Sounds of Silence
Hey guys! Sharing a school project that I did in a creative writing class. We were supposed to write 1 rom-com and 1 tragedy short story. This was actually the first short story that I did. There might be some punctuation and grammatical errors here and there.
This story is heavily inspired by a visual novel/game called To the Moon by Freebird Games. I was kind of planning back then to write a novel inspired by this game and I already started on a few pages. But because I was rushing to finish other school requirements, I just used my novel and continued it.
The story is supposed to be longer. I really wanted to emphasize the symbolisms used in the story. The characters were also supposed to be much older.
Well, that's all. I just said this all here because I didn't want to interrupt you as you finished. Have fun reading. It's a long one :)
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Sounds of Silence
Evan’s a normal and healthy high school boy. He’s 15-years old. “Mom, I’m off to school now” Evan said. “Ok Ivan, take care.” his mother replied as she smiled. He got ready and went to school. It was the start of a new school year, and he went to meet with his friends. As he got to the school gate, hordes of students were heading inside, all wearing dull gray uniforms. “Hey Evan, I’m stuck with you again for another year. I’m getting tired of your face.” Josh said, putting his arms over Evan’s shoulder. He chuckled, “That’s my line dumbass.” he said to his childhood friend laughing.
So, they both got to their classrooms and to their seats. When they got to the room, Evan noticed a new girl in class. Just a single look and everyone can tell she’s the shy type. He noticed a huge pad of paper on her desk, as well as a pencil in her hand. He also noticed a Bedtime Care Bear keychain on her bag. He had a feeling that they have already met. As the clock struck 7:30, class started. The teacher stood in front of the classroom, and called the new girl in front. Sasha, the ginger in the class came in front along with her. She started writing on the blackboard, “Mia Cornett” She started doing sign language. “Good morning everyone, my name is Mia Cornett. I can’t speak but I’m able to hear you just fine. Please don’t be afraid to talk to me. Sasha will help translate, or I can talk to you using my pad of paper. I hope I can get along with everyone.” Sasha interpreted. Class started, and the day went along smoothly. But Evan couldn’t stop thinking about her.
During recess, everyone started swarming around Mia. Evan just sat in his chair, but he couldn’t stop staring at her. She soon noticed, and she smiled at him. He quickly averted his eyes while blushing. Josh noticed and wanted to josh him a bit. “Hey Evan, you seem to be getting a bit hard down there.” he said grinning. “Shut up dude.” Evan blushed. Josh then called out, “Hey Mia!” he said boldly waving at her with a big smile. He took Evan’s arms and flailed it as if he’s also waving at her. Evan shoved him off, his face flush red. She gladly waved back. “Mia, you shouldn’t get involved those dorks. You’ll get stupid if you hang out with them too much.” Sasha said. Josh overheard, “WHAT DID YOU SAY PUMPKIN HEAD?!” he yelled with a condescending face. “Exactly what I said, dumbface!” she replied matching his facial expressions. You could see sparks coming from out of their eyes as their heads butted each other. Others didn’t mind it, as if the fighting was normal in the classroom. Recess ended and everyone got back to their seats. Before sitting down, Josh whispered to Mia, “My buddy Evan wants to talk to you. He said he’ll meet you in the park beside the school after class. He likes to go there every day.”
It was 6 pm after class and Josh told Evan about his predicament. “WHAT?! No way dude am I going in there!” he retorted. “Come on dude, quit whining like a little schoolgirl. You’re making her wait there.” Josh replied, “Or else, she’ll hate you, F-O-R-E-V-E-R!” His heart was thumping hard and fast. “Oh, Evan is such a meanie making me wait at the park late in the night!” Josh said in a high voice, imitating a sassy schoolgirl. “Oh, shut up! Fine, I’m going!” he replied in a forced voice. “Make me proud mah boi!” Josh shouted.
At the park, Evan saw Mia waiting by the swing. When she saw Evan, she went inside the forest. He followed her inside with his heart beating fast. His mind went blank thinking that they would be both alone in the middle of the woods. “Why can’t we talk here? Why did she go in the woods? Does she want anything from me? What are we going to do in there? Is she “that” kind of girl?” he thought to himself. He started having dirty thoughts of doing “those things” discretely in the middle of the forest.
