𝑨𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑰𝑼𝑺 𝑴𝑬𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑪𝑯𝑶𝑳𝑰𝑨 •𝒃𝒙𝒃•

lost... swimming in a dream of you

He never was one to dream, but his mind failed to be the sanctuary he wanted to rot away in.

_

The hallway he found himself was familiar to him, so, so familiar. Suppressed memories fought against the binds he shackled them with, trying to break through the surface, but he did not let them do so.

There was no reason to let them do so.

The same, beige coloured carped lined the dark floors, leading deeper and deeper into the unknown yet known place.

He wondered for what purpose he dreamt this dream, but... the answer seemed to slip right through his grasp.

Maybe he'll know once the dream comes to an end.

"Otou-san!"

Ah. So it was that kind of dream.

He stood in place, listening to the childish footsteps around him. The voice came from inside the wall, but there was no door that lead to the room, if there even was one.

"Otou-san, where are you?!"

Desperation layered the child's voice, and the footsteps turned louder and more... inconsistent, as if the child was stopping at random, not knowing whether to stand still or keep moving.

Oh, how he itched to reach the child, reach it and speak to it, tell it that, no, it wouldn't find who it was looking for, that, no, it wouldn't see the person it so desperately wanted to see.

His feet led him to the wall and he marvelled at the untouched state of it. No burn marks. No peeling wallpapers. Nothing. As good as new.

"Otou-san, I'm scared!"

The child screamed, voice high-pitched and loud.

He pressed his palm atop the wall and leaned forward, resting his head against it.

"Otou-san!"

The voice was closer than ever before, and he knew that the child was right behind the wall.

"Shh..." he comforted, "There's no need to be so loud, little boy."

He didn't know why he did it or what made him do it.

Little sniffles came from behind the wall, "My otou-san is missing..." The child spoke back to him, "I don't know where he is..."

"Is that so...? Where's your okaa-san?"

It took a few moments for the child to answer, "She's in her room... crying. She doesn't want to talk with me, I'm lonely..."

Hmm... It is as it was, everything is the same, "Would you like some company?" He raised his other hand and pressed it against the wall, "I can be with you until you find your otou-san."

No reply came.

He waited and waited, but nothing came.

Until it did.

"Mister, aren't you the one who needs company?"

The ringing started.

"You're the one who's lonely, right?"

A light bang came from the other side of the wall, followed by another.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

Crack.

"No." He denied its words.

"Liar." Came the choked out word.