The Stars Don't Lie

“ZZZZZZ!”

“Mmmgh…”

“ZZZZZZZ!!!!”

“Yeah this isn’t gonna work…” I mumble to myself, my patience slowly running out.

After we retreated into our tents for the night, everybody went to sleep. Or at least, they were supposed to. I have been kicking and turning in my thin futon for most of the night, unable to get more than an hour of rest. Why, you may ask? Well, for one, Daichi’s loud as-heck snoring, isn’t the best background noise to fall asleep to. Two, a city boy like me who isn’t used to the itchiness of salty skin and hair can’t help but feel uncomfortable and lastly, Daichi is just too HECKING LOUD!

“Sayonara…” Determined to get some fresh air, I murmur as I scramble out of my futon, and carefully head for the exit of the tent, so as to not step on the snoring starfish next to me. The tent, of course isn’t all that spacious and that’s probably one of the reasons WHY his snoring sounds so ear-splitting to me in the first place.

Cautiously unzipping the entrance and exit in-one, of the tent, I throw one leg out and step into the sand. Then my body and head follow through and I’m greeted with the slight, salty breeze carried from the ocean.

My surroundings are pitch black and I struggle to make out much of anything, but after a few seconds my eyes slowly start to adjust, ever so slightly.

My improved vision, paired with my hearing team up to give me a signal of something far out into the dark sea.

I squint my eyes, and I can faintly make out a feminine and slender silhouette, illuminated only by the moonlight and the starry sky.

“Is that… Hana?” I ask myself, intrigued. It’s either Hana who went out for a late night swim, or a deity of the seas. I glance at my wristwatch strapped on my left arm, and with a little help from its hands, that glow in the dark, I can make out the time.

03:30?

It’s way too early for someone our age to wake up for the day. And as I have the privilege of being this girl’s neighbor, I’m fairly confident that I have a grasp of her schedule. Not in the creepy way, mind you.

So she probably couldn’t sleep too?

I think to myself, as the figure in the distance softly splashing about seems to notice my presence.

She steps out of the somewhat shallow water, and starts to slowly make her way towards me, dragging her feet along the waves.

“Hey!” She voices energetically, indicating that my first guess was right.

“Shhh!” I shush her, bringing a finger to my lips. If she starts talking the way she does during the day she’ll probably wake up everyone camping on the beach.

Hana, hearing the sharp sound coming from my lips, brings both palms over her mouth, realizing the foul in her actions.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I ask her, in a soft, low tone.

“Yeah…” She nods, fidgeting about, as I hand her a towel that has been lying on my feet.

You just can’t keep her away from the water, huh/

I think to myself, entranced by her wet skin, glistening under the moonlight.

Hana accepts the towel with a small smile and after shaking the sand off, tosses the towel over her shoulders, like a superhero’s cape.

“Couldn’t sleep too?” She finally asks, regaining her composure.

“Yeah, well…” I scratch the back of my neck in response.

“It was Daichi, right?” She gives me a wry smile.

“Bullseye…” I reply as Hana stifles a small giggle.

Having affirmed that we’re both on the same boat, we decide to sit on the sand a few meters away from where our tents are stationed, just so we can talk more freely.

“Does he always do that?” I ask, as we both sit on the sand, our shoulders almost touching.

“Daichi? Oh, yeah… Every time!” Hana replies, her tone hinting exasperation.

“Figures. I swear, with a mic and a mini speaker, he could wake up the whole island, no sweat.” I state, the comedic tone in my voice clear, while Hana gives me a natural, clear-sounding giggle.

That brief exchange gives way to silence. But it’s not the awkward kind. It feels comfortable. Something between us feels different. But I can’t quite put my finger on why or even what.

As I’m preoccupied with those thoughts, I instinctively follow Hana’s gaze and raise my head, up onto the night sky.

With my eyes now adjusted to the dark, I can clearly see the endless amount of stars hanging over our heads. Some shine brighter than the others, but they’re all beautiful in their own unique way. And there, the most mesmerizing spectacle of all, a hazy band of brilliant light, the Milky Way. I don’t recall ever seeing it before. Or I might just have forgotten about that too... But that doesn’t change the fact that back in Tokyo, I couldn’t even make out a single star. Gazing at this sky full of endless spots of light, resting before my eyes, makes me realize how lonely the sky back at Tokyo feels. Even something as ominous as an endless dark sky, transforms into such a beautiful spectacle in this island.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Hana voices, her eyes as soft as her tone.

“Yeah. It really is.” I reply, taking in the view once more, while the girl next to me smiles. Another brief window of silence crosses the two of us, giving me the time I need to remember what was on my mind.