She led him to a huge lake, and they sat at a fallen tree trunk. He was too nervous to say anything. “What do you think of mutes?” she wrote in her pad. He thought it was a weird question to start with. He gathered his composure to answer, “Well, umm… uh, I think they’re cool people. I think they’re weirdly cute.” he replied, “Oh, I didn’t mean that as an insult.” “Don’t worry, I like that answer.” she wrote in her pad smiling. “Your name’s Evan, right?” she wrote. “Uh huh” he nodded. She suddenly rolled up his left sleeve, then she saw and touched his birthmark. He squealed. He was so surprised that she suddenly touched him. “Umm… what are you doing?” he said nervously. She just smiled at him.
“Listen, I know this is a bit bold saying this since we only met, but I felt that you and I get along. It’s like I suddenly wanted to know you a bit more. It feels like I’ve met you before.” he told her. “Well, have you?” she wrote asking. “I-I can’t remember. I really don’t know why, but it’s hard for me to recall anything in the past.” he said. Her face straightened a bit. “We finally meet again, but then you went ahead and forgot everything…” she thought to herself. “Can we maybe hang out sometime?” he asked.She started writing in her pad of paper, “It depends. You made me wait for a long time. Years even.” she wrote with a smile in the end. “Oh, sorry about that. I was nervous about coming here.” he anxiously replied. She knew that he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. “It’s ok, I can wait for answer.” he replied. “I’ll make you remember.” she told herself.
The sun was setting and it was getting late. “Do you want to stay here and wait for the moon?” she wrote. “Sorry, I have to go now. My mom’s probably looking for me. What about you? I can walk you home if you want.” Evan proposed. She refused, “How about exchanging phone numbers instead?” she suggested. They exchanged phone numbers, and he turned and waved goodbye. When he wasn’t looking, she said, “I love you.” in sign language. He noticed that he forgot to get his bag, so he went back to get it. He saw her doing a sign. He laughed, “Are you into rock-n-roll?” he said. She shook her head wildly as she blushed. “It’s another way of saying hello or goodbye in sign language.” she wrote embarrassed. He got his bag and they exchanged their goodbyes again. As he was leaving, he also did the sign for her, not knowing that it meant “I love you” She blushed hardly. Evan went home and so did Mia.
When Evan got home, he instantly greeted his deaf sister. “Hey sis!” he said as he was doing the sign language for “I love you” His sister smiled and also said “I love you” in sign language. “Oh, that’s sweet honey. Where’d you learn that?” their mother joyfully asked. “We had a new transfer student, and she’s mute. She taught me earlier when we were in the park together.” he replied. “Oh, did you now? Do you know what it means?” she was intrigued. “Of course! It means hello or goodbye.” he boastfully exclaimed. She could do nothing but smile. “Ok honey, I’ll make dinner in a bit. Just wait in your room.” she said containing her laughter. He climbed upstairs to his room. Meanwhile, Mia got back to her dormitory and she received a text message from Evan. “Did you get home safe?” he texted. “I did. How about you?” she replied. “Don’t worry, I’m a grown man!” he responded. They spent the whole night texting each other, feeling a bit comfortable talking to each other. They texted until one of them went to sleep.
The next day, Evan woke up from a loud beeping of a van that passed by. He was so startled that he bumped his head on the top of the bunk bed. “What was my mother thinking buying a bunk bed when nobody’s gonna sleep there in the first place?!” he complained. He got ready for school when his mother suddenly called him. “Ivan, you forgot your bag!” his mother shouted. “Oh, thanks mom. I’ll be off then.” he replied. When he got to the front door, he noticed someone come out their neighbor’s door.
To his surprise, he saw Mia come out. He was surprised to know that they were neighbors. “Hey Mia!” he shouted as he did the “I love you” sign. He caught her attention, and she was startled to see him doing the sign. “Huh? Who’s that?” Sasha asked her as she went out the door of the dormitory. She pushed Sasha inside. She didn’t want her to see Evan doing that sign. “Hey, what’s that for?!” Sasha said annoyed. Evan was confused about what just happened, so he approached them.She went outside the door seeing Evan outside. “Oh, didn’t I tell you Mia? We’re neighbors with this dork.” She said. Mia cracked a nervous smile. “Want to go to school together?” he offered.The two girls accepted his offer and they went to school.
