the Night Before, part I.

Richard, Tomas, and Hannah are childhood friends. they haven't seen each other in about a decade since they were in high school.

the three of them were involved in an incident involving the school. they framed someone else for their stupid mistake. to this day, they still feel regret and shame. back then Richard was completely in love with Hannah. Hannah was obsessed with Thomas. and Thomas was guarding secret feelings he had always felt for Richard. a messy love triangle.

it has been years since their days of youth. Richard looks almost the same. his face is older with some secret wrinkles and gray hairs. but is as if he had been trapped on the past. Hannah on the other hand seems to be living on the present with a ring on her hand. and finally, there is Thomas who looks older, way beyond his age. but he looks well-kept and mature.

Richard has lost his years thinking about the past. he has been waiting forever to find the opportunity to find Hannah once more. to be face to face with an old love. but what he never expected was a ring on her hand. she seems to be doing great. it is clear that she has someone who gives stability and love.

Hannah and Thomas act as if they had already forgotten the past. they only care about the present or the future ahead of them. they don't have reasons to lose their way on the grand race that is life with different objectives and goals to each person.

"How has been life?" Richard wants to ask.

it is clear that things aren't what they used to be. life keeps changing at every step. Richard gives up on the idea of even talking to them. there is an issue on the back of the bus. a group of criminals leaves the bus.

everyone is nervous on the edge of their seats. Tomas looks out at the streets. he seems to observe something that disturbs him. he stands up trembling. he has teary eyes as he gets out of the bus almost running. Hannah follows him. Richard thinks about it twice before he also follows them out in the foggy streets.

Richard looks around nervously. he hears a sound. he turns around. he is sweating as he tries to think positive and waits for the worse. the streets for a second seem empty, too dark as if he was walking inside a void. there is echo in every step. sinister whispering.

Richard struggles to breathe properly. he listens to the voice of the woman he had loved in the entirety of his life. he follows the voice desperately. he hopes for that voice to lead him right to the only person that matters. he is about to break. and then he finds her. he finds Hannah crying on her knees in front of a red ball. Tomas next to her. 

Richard struggles to find words. he is breathing loudly. Richard sweats. there are loud noises that go mute the second his eyes stare at the ball.

"It is the same one." Richard whispers.

the three of them are lost on the past. they forget for a second of the present. then a strange voice helps them find their way back. a middle-aged man named Louis walks out of the fog. he is wearing a green sweater, brown pants, and armed with a gentle smile.

Louis seems to be a person who was slapped by life and keeps standing. he approaches carefully with soft steps. his smile sincere and welcoming. Louis tells them that he was worry the moment he saw them leaving the bus. they remind him of his younger brother.

Richard looks at Hannah for a second. he feels conflict. he wants to embrace those rusty feelings he has kept on the side. and there is the realization that maybe that day he has always dreamed about will never be. she has another man. and he is lost in the past.

Louis asks the trio if they are planning on going back to the bus. Tomas never answered what he saw or what he heard. it was something too personal and painful. the four of them decide to go back to the bus. but with such an intense fog is hard to see the road. the more they walk, the further in the distance the bus becomes. 

Hannah avoids making eye contact with Richard. Tomas has drowned his old feelings a long time ago and moved on. he is not into romance nowadays. and there is also the fact that what he saw didn't bring any good memories back. 

"So, may I know your story? boys, and girl." said Louis with a serene tone of voice.

the three of them look at each other for a second. there is nothing to say. then there is a loud noise that causes even more internal conflict. the noise was soft and gentle at first. then out of nowhere it is loud and intense. like a kid begging to be saved.

tears fall out of Tomas' face. he falls on his knees. he blames himself for it. Hannah and Louis help him to stand up. they keep moving. there is a loud noise. Tomas looks at Richard who is indifferent to his sorrow. there is a strange voice whispering at his shoulder.

every step taken becomes heavier. the fog slowly dies down. there is a park in front of them. there are purple lanterns keeping the park illuminated. they stop for a second. they feel the need to absorb the scenery for a second.

"Life is no longer as simple as it used to be. it has become too complicated. I miss the old days, when living was easier." said Richard with teary eyes.

"I know exactly what you mean. I feel that way every morning. every moment I wake up. the absence of the dream makes the reality feel more unreal, artificial perhaps. and that is a terrifying thing to feel." answers Tomas exposing his vulnerability.

"Oh, you poor boys. life has been rough on you." said Louis feeling compassion.