1
June regained consciousness relieved to not be in sheer agony this time. Her head throbbed in sync with her heartbeat. She opened a gap through one eye and saw some blurry figures of people looking down at her. I'm lying down. She thought, and then: nurses? She felt a prick on her right arm. It was an IV needle.
'Where am I?' asked June as loud as she could, only to come out as mumbling and whisperings.
'The date is June 24th, in the hospital of Bergen. You've had quite a weak, Miss Haven.' a voice spoke from her left, and her vision came into focus.
'Ha-hey Steven — Mr Hodgetts, I'd never expected to see you—or anyone—ever again,' she chuckled weakly. 'Sammy… you've made it here. I'm glad.' He ran up and embraced her. It was an emotional reunion; there were cries of joy and relief. For the first time—she felt the thrill of survival.
She then turned her attention to her leg—it was tightly bandaged in gauze and plaster; there was no feeling in the limb at all—not surprising from the sheer amount of blood she had lost. While she rested, Steven and Sammy caught her up to speed.
'...we found you unconscious inside a collapsed building…we couldn't move you forcefully since-' June flinched, '-you know, so we had to do the surgery right there right then. We were originally going to amputate your right leg completely, but considering you wouldn't want that, we decided to extract the rebar through surgery. It was a long operation—but in the end, we managed to pull it off. There was a complication though—your bone marrow received irreversible damage, so it would take longer for your wounds and blood to regenerate in the future—but at least it saved your limb.'
June flushed a bit. 'Have you found our parents yet?' she asked, suddenly frowning.
Steven looked lost for a moment. After a long silence, he said, 'We searched the area… where your parents were… Sammy told us… and we didn't find any survivors.' He took her hands and put them together. 'I'm sorry.'
June looked devastated, washed and bereft. 'No way. No. It shouldn't have happened…' Tears began rolling down her watery green eyes, and she cried freely. 'I should have been there with them. Instead, I ditched them and went to Skyview Point. They died in the tsunami, and it was my fault MY FAULT ALL MY FAULT-'
'June. Look at me, okay?' Steven shook her hand, 'You are blinded by your grief. This was no part your fault, okay? Listen to me. You didn't make this happen and you didn't want this to happen. You didn't want your parent to die, and your parents didn't want you to die with them either. They would have wanted you to live on, they would have wanted you to be safe, okay? Don't regret anything.'
June closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, a few moments later she stopped sobbing and nodded silently. 'Am I crippled from now on? The fate of sitting in a wheelchair forever?'
'Four months. Or even less. Considering the impact of the wave fractured a few of your ribs and your patella, but don't worry—four months go in a flash, and soon you'll run again.'
'Are we considered homeless now? Do we have to live on the street?' asked June.
'No no!' replied Steven playfully, 'It's not that bad, I promise. I have a residency in Switzerland. Bought it two months ago. We can live there.'
'You mean… we can come live with you?'
'It's a big house… There are enough rooms for 5 people,' joked Steven. 'Better that than sending you to an orphanage, eh?' Sammy shuddered.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, they agreed to give June anaesthetics after being tortured by the pain that wasn't going to go away. She took a shot and ate some of the stew Steven had made for her. She fell asleep with him accompanying her and soft music playing in the background.
2
Ben was having the luckiest times of his life. First, he slept like a rock while still hanging on to the tree he clung to to survive the tsunami. Second, he was left unharmed—except for a few rips of his clothes.
He yawned and found himself surrounded by debris. He had lived the night. Expecting himself to be feeling cold and shivering, he was surprised to see his clothes were all dried up and the sunlight was warm against his back. Am I in shock, or is this just the wildest dream? He wondered.
He tried to climb down the tree, which he did—unsuccessfully—by slipping and landing on his ankle. Oh boy, that's gonna hurt. He thought.
He was swearing from pain after a sharp crack that could be his tendons breaking. Imagine the scene.