As they were walking, Sasha noticed something suspicious about the two of them. She noticed that Evan is being a little too friendly with Mia, and Mia’s acting a bit too tense. She squinted her eyes. “What in the world happened between these two?” she wondered.
When they arrived in their classroom, Josh was surprised to see Evan walking with Sasha and Mia. He squinted his eyes, something didn’t feel right. The Evan who was too shy to look at Mia, was now acting too close for comfort. They’re smiling too much for it to seem normal. With suspicions, he grabbed Evan by his hand and went to the corner of the room. “What happened in the park yesterday?” he asked, whispering in an angry and serious tone. “Nothing! We just talked.” Evan whispered back. “I figured that much. He’s too much of a wimp to pull it off.” he thought to himself. “I’m keeping my eyes on you two.” he said as he glared at Evan.
After class, everybody was preparing to go home. Evan needed to go home early. He had some chores to take care of. Before going home, he greeted Mia goodbye, “Hey Mia! See you tomorrow. Bye!” he said as he did the “I love you” sign. Out of all the people in the classroom, only three people understood; Josh, Sasha, and the teacher. They were surprised that Evan had the guts to do that. Josh and Sasha stood there speechless by how shameless he looked while doing it. But then, their minds froze when they saw Mia do the same. The two stood there like statues as Evan left the classroom.
“WHAAAAAAAAT????!” the two screamed as they snapped back to reality.Josh fell to his knees crying, “TRAITOR!” he screamed inside. “Mia, is he blackmailing you? Do you want me to call the police? Did he make you eat something bad? Did aliens abduct you?” she kept ratting on with a concerned face as she grabbed Mia by her shoulders.
Mia told her everything that happened in the park. Sasha burst out laughing. “What made you like him?” she asked curiously with a grin. “He’s the boy I met 9 years ago.” Mia replied. The air got serious for a moment. “Well good for you. But I’d never thought it would be him.” she said. “But he doesn’t even remember.” Mia said. “Remember what?” she asked. “What happened 9 years ago.” Mia replied. “Then you should just get together. I won’t stop you from being a couple. There’s no use moping on the past. You can love him just as he is today.” she answered.
Meanwhile, Evan was going home after buying groceries in the market. “Ivan honey, Josh’s here. He said he needed to talk you.” his mother said. He was surprised to see Josh in their living room. He saw him talking to his sister in sign language. He was rather serious and Evan’s sister looks like she’s about to laugh. He couldn’t understand what they were talking about and was a bit confused. “Hey Josh, what brings you here?” he asked. “EVAN! Drop those groceries and go to your room!” Josh said. “What are you? My mom?” he replied laughing.
Evan left the groceries on the kitchen counter and they scurried over to his room. “Nothing happened my ass! You traitor!” Josh yelled crying. “Hey who was it in the first place that forced me to go to the park?” Evan said condescendingly. “Well you were so wimpy, I thought there’s no way she’d go out with a guy like you.” Josh replied… still crying though. “Dude, you’re hurting my feelings now.” Evan said unimpressed. “Plus, nothing did happen in the first place.” he continued. “You’re not fooling my eyes traitor.” Josh answered… still crying but a more calmed down. “Then what do you call that?!” Josh continued as he imitated his goodbye in sassy schoolgirl voice. “It’s just a normal goodbye. Nothing more, nothing less.” Evan explained, innocently even. “Dude, I know you’re an idiot, but not this much.” Josh replied. “Dude, you’re making me want to punch your face.” Evan said irritated.
Josh sighed, “There’s no use getting through that thick skull of yours. I’m going home.” Josh left as he said goodbye to his mother and sister. Evan couldn’t understand what Josh was trying to say. A little later, Evan received a text message from Josh. “By the way, why does your mom call you Ivan?” he asked. “Didn’t I tell you? She told me it’s my grandfather’s nickname. She just likes to call me by that name. I haven’t met him yet though.” Evan texted back.
Because of that single moment, it marked the start of Evan’s happy days. A few weeks later, she received a text from Mia, “Hey Evan. It’s been a while. Wanna hang out together this Saturday? It’ll just be the two of us.” she texted. Evan was excited, but also a bit nervous. The day came and Evan went to fetch Mia on the dormitory next to their house. It was a sight to all her dormmates, especially to Evan’s family.