Truth is, Daichi’s snoring wasn’t the only thing that kept me from sleeping tonight. When I lied down and closed my eyes, I was assaulted by countless thoughts. The scene of the ocean that I witnessed played in a loop inside my mind, and the words Hana had said to me played back again and again, like a broken record.

WHY did I feel that way today? How and WHY did I forget how to swim? Why didn’t Hana say anything? And that line… “I’ll take you to the endless blue…” …Was that just a coincidence?

I had to know…

“Hey, Hana…” I addressed her, still looking back at the sky.

“Mhm?” She hummed, tearing her gaze off the stars, and directing it to me.

“Today I realized that… I knew how to swim all along. When we were kids, we used to play in the ocean together, right?” I ask, turning to face her, while she nods in response. “Then, how come you didn’t question the fact that, I couldn’t swim?”

As soon as those words left my mouth, her gaze fell to the ground. But that was only momentarily, as she quickly raised it back up again to meet mine.

“I just… figured you forgot. It’s been years since you last visited and we were really young back then, so it makes sense that you could have forgotten.” She replies, turning back up at the starry sky, as if to escape my stare.

Is that really a thing? Can somebody ACTUALLY forget everything about a place naturally?

Somehow, I wasn’t convinced. I felt like she was far from being honest with me.

And why would she be? When have I ever been honest with HER? I’ve been trying to survive in this island since I came here, with the minimum amount of sincere conversations possible.

But now I feel like, that’s not good enough. Maybe my talk with Emi earlier was that small crack needed, to break that dam of mine called stubbornness.

Looking back up at the stars, I came to a realization:

The stars don’t lie. They are always there, shining sincerely with all they have, until they fade away and disappear. I wanted to be honest, just like that.

“Maybe you’re right. Swimming wasn’t the only thing I’ve forgotten, after all.” My brain barely processes what I’m saying.

“What do you mean?” Hana turned back to me in confusion, but I don’t return her gaze. I’m still staring up into the sky.

“I’ve forgotten all about my life here, save for some small bits and pieces. Things like, that story you told me back at the lake, and the fact that I knew how to swim, came back to me only recently. Back at Tokyo, I didn’t pay it any mind. My life in Ryusejima, was nothing more than the distant past, then. And yet, when I came back here, you and everybody else treated me, like nothing ever changed. I was still the same Yukio from back then, to you. But… that Yukio might as well be a stranger to me. I couldn’t remember even the most basic things about you. Like where you live or where your parents work… I only knew that we used to be friends. Best friends even… Some best friend I am…” The words spilled out of my mouth one after the other, as I laid my mind bare before her.

“…I tried to distance myself at first, but you kept on making plans for us, filling every dull moment with a spark of enthusiasm. You keep doing your best for me, just so I’m not alone, but… but I feel, unworthy. I feel that, I’m not the Yukio you know. I feel like somebody else, entirely.” Having said my piece, I tear my gaze off the sky, and let it fall to my feet.

There, I said it. Maybe now she will realize that there’s no point in getting involved with me. That I’m not the Yukio she once knew...

“Sorry for not saying so earlier.” I finally voice.

….

…

…

“Sorry for not saying so earlier.” Yukio mutters, his voice betraying a hidden pain that’s threatening to surface.

For a moment, I’m left dumbfounded.

He has forgotten? Everything? That’s imp… no. It might just make sense. It may sound absurd but, it’s true. He wouldn’t make that kind of face if it weren’t.

For the first time since he came back, he was actually honest with me. He talked to me about his struggles, while I made up a cheap lie to avoid further discussion. And the worst part of it all, is that I didn’t even stop for a second, to think about him or…

His struggles…

That teared me up from inside out. All these deep thoughts I was having this morning, were just self-serving. I pushed my own ideals onto him without batting an eye.

“The Yukio I once knew would never say that.”

“…. I will bring the real Yukio back to us…”

“The real Yukio…”

As those phrases that I had once drawn strength from, swirl around in my head like a spiral, I naturally come to a realization. I was such an idiot. What “real Yukio”?! Have I ever stopped to think, WHY? Did all of those things that happened back THEN teach me nothing? I didn’t care to think about what he might be going through.

I need to make things right.

And with a new conviction, and light behind my gaze, I raise my eyes, and put a hand over his shoulder. I squeeze, hoping to drive his demons away. Or at least, make my presence known to them.

And then with a twist of my fingers, I pinch him, hard.

“Oww! What the…?” Yukio finally raises his dark brown eyes, his brow creased in confusion, and I meet his gaze. My lips curl up in a smile.

