"What would you like?"
"A cup of coffee."
"Got it!"
Hm... if you don't mind, I would like to ask you something. Do you sometimes feel like you want to change the world? Looking at all the things happening around the world—wars, natural disasters, accidents, murders, suicides, robberies, bullying, poverty, unemployment—I feel the need to make this world a better place to live in. I keep thinking and thinking, pondering the same question—"How can I fix the world?"
"Here's your coffee."
"Hm."
No matter how much I keep thinking, I just can't seem to find a solution. I'm starting to wonder if there really is no solution. But I'm still—
"Can I sit here?",a soft voice says.
"Hm.",I nod my head.
Yeah... "Hm" is the best I can say in response to an unexpected question like that.A white-haired girl... there are so many open seats... so why did she decide to sit in front of me?
"Hey... wanna see something?",she says as her bright red eyes meet with mine.
What the heck...
"Uh... okay...",I reply.
"Hehe,"she smiles and points towards the waitress,"In a moment, she will fall to the ground."
I look at the waitress... and there she falls, white cups of hot coffee slipping from her hands.
Hmm... looks like she's some influencer doing a prank on me... wonder where the camera is.
"If you're thinking it's a prank,let me tell you—it's not a prank at all... haha.",she laughs,"I can show you something more."
"Okay..."
"Hmm... let's see...",she places her index finger on her chin and closes her eyes as if thinking about something,"Okay! Look at that skyscraper over there."
I look at the skyscraper through the café window.
"In a moment, it will fall",she says with a slight smile on her face,"Hehe."
"Huh..."
Is this girl joking or what... well, she better be joking.
But yeah... she's really cute... maybe around the same age as me...
And then—my eyes widen in shock.
The skyscraper starts leaning toward the ground.
I feel scared... yet excited. This might be the most confusing moment of my life.
"See? I told ya.",she says, her smile unchanging,"I guess I should make it stop? Otherwise, it will get pretty noisy, and I won't be able to talk to you properly... haha."
The skyscraper stops leaning.
"What are you...?"
"Alyssa.",she smiles,"Nice to meet you. What's your name?"
"You can make people and even skyscrapers fall by pointing at them... but you don't know my name?"
Normally, I don't talk to people I meet for the first time like this. But somehow, with Alyssa, I feel like I can talk as freely as I do with my close friends.
"Haha.",Alyssa laughs,"Nice to meet you, Issac."
"Wow... so you did know my name."
"Of course!"
"So... just what the heck are you?"
Wait, shouldn't I be scared of her?
"Hmm... let's see...",Alyssa thinks for a moment before smiling,"Do you believe in God?"
"Uh... I don't know..."
"Well... you're a science student. So does that mean you're an atheist?"
"Hmm... neither theists nor atheists have solid evidence to confirm or deny the existence of God."
"I see, I see!",she smiles, looking excited,"Then... what about the Big Bang Theory? Doesn't it say that the universe came from nothing? That nothing existed before the Big Bang? Then isn't the Big Bang the God we are looking for?"
Honestly, she looks way too cute... especially when she makes these kinds of expressions.
"Well, but the thing is... how did the Big Bang just come out of nothing? It's hard to explain in words, but even if the Big Bang came from nothing... how and why does something exist at all?"
"I see! Tell me more!",she still has that very excited look on her face.
"Well, stuff like this is often addressed as: 'If the Big Bang came from nothing, then where did nothing come from?' Anyway... the thing is, we can't be sure whether or not God exists right now. For all I know—God might exist, or might not."
"So—"
"But...",I interfered,"When I look at everything happening around the world... I don't see the usual image of God that people believe in. The almighty, good, caring, kind God they pray to. From this, I can conclude that either God isn't almighty, or He just doesn't give a fuck. Or maybe He's dead. Or maybe He never existed at all."
"Oh my!"
"Yeah... so... what are you exactly? God?"
"Well, well... I'm not exactly God..." Alyssa thinks for a moment. "Oh! I'm kinda like... the shadow of God."
"Shadow of God, huh..."
Wait... when was the last time I talked so freely like this? It feels like it's been an eternity... and why am I talking so much to a girl I just met...?
"So by 'all the things happening around the world,' you mean problems like war, poverty, unemployment, etc., right?"
"Yes... someone who's been the most honest and good citizen will die in an accident or get murdered... someone who's been the shittiest person imaginable will get black money and live a life better than someone polar opposite of him. Someone who studied their whole life, taking loans because they come from a middle-class family, will not get a job because that job was taken by someone who bribed their way in. Crime is increasing, suicide rates are increasing, etc., etc."
Why the fuck am I talking so much...?
"Haha, I see! So you mean to say that the world is a fucked up place to live in, isn't it?"
"Hmm... I guess so..."
Ah... I guess I'm letting my emotions do the talking now.
"I told you earlier that I'm the shadow of God, didn't I?"
"Yes... so you're saying that God exists?"
"Yup. The shadow of God can't exist without God itself",she says,"As you said... maybe God just doesn't give a fuck. Haha. But what if all those good people suffering were actually bad in their previous life? Maybe God is just punishing them?"
"No. The previous life version and current version of the same person are not really the same person. Even if they are born with the same default settings, that's just the foundation. The rest of their character is shaped by their life experiences."
"Exactly!",she smiles,"It's not fair, is it?"
"Yes..."
"Well, God isn't really punishing them..."
"So... he doesn't give a fuck?"
"Haha...",she laughs,"First, tell me—why did you come to this café?"
"Uh... to get a cup of coffee...?"
"Think, think... hahaha..."
"I... I... Wait... why did I...?"
I am confused.
"Can you remember what you were doing before you came here?",she says with a devious smile on her face as if she was toying with me.
"I...I....can't remember...why did I come here...when..."
As I kept trying to remember,the world slowly started fading...it was slowly turning into a void...it was turning into nothingness...just like it was before the Big Bang...There was loud ringing in my ears...I couldn't hear anything...everything was turning black...everything fading except us and the table and chairs...as I heard Alyssa mumble something with a smile on her face.
"...you....miss....?"
I slowly open my eyes and find myself lying on my bed in my room. Sunlight filters through the gap between the curtains, hitting my face. The time on the clock reads 10 a.m.
It was a dream... what a strange dream... but it's my favorite dream of all time. Lately, I've been waking up later and later... almost as if I'm dying. Maybe at some point, I'll just not wake up after going to sleep... eternal slumber.
Nothing extraordinary happened in the following days—just the same old routine. But I kept thinking about that strange dream. Unlike other dreams, the memory of it didn't fade or become foggy. I remembered every single detail clearly. To be honest, I was hoping it was real and not just a dream... I wonder why.
Her last words before I woke up... "miss"? What was she trying to say? Well, it's probably not important, I guess...
Alyssa... for reasons unknown... I... I... miss her...
Suddenly, a piece of paper landed on my head.
"What the heck... where did this come from..."
When I looked at it, I was surprised—or maybe not...
It had something written on it—
Tomorrow 11:30 AM
Café :)