A Fateful Encounter

“Hey, kid. What are you doing?”

With browning legs curled under, dusted with sand like flour on bread, I was walking against the lapping waves. They feel warm and cool, like tea that's been forgotten and returned to. My toes wiggle in the water, in these lips of the ocean as it sings. The ocean breathed, its surface rising and falling. In a place like this, he was sitting on a chair, with a book in his hand. He seemed to be in his late 30’s, with long silver hair that reached upto his shoulders.

“I could ask you the same thing.” I replied.

“What’s so strange about me?”

“Well, the fact that you are sitting on a chair by the shoreline and reading a book isn’t strange enough.”

“Is that strange? I’ve always wanted to do something like this.” He laughed, “What about you? What were you doing.”

“And why are you asking? I’m just having a walk in the water.”

“Are you sure?” He demurred, as the mood around him suddenly changed, “Weren’t you going to drown yourself?”

The ocean breeze coats my skin in a light mist of brine leaving it salty to taste. The waves pound the beach in white foam spray, but right now it's just the perfect coolness to keep anyone’s mind right here in the present.

“Why are you saying that?” I mirked, “Why would I try to drown myself?”

“Because that much is clear on your face.”

His words were dull, as they didn’t carry any emotions. But his eyes were saying it all, as if he was able to see right through my mind. “And what if I am, it doesn’t matter-” A beach ball hit me out of nowhere.

I turned around, to see a little boy standing behind me, “Excuse me, nii-san, can I have my ball back.”

“Yeah sure.” I grabbed the ball up from beside me, and gave it to the little boy.

“Another thing, nii-san, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“What is it?”

“At first, I’m sorry that I was constantly peeking at you. But why are you talking to yourself like that?”

“Wait, I’m not talking to myself. I am talking with this old guy right here.”

The kids' eyes swayed around for a bit, “Whom are you talking about, I don’t see anyone.”

“Look, that old guy sitting on the chair.”

“But there is no one around here sitting on a chair.”

“Don’t bother him.” The old man said, “He can’t see or hear me.”

The kid got scared a bit, and left without saying anything else. I stood there watching him as he walked away, before turning back towards the old man, “What’s the meaning of this?”

“As you’ve witnessed. Except for you, no one can see me or hear anything I say.”

“But…” I rasped, losing my words in self-doubt, “How is that even possible.”

“Because I’m not alive anymore.”

I was totally not prepared to hear something like that. I had already seen quite a lot today, and I wasn’t wanting to see anything else ever again. But now I couldn’t tell what was even happening. “You've got what.”

“Like I said. I’ve already died, I’m not a living, breathing person like.”

“But how is it even possible?”

The man got up from his chair, and made me walk with him to the shore. The sand is softly golden with just the right comforting warmth. To walk on the beach feels like a cozy hug, one only matched by the sunshine filled sky. He stretched his arms over the wet sand, vintage brown after the waves had splashed over them and receded. “You can compare me to this sand right here. I’m not the waves which are flowing in the ocean, like you guys. I’m just an imprint of someone who had once existed.”

“Like a ghost.”

“You could say that.” He sighed, as he looked somewhere far beyond the horizon, “But I can’t leave this place. I’m stuck here, from when I don’t remember. I’ve been watching, and watching, endless waves pass by, while I keep on flipping the pages of my book. But I’ve finally found someone whom I can talk to.”

He went back to chair, while I followed him on his way. “So, young boy, what’s your name?”

“I’m Tanzaki Iori. And you?”

“Watanabe Akie. You can just call me Akie-san if you want.”

“Akie-san, please don’t mind if I ask…”

“What is it?”

“How long has it been since you’ve died?”

Hearing my question, Akie-san got lost in deep thoughts of his own. His eyes played over the flowing water, slurping in various noises. “I quite don’t remember when I had died. I still have most of my memories intact, but of only that, I’m not sure myself.”

Akie-san crossed his legs, loosening his muscles while feeling the gusts raising their tempo, “Like I said, kid, I don’t remember from when I’ve been like this. But one thing I sure remember is that, I still had some wishes I wanted to fulfill before my death.”

“Wishes…?”

“What about you. Why did you want to kill yourself?”

All kinds of thoughts started flowing through my mind. “Why did I want to kill myself?” Even though I had made my resolution and came to this beach, to end my life, I’m still asking myself the reason, why? Why am I at a loss of words now. There was a reason for why I had made my will to walk past these waves.

“Iori-kun, spit out all the money you have.”

“Ha-ha, you’re so lame, Iori-kun. Try to fight back.”

“Can’t you even fight back, dumb-ass?”

