"Love you, Mom. Bye!" Rokuro said as he picked up his bag and left for school.
He had just stepped out of the house and closed the door when he noticed something unusual. The grass on the lawn was yellowish. He stood there for a moment and kept looking at the grass.
It was green last night, he thought. He called his mother out, but she did not come. He went inside and called her out even louder, but she did not answer.
"Forget it." Rokuro said and walked out of the house again. With his eyes fixed on the yellow grass, he reached the blue metallic gate. He slid open the lock on the right, locked it again from the other side through the gaps in the railings, and looked at the grass one more time before he started to walk to school.
Something unusual happened as he stepped on the road and began walking. His feet dug into the road as if he was walking on a sponge. Stopping right there out of fear didn't help as he noticed that his feet began to sink into the road as he stood there. So, Rokuro ran and jumped on the sidewalk. His breathing was shallow already. A few drops of sweat slid down his cheek and onto the pavement they fell.
"What the heck is going on here?" He said, gasping for air. He looked around. The cars parked on the road looked just as normal as they could, they weren't sinking. Two people on their bicycles passed in front of him with no issue. It baffled him. He stepped onto the tarmac again and much to his relief, he didn't sink. With a sigh of relief he continued to walk but just a few steps later the road started to dissolve itself into a whirlpool, dragging Rokuro inside. He shouted for help as loud as he could but even before he could blink he drowned in the black pit. It was dark for the next few moments and it terrified him to the extent where he could feel it in his gut. He could sense nothing but emptiness, but only for a moment, because in the next moment he was on his bed, shocked as he was.
"What the heck just happened?" Rokuro said, sweat beads mounting on his forehead. His eyes looked out for the clock kept on the table on the left of his bed. It said 3:52. Waves of disappointment splashed over him as he realized it was just another nightmare. It was bothering him now that the severity of these nightmares had been increasing lately. They had become more intense and terrifying than they used to be. Looking out of the window he noticed it was still dark and still some time to go before dawn. He tried to sleep for some more, but all he could do for the next two hours was to just change sides on the bed and tossed and turned until he could hear the birds chirping in their lawn. A few minutes past 6, he got out of bed, used the bathroom and got ready for school. It worried his mother, Shiko Arata, as well when he told her about his nightmare.
She wondered what was wrong with his son, what was happening to him. She worried about little things about him, especially after his father, Kono Arata passed away eight years ago when he was 6. His nightmares often had his father in them. It disturbed the mother and the son, more in the last few days as Rokuro started to wake up in the middle of the night.
Both of them sat at the dining table, talking about anything other than the nightmares to take their mind off the topic. They didn't know if they should seek professional help as of yet. They still thought it was all because of the death of his father. He had been close to his father, and his death made him feel lonely even though his mother had always been there for him, even more so after his father passed away. She made sure that he was never alone, but still, it was something that they both could never recover from. They both missed Kono, a lot, and it now had effects on the young boy's mind.
It was 7 and it was time for him to leave for school. Mrs. Arata kept the lunch box in his bag as he prepared to leave. She hugged him and kissed him on his forehead.
"It will be alright. Okay?" Mrs. Arata said.
Rokuro smiled a little and nodded. As he walked out of the house and stepped onto the porch, the first thing he did was to check the grass. It satisfied him that it was still green, and not yellow, unlike what he saw in the nightmare. Rokuro looked back at his mother with a smile. She stood there knowing Rokuro would check the grass, and when he looked back, she smiled and gestured telling him that it is fine.
As Rokuro put his first step onto the road, he stopped and made sure his feet weren't digging into the tarmac. Of course, they weren't, and it was another reason for him to smile.
He couldn't help but think how silly was the nightmare, albeit a lot scarier. Smilingly, he kept walking as he reached the next block where his close friend, Miyuki lived. The empty road gave him a feeling of relief because he rarely liked being around people unless he was close to them. He rang the doorbell and waited for Miyuki to come out dressed for school, which he did.
"What's up buddy? I was just waiting for you to come. I had been waiting for the past five minutes." Miyuki said.
"Oh really? Well, good thing I am not too late." Rokuro said, letting out a little giggle.
They started to walk to the subway which was just a five-minute-walk from Miyuki's place.
"So, how was yesterday after school? What did you do?" Miyuki asked.
