Find The Switch

Locked In Sewage

 "Come in, come in!" a woman ushered me in. I walked inside, mentally noting that her house was one of the biggest in the village. There was something off about it, as well. It was too big, and there must be a reason behind that.

Ever since I left my master's house in search for a better life, strange things had been happening to me. I had been feeling like I was being watched, by someone who was ready to strike at any moment. I wish I had someone by my side, like my sister. That reminds me, I have been dreaming constantly about my undiscovered past. It was like I actually wanted myself to put the pieces together.

One particular dream I remember was what happened after the crash. I had been reviewing the scene in my head while sleeping, but the dream didn't stop there, as it had done in the past. This time, it continued. When I was blacked out, I felt like strong arms had been wrapped around me. They carried me a good distance, but then my eyes opened, and standing right in front of me was a demon. A human-like creature with beady eyes and sharp teeth. He let out a bellowing laugh, and I found myself looking up to him. I could do nothing as I watched him lunge in, mouth stretched open.

The dream ended then, but not before I could catch a glimpse of something. Another symbol. This one was constructed of three balls in a row, the middle one lower than the other. It only flashed in my vision for a split second, before I woke up, surprised to see that I had been sweating so much that all the snow had melted around me.

I knew it wasn't real. There was no way I had actually been captured by a demon, but I was so afraid of what had happened to me that I was making stories up just to scare myself. The fact that I didn't know what happened was the thing that scared me.

Another strange thing that scared me was this house. It looked big enough to hold several forbidden secrets. It looked the most important in the village I had stumbled upon, and I thought it may hold some answers. The woman who had let me in was now briskly leading me down a series of twists and turns corridor after corridor. It was almost like she was leading me into a trap she had deliberately set up. But contradicting that eerie instinct was the thrill that I might just be on the right path to uncovering my past.

"What brings you here?" The booming voice coming out of nowhere made my heart leap out of my chest. A man had come out of a room in one of the corridors. He seemed to fit in perfectly with the house: mysterious, a strong personality, and a little off.

I had no idea how to answer his question, so I just stayed silent. I didn't want to give away too much, but at the same time, I wanted to explain what was going on with my life.

The man seemed to sense this, and offered, "Would you like a cup of tea?"

I nodded, and the man gestured for me to follow him. In a few minutes, we arrived in a big open room, with an enormous chandelier hanging over a table.

While the man was pouring the tea, he asked me, "So, what's a fellow like you doing in these parts of the forest?"

In my mind, it took a little convincing myself, but eventually, I realized I had to tell him. "I used to be a servant on a farm," I started. "But I couldn't remember who I was before that. I knew my future was not on a farm, so I left to discover my past.

"For days I journeyed in the forest, not finding a thing. Then I bumped into this place, the first village I had seen since I left home, and here I am."

"I see," the man scratched his chin. "And I suppose you came here to get answers to your twisted past?"

"Yes," I said carefully. How did he know that I had a twisted past?

"And you said you had come from a farm," the woman who I had first met said. I had nearly forgotten about her. "Do you remember your master's name?" Her face curved into a grin she couldn't hide.

"It was Shimamura Tenshin, I think," I chose my words cautiously. These people wanted something from me, I was sure of it. But since I wanted answers from them, I didn't think anything of it.

The woman and the man both looked like a sly fox now. "Oh, do we have the perfect place for you," the man said. "Yes, I think we know all about your past," the woman added.

"Come with us, and we'll tell you all we know," they beckoned me to follow them, for me to soak up their knowledge, but I was scared of them. To be honest, they were creepy. I was tempted to sprint out of the room and leave the house, but my mind wandered to my laughing sister. This might be the opportunity to find her. If I don't take it, we may be separated forever.

So I followed the creepy couple to another room that was smaller than the dining area, but was just as lavish. It looked a like a bedroom.

Why would they bring me here? Did this used to be my bedroom? Was this my sister's bedroom? Was this my guides' bedroom, and they were going to eat me? I'm not going to lie: the thought crossed my mind.

But I just watched as they pressed the alarm button on the gold alarm clock by the bedside table. The bed swung out into the middle of the room, though still attached to the wall. I was almost ran over!

Usually concealed by the bed was a hole in the wall, and I could hear running water in it.

"We know nothing about your past, but we do know that your future is to be a slave, as filthy as a sewer like this one," the woman sneered. And with that, her husband sort-of-thing pushed me in that tiny little hole. Somehow, I managed to fit, and didn't struggle at all. I was still overcome with shock. The woman pushed the button on the alarm clock, but before the bed could seal my only exit off, I saw a symbol on both of their jackets. It was the symbol I had seen in my dream, the one with three spheres. A tear rolled down my cheek as I realized that even though I knew I had been here before, I was no closer to finding my sister and even further from satisfying myself.