The pain temporarily sent him into shock as his brain attempted to create gibberish thoughts to distract him from agony. It went by something like this:
Their eyes met, and he struggled to resist it, but it held his grip like a magnet. I swear to god (oh wait, I'm an atheist) that I can't make it. It's testing my blood pressure if any is left in us. By the end of this…tsunami, let us out of this misery. We promise we won't have more to bargain, let us out of this, as we could only share the pain; let us out, please, for the sake of me not even having a chance to find my love at the moment. Just do it so I don't die of disappointment. DO IT NOW, I'll be your atonement. Let us out, let us out, let us out, let us out, LET US OUT, LET US OUT-
After a slight halt, Ben picked himself up with his twisted ankle, limped a few yards and stopped by a trailer to rest. His ankle was throbbing painfully, and the wet shoes that he was wearing weren't helping either. I was childish to think that I'd leave this place unharmed. He thought.
The youth kept walking. Suddenly, he saw a crowd of people just up ahead. They looked like medics and rescuers. He walked over to them without hesitating and found out that they were sending most of the survivors to Kristiansand. He searched through the survivors, having little to no hope of finding his father, despite him being abusive to him. On the other side of the refuge was a hill which led to a second site, where he scoured through the noisy crowds. A figure caught his attention. At first, he thought it was
(June?)
someone else, or at least someone he wished it would have been. Ben ran towards that person, fastening his pace, his mind racing. It kind of disappointed him to see it is only his father. He looked badly wounded; one of his arms was dangling uselessly by his side; and there were some deep lacerations on his scalp and neck. There were blood stains around his torso that drenched his shirt. His expression was stricken with pain.
Upon seeing this he should have felt pity and sympathy. But to his shock, he could not. Instead, a steady feeling of anger shot from his traumatised heart. For so long had he been making me fall into my greatest depths, to have made me suffer for no reason. All of this for nothing. No today. His fists curled and his teeth clenched. And before he could resist, before he could react, his fist inadvertently punched into his father's gut. Jayden Faley's only and surprisingly anticlimactic reaction to this is a gurgle that came from his throat which might have been a cry, blood sprayed from his mouth and dripped down his chin, and the expression in his eyes had a layer of grief added to that of already stricken pain. Ben shook a little at this, but the weaker side of his personality frantically screamed and grabbed at his heart.
'WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!!!' he screamed as he finally lost it and collapsed at his father's side, tears wetting the sheets that his hands were tightly holding onto, his body shaking uncontrollably, syncing with each sob.
Suddenly, a weak but steady voice made him stop. He found himself bewildered but relieved. Somehow, his father spoke: 'No need to cry, son.'
Ben looked at him sadly, feeling contained. 'Dad…' He began.
His father stared back with his pale, blue eyes. 'Don't you look at me with that face, I don't want you to feel the misery that I've been experiencing for the past seven years.'
Ben sighed. 'What wronging things did I do to deserve this?'
Jayden drew a deep breath, hacking out more blood in the process. 'I'm dying, son. I won't be able to live long. Now listen, as if you were five years old again and I was reading you a bedtime story because I think you would like to know. Answers, Ben. That I know you desperately want to find.
'I was 12 when the tsunami hit this town 30 years ago, about the same age as you. We were a happy family. My parents were always there to support me and encouraged me to do big things. We were mountain climbing that day when the tsunami hit the harbour and swept away everything. We were heartbroken, so we moved to Oslo to start a new life. I could not forget our home. So when I grew up and became a millionaire, I voluntarily returned to Skendåsgurg and rebuilt our house right over there…' he pointed in the direction of the town with much effort, '...and has been living there since.
'I was young and foolish back then, and I didn't have any special relationships with anyone. I didn't know what love meant, philosophically speaking. It wasn't until I met Marit, your mother, the most beautiful woman I've seen. It was like a click when I fell in love with her—and the same with grief when she passed,' his eyes began to water and his body began to tremble, 'when she left us, my world seemed to wash out of colours, I began losing interest in work, my hobbies, and I even lost faith for our family,' he turned to Ben, who was speechless and stared at something far away, 'every time I saw you, I could see Marit staring back at me as if she was real. In the end, it just reminds me of the reality that could not let me go. I am truly sorry, Ben. My denial and unwholesomeness have blinded me to the point where I lost track of who I am.
