KongArt Week 2021

Raindrops Rhapsody Part 2 - Between the Raindrops

Day 4 of KongArt Week 2021

Arthit and the rip in the fabric of Time and Space.

Unbetaed, un-reviewed. Sorry.

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Kongpob woke up with a sharp pain on his head, as if someone was hammering the hell out of his brain. He sat down, groggily attempted to analyze his situation. He scanned the room and he was sure that it was his own bedroom on the second floor of his shop.

The grandfather clock chiming nine times downstairs made Kongpob finally wide-awake, as if being struck by electrical current. His bakery. He needed to bake and open the shop. He groaned.

He was about to climb down the bed when Em walked in with a bowl of hot water in his hands. "Oh, you're up already?" he asked. "I am bringing you a warm compress, but it seemed you don't need that anymore."

Em put the bowl on the bedside table and gave him a cup of warm herbal tea instead. "Drink this, it will help clearing your mind and calming your stomach." Kongpob drank without further ado. When Kongpob looked better, Em couldn't stop his curiosity.

"So, what happened to you? This morning I found you sleeping on the grass in your backyard, right in front of the fence. Did you sleep-walking or what?" Em began. Kongpob sighed. He remembered trespassing, and saw Arthit's domestic moment with someone, and then everything went black and he couldn't pinpoint why he was sleeping on the grass. Did they do something to him? His eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh no rush, answer me later. That's fine. Anyway, I didn't open the shop. I've put the closed sign already. Take your time, you seemed to be distraught." Em was about to leave him but Kongpob signaled him to stay, so stay he did.

Kongpob cleared his throat. "Yesterday evening, just before sunset, Muffin came. She left soon after but she begged me to follow her, so I did." Kongpob began.

"Sorry to interrupt, but who is Muffin?" Em asked. Kongpob was confused.

"Muffin the cat, what else?" Kongpob asked back. Em frowned.

"What cat, Kong?" He kept asking. Kongpob couldn't believe his ears. Seriously, what happened to Em?

"Did you get short term amnesia or what? You know, Muffin? The Scottish Fold that loved to randomly drop by at the shop and sit at the muffin-shaped mat next to the cash machine?" Kongpob explained, half questioned Em.

On the chair next to his bed, Em looked at him unamused. "There was never a cat in our shop, Kong. I am allergic to them, remember? I would have unstoppably sneezed if there's cat around, right?" Em reminded him. Kongpob looked even more confused.

"Are you drunk? Did you catch a fever? Did you hit your head last night or something? Should I call the doctor?" Em bombarded him with questions, real question and no sarcasm detected. He really looked concerned. Kongpob was getting annoyed.

"I am not kidding, Em. And as far as I remember, I didn't hit anything."

"But Kong, you've been behaving quite strangely this past few months, you know. Since the day you smiled like a fool." Em finally spoke. "Anyway, you're lucky you didn't find yourself into the other house in your backyard. I saw the real estate agent just came. I think someone's buying that house."

Kongpob was sipping his tea when Em told him about the real estate agent. He immediately ran to his window and took a look at his neighbor. And true to Em's explanation, he saw the realtor's van and people seemed to roaming about.

"That house was for sale since five years ago when the owner moved to Bangkok." Em continued as he joined Kongpob watching the house.

"Em, what if I tell you that THE Ruangroj Cottage was actually not empty?" Kongpob absentmindedly asked Em. His eyes were still on the cottage but he could feel Em throwing him a confused stare.