"Umm, nothing much. It was pretty usual stuff. I slept for about an hour after lunch, did maths homework after that and then just played some games. How about you?" Rokuro said.
"Oh, same. You know what I do after school, don't you? It was boring."
"Oh okay. Well, I had another… nightmare last night."
"Wow really? Another one? This is getting serious."
"Yes, it is. I saw the road getting dissolved into a whirlpool and I got drowned into it"
"Man, that's terrible. I think you should go to a psychologist or something to figure out what it is or else it may worsen. It's better to seek help, okay? I care about your well-being, which I why I always tell you to go for help."
"I know man. I appreciate your feelings for me. I do. I think I know why all of this is happening to me. I don't think psychologists would be able to do anything in it."
"Oh, you do? What is it?"
"You know what it is. Ever since my father passed away, I felt a sense of emptiness in me. I miss him very much, and so does my mother. We were very attached to him, and losing him has made our minds play tricks on us."
"He was a good person, Rokuro. He wouldn't want to see you this way. Remember how he used to do every possible thing to make you happy? He used to treat me so well as well."
"Hmm. Yes, I do remember. Maybe I have to learn to move on."
"And I am with you on that journey. You are not alone."
"Thank you, brother."
They boarded the subway and then walked another five minutes after getting off of it to reach their school. Miyuki was one of the biggest sources of comfort for Rokuro, at school and outside of school as well. They both had known each other ever since they were little, and have lived close by.
"Uh! Here we go again." Rokuro said as they entered the campus of the school and noticed Ken entering the campus along with them. Ken Hiroshi, according to himself, was the strongest person in their class, which is why he was entitled to be respected. He never let a chance to pick a fight slip by.
"Oh, the ducklings are here as well." Ken said and started to laugh. "Why do you guys even come here? Huh?"
"Why can't you just leave us alone? And everybody else for that matter. Nobody wants to talk to you, fat slime." Miyuki said, with a hint of anger in his voice.
"What did you say, boy?" Ken stopped laughing. His eyes were wide and his heavy physique started to walk faster towards the duo. He held Miyuki by his collar as he reached close to them and began to grind his teeth.
"Didn't you hear?" Miyuki said and held Ken's hands and took them off his collar. "Go get a life."
Miyuki said and took Rokuro with him as they walked towards their classroom.
"You will pay for this." Ken said, almost fuming.
"Sure!" Miyuki said, trolling Ken.
"Why do you indulge in such acts with him?" Rokuro said.
"If no one will, he'll just grow complacency, which will be good for no one." Miyuki said.
"But that's not your job. Why do you have to put yourself in a position of risk?"
"I know how to handle people like him. It's no big deal, chill."
Both of them had something or the other to discuss while walking to class, and out of class as well. It helped them cover the distance to the classroom, which was at the end of the verandah. As they entered the classroom, the first thing that Rokuro noticed was Kairi. He never failed to look for Kairi upon entering the room. Kairi Yori had been the love interest for Rokuro for the past couple of years now, but he never dared to speak to her. He spoke normally to every other girl, but there was something about Kairi that made him nervous and uncomfortable. Even after being told by everyone to just tell her, he could not. Kairi probably knew about this, and she happened to be attracted to Rokuro as well, but like every other girl, she wanted the guy to make the first move.
Since Kairi was a girl, she hadn't told anybody that she was interested in Rokuro as well.
The world seemed to slow down for Rokuro when Kairi was in front of his eyes, and he always had a smile on his face in front of her.
"Dude, you gotta tell her. Come on, build up some nerve and go to her." Miyuki said.
"I'm thinking about it. Thank you." Rokuro said, brushing off the topic.
Miyuki shook his head and sighed.
"You're not helping yourself." Miyuki said.
"Things will fall in their places. I'm sure about that." Rokuro replied.
"Not if you don't even try."
"I will. Trust me."
Rokuro did go up to her, although not in the manner he would have wanted.
"H… hey." Rokuro said.
"Hello!" Kairi replied looking up at Rokuro with a hint of a smile.
"How are you doing? Rokuro continued.
"I'm great. How about you?"
"Yeah, I'm great as well."
