Gloomy grey weather , a Saturday evening in the middle of December .
there stood a young girl in the middle of nowhere ,or is it in a park beside the lake . holding her backpack with both of her hands and staring into the stagnant water in front .
"What's the point of living anyway " she thought .
watching a group of ducks passing by .
The cold breeze made her shiver , and made her silky hair dance on her shoulders .
"If I just disappear , wouldn't it be better for everyone? they wouldn't care in the first place , would they? "
Ayako turned to go back home . crows were everywhere to be seen which made the atmosphere more melancholic than it already is . as much as she wanted to disappear she somehow found peace and warmth in nature .
taking a deep breath , she lets all the refreshing air inside her lungs , making her heart beat so fast that it almost skips a beat .
Just as Ayako gets out of the park , it starts snowing . Her light jacket didn't do much to protect her from the upcoming cold , and there was still a long way before she arrived home .
"Huh, I didn't know it was going to snow today . i must rush home or else i'll find myself freezing to death "
Taking the subway was the best way she could think of to return at that time .
Now standing in front of the house , it was only 6 pm yet it was already pitch dark . got out her keys to open the door , she puts the key in the lock and slowly unlocks the door
"Im home "
"Welcome back . you took a long time to come back ,where have you been ?"
Her mother questioned her intensely with a worried tone in her voice , she came closer to give her a hug but got rejected by her daughter
"I just went to the park to clarify my thoughts , nothing much "
"Are you hungry i made okonomiyaki , i know its your favourite "
"Thanks mom but I'm not hungry , I'll probably eat later . i'll just go and rest in my room for the meantime "
"Sure dear , just go wash yourself before you rest , you'll feel better after that "
Hearing her mother talk to her like nothing happened made her want to vomit , she felt the anger and disgust filled her veins as a fatal poison until she couldn't see anymore . she locked herself in her room , ayako could not bear it anymore .
All the pain and suffering that she endured during these years are coming to an end , she will open not a new page but a whole new chapter .
After everyone in the house went to sleep including her siblings . yes she has an older sister and brother even though they are related , they didn't have a sibling bound to start with . She started to pack her backpack for her great escape . At only 17 years old she is going to make a new path for herself , away from the expectations of her family , society and even what she thought she should be doing .
Pushing the limits to find the core beauty of oneself , what are humans good for ? surviving is not an enough answer to it .
"Tonight will be my last night in this place , god forbid that i come back here ever again "
Ayako announced eagerly , believing a dream that she dearly envisioned , will eventually come true one day , or will it ?
With very light steps ,she gets closer to the door of her room . gently putting her hand on the door lever and slightly twisting it .
The corridor was so dark that it was hard to see , even so she kept trying not to make noises while rushing to the kitchen to take with her food for the new adventure .
Now that her backpack is full of snacks she is ready to start her journey into the unknown . It was pretty calm for a winter night , the firmament was clear and the moon paved the way for the blind .
At that very moment , a memory that was forgotten long ago came to her mind . In the same backyard some years before , that vision was of Ayako and her family when her father was still around . the happy laughters , the genuine smiles , and a strong connection .
"There's no time for such useless emotions , I have to leave now or I'll be caught . looking at the time, perhaps i'll be lucky if i find a bus to tokyo ."
The streets were empty and covered in snow in this part of Osaka and only some stray animals and drunk corporate workers were to be seen . The alleyways were as quiet as if someone was murdered there . Ayako bets that that rumour is true .
Walking down the street , gazing at all the places she had been with her so-called friends and all the memories she had made .
"Haha , if i keep being so nostalgic about this place i might never leave, and i'll probably find myself in some corner bleeding myself to death ."
Ayako slapped herself and screamed her chest out "no matter how much i will suffer , no matter what hardships i will face , it is destined for me to live at least a peaceful life if it's not a lavish one . so i will keep looking for myself in everything that is beautiful and ill rather suffocate than stepping a single toe in this place "
With that motivational pep talk she calmly went to the bus station , she had enough money to live on her own for a month that she got from her part time job in the convenience store , as any typical teen wanting to earn some money . now that she is in the station fortunately there was one bus left to Tokyo .
The station was pretty empty since it was late, the lights were dim and if it was not for the guardian it could easily be mistaken for a scene of a horror movie where the main character starts to hear weird noises and see some unnecessary hallucinations . ayako had no special plan about the new place , not a single one .
she was lost in her thoughts , spacing out while looking at the stary sky thinking of all the positive and negative outcome of her actions , when all of a sudden she starts to hear a small fading voice calling her name non stop . the source of the voice was coming from a dark part of that place , precisely from the bush next to where she sat .
"oh no don't tell me that a non headed woman is coming to hunt me and eat me " just as she said so , she heard a blaring scream , if someone was near that place they would definitely be deaf now . just as ayako turns sideways to see who screamed she sees very fierce glowing golden eyes with sharp pupil that were looking at her intensely. she felt blood rush to her heart , her breath starts to get faster her only thought is to run as hard as she could .
her legs were not helping , she could not move an insh . that creature began to get closer and closer . it was a huge feline with white fur and gray straps , it can be mistaken for a tiger but this one was much bigger .Ayako wanted to scream or at least run yet it was all unsuccessful, she found herself paralyzed in her place sitting , eyes filled with tears and as that creature started to get closer a chill ran down her spin , she wished that she died before yet she prayed to survive.
" don't tell me how things are going to end , so suddenly and easily . please i'll be a better person just let me live i won't bother anyone ever and i'll gladly serve god , please just once just this time , please "
little did she know what that very moment had for her