Evan blushed seeing her in casual clothes rather than their normal school uniform. He noticed that she brought some old things with her. She has this really old sling bag with her, big enough to fit a small doll in it. With it was a duck plushie.
They went to the mall to go shopping. They went into this toy shop where there are a lot of plushies and stuffed toys. Evan offered to pick anything she likes and he’d pay for it. She bought a light blue bear with a picture of a moon in its belly. He noticed that the character was Bedtime Bear from the Care Bears series. He wondered if she has an obsession with that series.
A little later when Mia had to go to the bathroom, she asked Evan to hold her things for her. He instantly noticed the familiarity when he held her bag, especially when he saw the duck on closer inspection. “Hey Mia, how old is this bag?” he asked. “Someone gave it to me 9 years ago.” she replied texting on her phone. 9 years ago, the only thing that Evan could remember at that time was that his mother was depressed.
The rest of the day went on. They went shopping, went to see the movies, ate dinner at a cheap fast-food restaurant then went home. Before entering their homes, Mia gave her bag to Evan, along with the duck and Bedtime Care Bear plushies. “What? These are yours, right? I’d feel bad taking these from you.” Evan insisted. She just shook her head and went home. He went inside his house with questionable things for a guy to bring home. He received a text from Mia right after, “Remember me when you look at my stuff. Look for the moon and remember me always.” she texted. He was quite confused about the message. “Thanks. I won’t forget. I will always keep them.” he replied. To his surprise, he couldn’t believe the message that Mia sent afterwards. “I love you.” she texted. He didn’t know what to say.
After a while, he mustered up his courage to reply. “I love you too.” he texted. Evan was so happy, he couldn’t sleep all night. Though he thought to himself, that everything seemed too convenient and that everything was too easy. He wondered what could have happened 9 years ago since he doesn’t have even a single recollection of what happened back then.
Their dates became more frequent. But each date won’t pass unless she mentions one of three things: the bear, her bag and duck plushie, and the moon. Evan would always brush it off, joking that she has a weird obsession with moons and bears. Every time Mia wants to say something to him about 9 years ago, it would always come off as a joke. Although it hurt her, she just played along since she knew that he doesn’t understand all the hidden messages that she’s been giving to him; she knew that he doesn’t remember anything, even his own family. They were happy with each other, but something was stopping them from truly loving each other.
It’s been a few months, and their relationship became more intimate. Sasha invited Evan to the local coffee shop so they can have a little talk. “Hey Evan, what do you want?” she asked. He was overwhelmed by the names the coffee. “What’s a macchiato? What’s a frappe?” he asked himself. He was too embarrassed to ask Sasha what they meant, so he went for a safe order. “Umm… What’s their drink of the day?” he asked as he saw it in the menu. “Hmm… let’s see, it’s a Blueberry Cheesecake.” she said. In his mind he thought, “WHAT?! That’s not a drink! Did they put a cheesecake in the blender?!” He didn’t question it any further and just ordered it. “Okay, what size?” she asked. He saw the sizes were just the letter G and V. “WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?! Why don’t you use normal language like small, medium and large?!” he screamed inside. “Then I’ll go with giant.” he said as he pointed to the letter G. “Oh, do you mean grande?” she asked. He was embarrassed that he got it wrong, but just went along with it. He got his order, but he was curious about what V meant. “Does the V mean Very big?” he asked Sasha. “No, it’s venti.” she replied chuckling a bit. “WHAT?! I’m a normal American Citizen who has English as his primary language!” he screamed again inside.
They sat on the table and got their drinks. Evan sat there still embarrassed. “Evan, do you remember anything at all 9 years ago?” Sasha asked. He was surprised to hear this question coming from her. “To be honest with you, I won’t be able to tell you anything past 9 years ago. Everything that happened back then is just blurry to me. I just don’t like talking about it because the only thing I remember is my mother being depressed at that time. Why do you ask?” he replied. “Nothing really. This is important for Mia.” she said. “Why did you love Mia in the first place?” she continued asking. He was speechless. He didn’t know how to answer. “I-I don’t know. I just felt it.” he replied. A pathetic answer, Sasha thought to herself. “Listen to me closely. I know why Mia keeps on tolerating you, but it hurts me seeing how you’re acting right now.” she said angrily. He just sat there silently in shame.