“What are you talking about?” I voice, plainly.

“W-What?” He stutters.

I realized that I wasn’t really looking at HIM. But that will change. I’M going to change that. I may not know anything about him, but I will start today.

“You are you, Yukio. No matter what, you will always be you. And you’re my childhood friend…”

His eyes widen, clearly surprised by my sincere and gentle tone.

“…Who cares if you lost your memories? We’ll just have to make new ones.” A smile that I can’t control finds its way onto my face.

This time. This time will be different.

….

…

…

“…Who cares if you lost your memories? We’ll just have to make new ones.” Hana speaks in a gentle, sincere tone, as a smile that reaches her eyes forms on her delicate face. And suddenly, I feel like I’m floating, lighter than ever. Most of the demons weighing me down, had been dispelled, in the face of that natural smile.

“Heh, you’re right. Let’s do just that.” I chuckled lightly, and gave her a firm nod, to accompany my approval. The smile Hana wore, never faded for a second. For the first time, I feel like she and I are on the same page.

And as the only witness to our exchange, the sky, lit up, we both turned our heads up above.

A small stream of light, glided along the dark canvas, leaving a trail of white behind it, as it soared. Following that one small light, another one lit up and faded, just as quickly. The meteor shower had started.

Soon, the others who had just woke up, gathered on the shoreline, and along with the other campers, we gazed upon this spectacle together.

Endless little flickers danced on the horizon ahead, lighting up the night, as they burned away the essence of their lives.

Still next to me, Hana, was looking up at the sky, an expression of glee and awe, painting her face. I didn’t know how I was able to tear my face away from such a sight, but looking at Hana’s expression, lighting up from the countless lights on the sky, I momentarily felt like I was stuck between two spectacles of the same caliber. I didn’t know which one to choose, so I just kept gazing at both.

Excited remarks and exclamations were carried by the wind over to my ears. Tourists, as well as locals, all enjoyed the sight together.

The past me, would definitely try to take a picture of this for some silly social media upload, but right now, I just wanted to keep this show, this island, and even this girl, to myself.

“Wow, look! Another one!”

“And another one!” Daichi and Chinatsu pointed at every new star that appeared.

“Hey guys, we get it. We can’t keep doing this for every star!” Emi complained, her eyes still glued at the horizon.

“Wow, I found another one!” Hana looked at me, and winked.

“For real! Me too, look!” I joined in.

“Hey!” Emi exclaimed, as we all started laughing under the meteor-stricken canvas.

The spectacle may not have lasted as long as we would have wanted, but those shorts flickers of light will stay with me, for a long, long time. It’s ironic, how a star that lit up and faded all too soon, could be kept alive forever, inside a memory.

There’s only one me… I am Soraji Yukio. And whatever memories I’ve lost, I will regain this summer, and bring them back home, together along with the new ones I’ll make.

-Later That Day-

“I am baaack!” I announced my return to the café, dropping off the bag I was carrying.

The spectacle had ended long ago, and sadly, we had to leave the beach. That also meant, that my shift would start soon.

“Stop yelling my ear off!” My grandma doing something behind the counter complained.

“Whoa, didn’t see you there…” I said walking over. “What’s this?” I point to a cardboard box that looked like it was just delivered.

“Oh, that’s from your father… He said it’s for you…” She replied, clearly uninterested.

My father?! My beloved dad! He must have heard about the accident with my phone and sent me a new one, right?!

He just had to do that right AFTER I had a life-changing talk, huh?

I grab a pair of scissors and rip up the taping surrounding the box.

“What will it be, what will it be?” I sing some made up lyrics as I unpack it. “What do you think, Terry?” I ask the fish, swimming completely uninterested in his fish tank.

Having gotten rid of the all the taping, I finally open the box, getting rid of all the plastic cushions in the way.

I wonder what brand it is…

I think to myself as my palms touch a box-like object.

“TA-DAH!” I exclaim, pulling out, a small box. And as I anticipated a phone rests within. At the top of the box, it writes:

“NOKIO 2720”

And right under its name, a photo of a black and white flip phone can be seen.

What the fuck?

Stuck behind the box is a post-it note.

“I heard you lost your phone. Here’s a BRAND NEW one. Have fun and enjoy your vacation.”

Signed off with the word, Dad.

“Pfft…” My grandma besides me doesn’t even try and hold back a chuckle, while Terry the fish starts blowing bubbles in the water, probably laughing at me too.

Hold me back, Granny! Your grandson’s about to kill his old man!

And thus, our peaceful Ryusejima days, continue.