had made it up. However, the feeling in his heart and the cloud that seemingly sat on top of his head told him otherwise.
He looked over at the box on his bedside and drew a deep breath before reaching for it. Each tick of the wall clock rang out louder than it had any right to. Osamu skimmed his fingers across the lid and slowly pulled it up to reveal what was indeed a talisman.
There seemed to be many inside the box, and the design did indeed seem similar, although Osamu seemed to think that the kanji on the front was different. Apart from the kanji and the obvious sign that these talismans were in almost mint condition, besides the dust that had been resting upon them, these seemed exactly like the ones that Yurei wore.
He turned over the talisman to discover, in black writing, written seemingly with a paint brush said a word that he could read. In an attempt to further grasp the meaning of this he pulled the remaining talismans out of the box.
“There are 8 in total”, he said. Voicing his words seemed to make the moment feel more real.
He turned all of them over to reveal the writing on the back and clutched them all in his hands.
Tears began to form in his eyes.
The English written on the talismans seemed to represent the 9 main emotions that humans feel.
“Saddness”
“Anger”
“Fear”
“Disgust”
“Surprise”
“Calmness”
“Love”
“And…longing”
All but one seemed to be missing…
The eternal smile that his friend had always worn…
The ninth talisman…
Happiness.
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