“Just remember this. Mia grew up in an orphanage. She grew up being teased, bullied, and hated on by the other kids because she was treated specially. The other kids were jealous of her because the caretakers made her a favorite.” Sasha informed him. “She’s waiting for the kind of attention that she wanted before.” she added. “Then… why did she pick me?” he asked.She stood from her chair in a rage and slapped Evan him face. “Because she’s waiting for you idiot!” she yelled crying. “I’m going home.” she added. He did the “I love you” sign out of habit as he said goodbye, thinking that it was a normal greeting. “Idiot, save those words Mia. She’ll get upset if she knew that you told me you love me.” she replied. “What?! It isn’t a greeting?” he asked. She didn’t answer and just said the word “idiot” She left the shop crying with all eyes on her. Evan received deathly glares from all the customers. He couldn’t handle the pressure and he walked a walk of shame as he also got outside the coffee shop. Those words weighed heavily on Evan’s thoughts. “What could she mean?” he asked himself.
Evan went to the park to ponder. Coincidentally, it was a December night when people usually gather around the park to celebrate the spirit of Christmas. The sun was setting and only a few people were there. He sat there thinking about what Sasha said. He tried to remember real hard what could have occurred 9 years ago.
Evan didn’t have the energy to go home yet, so he loitered around the park as it got crowded. For him, these noises would always give him comfort. He finds a faint sense of familiarity every time he goes to the park during this time of the year. He would always smile at kids playing the carnival-like games at the park, especially the whack-a-mole game.
Even though joy filled the park, Evan sat there quite gloomy. He thought that it was about time to go home. As he stood from the park bench, he remembered the lake where he and Mia first talked together. He just felt that he needed to go there at this exact date. So, he went through the middle of the woods. While walking, he noticed that the surroundings had a faint glow that gradually illuminates the whole place. He followed the light until it led him to the lake. He was struck with awe and unexplainable nostalgia. He recognized the gentle glow of moonlight in the lake, and the fireflies fleeting around gracefully. To his surprise, he saw standing there was Mia, hugging her pad of paper, crying. Evan felt that it was oddly familiar, but something was wrong.
As Evan approached, Mia showed him her pad. It wrote, “You’re intruding in my spot.” it was sloppy handwriting like it was written by a 6-year old. “Oh, don’t be so selfish. Let’s just watch together. It’s like we aren’t a couple.” he replied. “Why’re you crying?” he asked. She kept silent for a little while, as if not wanting to answer. “I only have until New Year’s before I leave.” she wrote in her worn out pad. “What? Why?! Why didn’t you tell me?!” he asked. “My real parents decided to take me back. I just didn’t want to involve you with my family.” she replied. He was sad and devastated when he heard that. There was nothing that he could do, he could think of nothing to comfort her.
“Look at the moon.” she said. “Always remember me when you look at it.” she added. He still couldn’t understand Mia when she says that. She held his hand tightly, not wanting to let go. They both sat there in the fallen tree trunk in silent. He kept staring at the moon looking for answers, looking for words that he needs to say. He felt that what he’s forgetting is right in front of him.
All of a sudden, Mia faced Evan. She gently stroked his cheek, and placed her hand on his neck. He felt the warmth of her hands as every finger touched his skin. Mia kept staring, as if she wanted something from him. He hugged her tightly, “I’ll miss you.” he said.
He figured that it was time to go home. He bid goodbye to Mia and left. But, just as he was about to leave, he heard a chime. He turned back only to hear it ringing again. It was coming from the necklace Mia was wearing. It rung in his ears loudly. The sound kept resonating until it struck him. He remembered… he remembered the events of 9 years ago. He was suddenly overwhelmed with emotions. Tears rolled down as memories kept flooding in one by one. He finally understood everything. He stood there in silence. She went near him and hugged him from his back.
“Hey Mia, if we ever find ourselves looking for each other, we could always meet on the moon, right there on the bear’s tummy.” he said crying. He faced her and kissed her on the forehead. She was overwhelmed with joy. “I’m sorry I made you wait for too long.” he apologized. Mia immediately grabbed his head, and went in to kiss him in the lips. His heart skipped a beat. As he got his composure, he grabbed her by the back and went in to kiss deeper.