Rokuro moved his gaze to the person sitting next to Kairi. Mika Shuji was one of the most popular faces of the school. She was the niece of the millionaire Shuji brothers. Unlike what everyone would have thought of her, she was a really sweet and kind person. She never carried too much pride in the wealth her family had.
"Hey! You look good today." Rokuro said.
Mika treated him with a generous smile and thanked him.
"Oh look someone's being brave here." Ken said laughingly sitting in the next row.
His girlfriend, Etsuko Nagi who sat with him tried to stop him from saying anything else. She didn't say anything to Rokuro but her expressions apologized to him for Ken's behavior. He too gestured with his eyes that it was okay.
Rokuro sat with Asa. She was one of his close friends and they used to sit together. Miyuki was in a relationship, so he used to sit with his girlfriend.
"When are you going to tell her?" Asa said.
"When the time comes. I think this is not the right time." Rokuro said.
"No time is the right or wrong time. You need to make every time the right time."
"I understand what you're saying. But, maybe I'm not ready for it yet. I have other things to focus on as well."
"Hmm. Alright."
Rokuro looked at the entrance of the classroom and his eyes widened in a fraction of a second as he saw the figure standing at the door. He was terrified instantly looking at the huge silhouette ape-like being. The lighting in the classroom faded into darkness slowly while everything outside of the room stayed alight. He tried to turn towards Asa to tell her about the figure, but he just couldn't move his muscles. He tried to speak out, but no words left his mouth. His hands placed on the table scratched on the wood in desperation, but he was not able to do anything about the situation, which became even worse when he noticed the figure walking towards him, slowly and steadily placing the giant feet one by one, almost shaking the walls of the room.
"Ro…" Rokuro heard a deep muffled voice coming in from the figure. "Ku… ro…."
His bones went cold as he realized the figure was calling out his name. He heard his name again which made him try to shout but he just couldn't. Tears escaped his eyes in agony. It would be oversimplifying by saying he was terrified. The feelings that he felt were something on a different level altogether.
The ape-like figure now reached in front of Rokuro, and its hands stretched out towards him. He feared if he was going to die at the moment. The big bulky hands of the ape came so close to his face that they were about to touch him, which is when something happened. The hands and the body began to shrink back in size and the hairy body began to change its color. Light began to fill the room again and he could see things again, albeit translucently.
A few seconds later, the lighting in the room was back to normal and he realized that the ape-like figure was, in fact, a lady who was calling out his name and walking towards him.
"Rokuro? Are you alright? What happened to you?" The lady said.
"Get some help somebody." Asa said loudly.
Asa held on to Rokuro's right hand with a firm grip to comfort him. It was all too much for Rokuro and he passed out. His head was in Asa's arms, his face was covered in sweat and he was burning hot. Miyuki brought a bottle of water which he used to soak his kerchief and placed it on Rokuro's face and massaged him. Somebody from the sports facility was called in to give first aid to the boy. They picked him and hung him upside down in the air for a few seconds while Miyuki kept sprinkling water on his face, and it wasn't long before the boy came back to senses. They laid him down on the floor on his back and asked everybody to back off to not scare him.
As he opened his eyes, he noticed how the entire class was surrounding him, looking at him with wide eyes. He wondered what had just happened and why he was in such a position. His face told everyone that he was baffled.
"It's alright. Everything's fine now." Chiyo Sayaka, the teacher present in the class said. "Don't worry."
"What happened? What are you saying? Why am I laying down here on the floor? I was sitting on the bench." Rokuro said, perplexed having a hard time catching his breath.
"You passed out a few moments ago. But everything's fine now." The teacher said.
"But why? What happened?"
"You looked troubled and scared, your face was all tensed, your nails were dug into the wood of the table and you were grinding your teeth. We don't know why all of this happened. Seems like you had a panic attack."
"A panic attack? I've never had those before. I am perfectly fine. How is that possible?"
"Well, you looked terrified. What was going through your mind? Do you remember?"
"It was all dark. I couldn't see anything in the room except for a silhouette of a big monkey that was coming towards me waving his hands in all directions. That was scary."
"A big monkey you say? But there was no monkey here. Nobody else saw anything like what you're saying. Are you sure that is what you remember?"
"Yes. Absolutely."
"Did you sleep well? Eat well? Are you alright?"
"Yes, I am alright. Why are you asking me such questions?