“Can’t you entertain me a bit, Iori-chan?”

“I’m sick of this place.”

“So, what’s your reason?” He asked again.

“Akie-san, mind if I ask another thing?” I said, my words making my conflicted feelings clear as the sky above.

“Yeah, go on.”

“If I see a friend of mine in trouble, and go and help him, then isn’t that a good deed?”

“Yeah, it is.”

My voice trebled, while my eyes were about to break down into a bucket of tears, “Then is it wrong wanting to kill myself, if for doing a good deed, I am the only one who has to suffer in the end?”

“Iori-kun, step closer.” I stepped closer, as he pulled out both his hands, closed, infront of me. “There’s a 1,000 Yen note in one of my hands. Pick the right one, and the reward is yours.”

“What kind of game is this?”

“Now, now. Don’t be so cold, just pick one.”

I pointed to his right hand, “This one.” He opened his fist, and there actually was a 1,000 Yen note folded in his fist.

He laughed. “Bingo. You’ve won.”

A silty smile waved over my lips, “This is just luck.” As I said, he showed me his left hand. Surprisingly, there was a 10,000 Yen note in his left hand. “Wait, so I had pulled the short end in the end.” I puffed.

“You’re wrong, Iori-kun.” He said, as the 10,000 Yen note vanished in thin air. “Weren’t you happy when you got the 1,000 Yen note?”

Yeah, he is right. Maybe for the slightest, but I was happy about that. “Yeah, I was.”

“That’s all there is to it, Iori-kun. That 10,000 Yen note never existed, it is just something I showed you. You yourself chose the right hand, and you were happy about it. The left hand is just an impossibility of so many things that could’ve happened, it might’ve been empty too…”

“An impossibility?”

“Listen, Iori-kun, we aren’t Kami-sama or anything, we only get to choose one hand at a time. It isn’t something for us to look over at all those other hands we could’ve chosen. But you know what…”

He paused, while I nodded my head, telling him to continue, “Wanna hear a story, kid?”

“You do like making things lengthy, right?”

He sat back on his chairs, letting his eyes rest at the blue horizon in front. After that he looked back and continued.

“It was a starlit night, while the black concealed the moon above. The street felt like had a clustered soul that welcomed the company of all who came. Yet it was stoic when alone, stoic when all had fled. I was on my way back home from work. That was when I had first met him.

He seemed to have emerged from the dark, as I had only noticed him when he came near me. He stood in my path, looking deep into my eyes. “Watanabe Akie, how nice to be meeting you in a place like this.”

The figure infront of me was a young male, about 18 years old. I couldn’t see his facial features properly, though I had noticed a fair amount of scars on his arms and face. His brown hair tousled in the buoyant breeze.”

I looked at myself for a bit, at the scars on my arms, face, brown hair, “Do you mean he resembled me?”

Akie-san paused for a bit. “I’m not sure, but he seemed quite older than you.” He continued, “The boy stepped forward, while mine was frozen in place. He placed his arm over my shoulder and whispered, “Watanabe Akie, you are going to die soon.”

“Wh-what are you saying?” I fumbled, listening to him.

“Just what we said. You are going to die soon.”

“Is this some kind of joke?” I brushed the boys arms from over my shoulder, and pinned him against the wall. “Tell me, what’s your deal?”

“Watanabe Akie, a fair advice from us.” He grabbed my arms, overwhelming me with his bare strength. “If you have any wish unfulfilled, then do not hesitate. Like is never waiting for you.”

I would’ve taken his words as nonsense. But it turned out to be true. Just a month later, I collapsed on my office desk. I was immediately taken to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with ‘Congenital Heart Defect.’ ”

“What’s that?”

“I had a weak heart from when I was born. And by that time, the condition had gotten really worse. I was even asked if I had any final wishes before I passed on. Isn’t it funny, right. It wasn’t for the fact that I was warned once by that kid that day, death is something that everyone will have to face eventually. But I couldn’t accept it. My daughters birthday was right around the corner, and I was planning on throwing a big party for her.”

Saying that, he took a deep breath, letting it slowly out through his lips. “But you know what, I didn’t give up. I knew what fate had in store for me, but I didn’t deny any bit of it. Rather, I fought on with what little hope I had. I can’t turn things how I want them to be, but no one is stopping me to hope, and fight for that.”

“Were you able to hold the party.” I asked, though they were only like the flowing wind to him. He didn’t answer, just smiled.

“That’s why, Iori-kun, don’t lose your hope now. There are still things you can do. Hope for something, and then fight for it. That at the very least, makes us a little bit human, doesn’t it?”