Darkness Dissolves When the Door Opens

Stormy Night

The walls were cooler than usual.

Everyone was sleeping. Asher slept as straight as possible, saying that his posture needed to be fixed. Glenn on the other hand, decided to sleep on the floor so he could catch the cold and die like Ezra. It didn't happen, sadly. John snored.

Jules trembled from the cold in the corner of his cell with the doll beside him. The guard entered the dungeon and brought the lantern outside. As usual, the place was dark until you couldn't even see your own skin. They called this time 'the light's out'.

Jules leaned and whispered to the doll's ear. "I'm always with you." And he finally shut his eyes.

But Jules still couldn't sleep. He decided to sing. He was singing his sister's favorite song. His voice cracked in every melody. It barely got out of his mouth, not audible in any way.

Hours passed, and to his surprise, the dungeon's iron door reopened slowly. There was no footstep and Jules couldn't form the body of the person entering. There was nothing but the concealing darkness.

"Who's there?" Jules asked with a slight whisper to his voice.

"It's me," she whispered back. "Himari."

Himari sat right in front of the cell, while Jules dragged his butt to the other side. They were facing each other. Neither Jules nor Himari could see each other's faces. But they were there.

I can't see you. But I can feel you.

"What are you doing here? You'll be caught. It's too dangerous to linger." Jules' voice got tenderer without him realizing it. It turned soft and fragile, weak and phobic.

"It is fine," she said, with the sweetest, most accented voice ever. "I feel free down here than I am up there. I hope I don't bother you."

"No, no, no, no, no, not at all."

Jules also sat straight. He repaired the mess on his hair although no one could even see.

"So Jules West, do you like the food here?"

"Himari, since you came, the mud soup turned into clouds itself. For the first time, the food didn't try to poison me."

She smiled, he knew it. He couldn't see it, but he just knew.

"So, you are all Americans."

"Oh yes, except for that stupid rich boy across my cell. He's Dutch."

"What's America like?"

The question was absurd, but every word she spoke was a miracle from heaven, so everything would be answered by Jules with pure profound.

"America..." Jules sighed, and then he smiled. "Nice weather, busy traffic, people running over other people. We're always hurrying, always moving."

"I never met an American in my life, before you."

"Then how do you master English so greatly?"

"It was in my old village where I grew. A Britishman called Mr. Harry Tropship was settling in our village for his study in archeology. He stayed after falling in love with the... the weather."

"Ah. He taught you English?"

"Yes, and every child there were. "

"Well, I can assure you, he did a flawless job in that."

Jules couldn't see her expression, but something in her voice seemed... reluctant.

"Do you mind telling me more about America?"

Jules got anxious. Why did she keep on asking me about America? She's not doing this for the Japanese, right?

After hesitating for a bit, Jules finally answered. "Tall buildings and cars everywhere. At night, the streets are illuminated by many colorful lights from the windows of the buildings. There are malls, shopping centers, cinemas, museums."

"Seems like a nice place to pleasure."

"Indeed. I'm sure Japan has nice places. I heard the nature there is wonderful."

"True..." Himari paused. "Although I've never been there."

The words didn't register to Jules' mind at the time, so he smiled, thinking for something to say next. But he stopped. "What's that?"

"I said I have never been to Japan."

"But you're... you're..."

"My father moved to East China for trading in the early 1900s. He fell in love with the... the people... the weather. He also fell in love with the daughter of a Chinese merchant, my mother. They were married and they decided to go for the protection of each other. You know, since the war with the Japanese occurred, China and Japan aren't very best friends."

Jules studied her voice. He couldn't tell if she enjoyed telling him the story or if it was otherwise. "They settle in the village where the Brit was studying archeology."

"Yes."

"The village is in China."

"Was."

"Oh."

With that, Jules retreated. He didn't say sorry, but neither did he continue to talk about it. Although it seemed that Himari was the one who wanted to talk about it.

"It's okay, don't feel so guilty. These things happen in wars. Anyway, I was born twenty-four years ago in that village and lived there all my life, until two years ago the Japanese came and found a hidden underground tunnel built by the resistance near there. My family and my village got nothing to do with the tunnel, but since it was so close they... they punished us."

"That's awful. I'm sorry to hear it."

"It's okay."

"And now you have to live here to serve us, to serve them."

"Yes. I have not been happy for a single time since they took me, until I found you."

"You're exaggerating."

"I am not. I saw you, all of you, that you're all trapped... imprisoned. Just like me. It's just that we have different cages."

Jules scooted and approached Himari. She was hurt too, in the very same way. Jules and Himari both lost their worlds to the fire. They saw everything burned, flashed and taken away from them in a single day.

Jules tried to find Himari's arms in the darkness. While he reached it, Himari reached too. She touched his palm, his nail-less fingers.

Himari gripped Jules' palms. They felt so rough. "Your hands are trembling. Are they painful?"

"I can't feel the pain anymore." But he could feel her hands. She had these really warm and soft hands.

Her skin was made by the most expensive silk

"I'm sorry for them torturing you."

"Why? Don't be. It was my fault anyway."

For a moment, Jules could see Himari's shivering face.

"You reminded me of someone."

"Really?"

"Yes."