'It is only to the point when the end is near do I finally realise my ways and be guilty of all the things I've done in these years.' He coughed out even more blood and knew that he was running out of time.
'Dad..' whispered Ben, tears swelling again.
'You are a brave, young man, Ben. I hope you know that. I humbly ask for your forgiveness for what was wrong shall be made right. Ben, can you forgive me?'
'Of course, I would forgive you,' sniffed Ben, 'why wouldn't you communicate more with your family?'
'I'm glad, Ben,' whispered his father, 'I'm glad that you do.' He smiled and gave Ben's hand one final squeeze, and he was gone.
That night, Ben went in person to bury his father's body next to his mother's, at a beachside, embracing the Denmosgäkfjord.
3
(1964)
Sam sat there, his brain seemed to have malfunctioned. He watched as his wife walked through the front door, followed by his children. They froze and stood motionless as they saw Ozin clumsily trying to sit up. And June, who seemed to be unbothered by the change, eyed Sam curtly and uncrossed her legs.
Osen snapped his fingers quickly in unison, 'Looks like I've gotten myself into a situation, boys. Gotta go,' he whispered awkwardly. In a split second, all there was left to prove his existence was the chair that he sat on, still warm.
'H-hallo, Cora. You came back early,' Sam grinned foolishly. 'Is something wrong?'
Cora stood silent, remaining perfectly calm, especially on the outside.
(Samuel… Did I just see…?!)
(I'll explain later, yes you did, but for now, pretend for the kids)
(Samuel!)
(I know just PRETEND FOR THE KIDS GOD DAMMIT)
'We're back,' said Cora.
'Cool,' replied Sam. 'How's the movie?'
'Hallo Aunt Juno!' exclaimed Jamie. 'Since when'd you come here?'
Before she could answer, Jamie fixed his blue eyes on the empty chair, 'Hey! What was that green thing that was there a moment ago? It's like it just disappeared!' With that, he stared at June and Sam in deep suspicion.
'Oh, that?' said June who held onto the side of the table. 'It was but a broccoli. Your dad accidentally dropped one, so he ate it. You want one?'
Jamie covered his mouth, whatever he had said next was muffled to a whisper. 'Ew,' he said. 'Who the heck likes broccoli?' Then he added, 'Dad, why do you eat broccoli anyway?
They all started laughing, except for Jamie and his older sister Emma, who didn't have an interest in their parents, so they went back to their room and began playing chess.
'It's nice to have you around, June,' said Cora. 'what has brought you here?'
'Osen came,' said June simply. Cora looked back at Sam, dismayed.
'Yes,' said Sam. 'He left us some Alpine tea, care to have some?'
4
(1934)
By June 28, two days after June and Sammy were transported from Bergen to Oslo for further treatment, June caught septicemia. The penicillin that they gave her wasn't enough to stop the bacterial infection. At first, she just felt fatigued, which wasn't surprising considering she had been getting countless surgeries for the last two days. The fatigue then turned into a mild fever, which then evolved into a coma. Sammy and Steven took turns staying at her bedside. Examiners said she required a large dose of antibiotics or she would die from septic shock. They've been doing so for days since. There were a few times she regained consciousness while Sammy and Steven were talking. Her breathing finally stabilised and she sometimes talked.
'Steven, is everyone alright?' And then: 'Will I be okay?'
'Lie still, and don't try to touch it now,' said Steven, and she reluctantly drew her back. 'Stay strong, June. You'll get through this, I promise.'
'I really hope so,' replied June. 'Is Sammy here?'
'Right beside you, Junie.' said Sammy softly.
'Don't call me by that baby name, Sammy,' she closed her eyes and slept. She looks peaceful and beautiful as the silver moonlight bathes her immaculate figure, on the starry summer night, where there isn't a cloud.
The next art of the plot would be settled 5 months later, revealing how June met Benjamin Faley in person. Their wounds would mostly be healed from the tsunami, but they always returned. Of course, they will, contributing towards major problems in the far future. But the most exciting part would definitely be meeting Ozin Greensage in person, leaving behind a familiar world and embracing a new one. Enter Sorrow Mountain.