"Oh just making sure. Well better to forget what just happened. Let's not give too much attention to something that doesn't even exist, alright?"
"Okay."
The class resumed like a normal day from then on and the rest of the day was pretty standard too. On their way back home, Rokuro and Miyuki continued to talk about the events of the day.
"Dude, how do you explain what happened in the class today? What was that?" Miyuki said.
"I don't know myself. I'm still thinking about it. I'm trying to figure out as well as to what happened at that moment. It was strange. Just like my nightmares."
"What did you say? Your nightmares?"
"Yes, my nightmares. I could feel the same sense of loneliness and darkness at that moment as I feel in my nightmares. I couldn't do anything to save myself. I couldn't move my arms, my legs, anything as if I was paralyzed. It was a horrific feeling. Even if it wasn't real, for the time I was in that moment, everything felt real. I would never forget it."
"Oh man. That sure does sound unnerving and frightening. I highly suggest you seek professional help. You will learn something, you won't lose anything by visiting a doctor. Do you understand?"
Rokuro nodded to acknowledge whatever Miyuki had.
"I think you're right. I should go to the doctor." Rokuro said.
"Yes, that is right. Do it as soon as possible. Don't delay it as these things can pile up in your head and put you in a bad situation later on." Miyuki said.
Rokuro continued to walk down the road alone after Miyuki's house. At the dining table, Rokuro and his mother sat down for lunch. He told her everything that had happened at the school in the morning, and then the conversation that he had with Miyuki coming back from school.
Mrs. Arata worried about his son already, and now to listen to something like this almost freaked her out, but she maintained control and didn't let it show on her face.
"Well, since it is bothering you this much, I think going to the doctor would be the wise thing to do." Mrs. Arata said and took her phone out of the pocket of her trousers. She touched the screen a few times before she got connected to someone and placed the phone on her shoulder and tilted her head to support the phone.
Rokuro knew from the talks that she was looking for a good doctor. Two minutes later she hung up the phone and smiled at her son.
"Today six in the evening, we have an appointment for a doctor. Ready?" Mrs. Arata said.
"Alright. I too am just fed up with this thing. I want to live a normal life that is not filled with these nightmares. I don't remember when was the last time I slept well. It's been long." Rokuro explained.
Shiko wanted to cry listening to those painful words by her son. She couldn't see him in such a situation but she couldn't show it to him as well or it would make things worse for the little guy. She held back her tears and tried hard to not make a face that would show her son what's on her mind.
"Well, we'll soon find out the underlying reasons once we see a doctor. You're going to get better, don't worry. Okay?" Mrs. Arata said.
"Okay." Rokuro said and they both got back to having their lunch and later took a nap before visiting the doctor.
Mrs. Arata and her son stepped out of the taxi in front of the City Hospital and located the cabin of Mr. Akio, the specialist in mental problems.
"May we come in?" Mrs. Arata asked, standing at the entrance of the cabin.
"Yes, please." The doctor said, taking off his glasses.
Both the mother and the son took seats and sat in front of the doctor.
"So, tell me. How may I help you?" Dr. Akio said.
"This is my son, Rokuro. He has been having nightmares for some time now, but in the last few days, the intensity of the dreams has increased manifold. He had a nightmare in his classroom as well, while he was awake." Mrs. Arata said.
"Really? Well, do not worry about it anymore now that you are here. We will take care of your son in the best possible way."
"Thank you!"
Dr. Akio interviewed Rokuro for a good ten minutes and made notes while Rokuro answered the questions.
"Well, there are signs of depression and anxiety in him, at least that is what it looks like from the way he answered the questions. But it's not alarming as of now. It can be treated without much effort. I am writing some medicines here for him. These will help him stay away from the negative thoughts." Dr. Akio said, handing over the prescription sheet to Rokuro's mother.
"How long do you think it will take?" Mrs. Arata asked.
"Well, everybody is different. Some see the effects in two weeks, and some may take six months. You never know. Also, I'll teach him a few mental exercises to keep his brain fit." Dr. Akio said.
They came back home after him having learned a few techniques of meditation, and with the pouch of medicines.
"I'll begin practicing in the morning, is that okay?" Rokuro asked.
"Yes, that is fine. Make it into your routine." Mrs. Arata said