They stayed for as long as they could. But the day didn’t last long. “I’ve waited for you 9 years. It’s your turn now.” she wrote. “Don’t worry, I’ll always be here waiting.” he replied. She got a piece of paper from her pad. That paper contained the drawing of a bear, with the moon as its belly; it was the picture they drew 9 years ago. She gave it to him as a remembrance. When he was about to leave, “Mia! I love you!” he shouted as loud as he can as he said “I love you” in sign language. She smiled back as she also did the same.
Evan had a fun night, but it was now time for him to deal with his mother. Knowing the events of 9 years ago, it hurt him to know all the things that she did.
9 years ago, it was a cold December night and the park was filled with festivity. Lights covered every building in the vicinity, food stalls scattered across the sidewalks, a bunch of carnival games, and hearing never ending Christmas themed jingles of every shop. Evan always waited eagerly for this time of the year.
Going to the park was every 6-year old’s dream during Christmas, especially for Evan. He sat at their living rooming constantly jumping and impatiently waiting for his family. He climbed upstairs to his room to pick on his brother. “IVAN! You slowpoke! You need to hurry so we can go to the park!” Evan shouted at his twin brother. “YOU’RE the slowpoke! I was ready 5 minutes ago.” Ivan yelled back as they both laughed together and got down from their bunk bed. “Mom, aren’t you ready yet?” they said as they kept nagging their mother. “Behave sweetie. The park won’t go anywhere. Just play for a bit in your room with your brother. I’ll be ready in a sec.” said their mother. “Okay!”_ the twins said enthusiastically. Ivan then said, “Mom! A second already passed. It’s time to go.” She giggled a bit. “Clever Ivan, but we’ll also have to wait for your sister. Just be patient okay?” she replied. Their home was filled joyful noise as they got ready to go to the park.
The first thing that the twins did as they got to the park was to play those carnival games. “Boys, don’t go too far away now. We’ll be waiting for you in the playground.” said the mother. “Yes mom!” the twins said as they ran excitedly to the stall. “Hey Ivan, I’m gonna beat your record in Whack-a-mole this time.” Evan said. “Heh! Try me!” Ivan boasted. “Eager to go eh? You have a minute each. If you can whack 30, I’ll give you a special prize.” the store clerk told them.
The two repeatedly played a round of Whack-a-mole, while their mother and sister were at the playground. “Hah! I beat you again!” Ivan said with a smirk in his face. “You just got lucky today.” Evan pouted. “Here’s your prize kid for getting 32 of ‘em.” said the store clerk as he gave the kid a duck plushie. “Hey Evan, I don’t want it. You can take it if you want. I have better toys at home.” He gladly took the plushie. “Don’t regret it later. It’s mine now.” he said, putting the toy in his brown sling bag.
After a while, Evan started to get bored playing games. While he was sitting on the playground swing, he saw a little girl of about his age go through the forest. It got him curious to what was in there. “Mom I’m gonna go pee” he said to his mother. He went to the comfort room, then sneaked into the forest with his bag and plushie when she wasn’t looking. He started to follow the path, until the scenery became bright.
In front of him was a huge and beautiful lake. The moonlight reflected on its clear waters, illuminating the surroundings with a cool, gentle glow. Fireflies were fleeting around the waters. It’s as if a mermaid were alluring him to come swim in the water, but what he saw was an elegant little lady. She had a bright necklace in the shape of a ball. Her smile shone bright along with the moon’s soft glow as she stood there admiring the beauty that was in front of her. It was his first time seeing anything more beautiful other than his mother. He had an urge to talk to her
When he got closer, she noticed that someone else was with her. She ran away when she saw him. “Hey don’t go away. We can watch together.” Evan suggested. She then took a huge pad of paper, and started to write something. She showed it to Evan. It wrote, “You’re intruding in my spot” “Oh, don’t be so selfish. Let’s just watch together.” he replied as he smiled at her. She approached him meekly, hugging her pad of paper.
They sat together on a fallen tree trunk, enjoying the faint glow of the moonlight. She noticed a huge birthmark on his shoulder. “I really like it here, and it’s really quiet. Can I come here next time?” he asked. She started writing again in her pad of paper, “No” “You’re really weird. Why do you need to write what you say?” he curiously asked. She wrote, “I can’t speak. I’m mute” “What’s a mute? It sounds cool.” he chuckled, “That’s cool. I really think people are cute when they can’t speak, like my older sister. She does these weird thingy symbols with her hands with my mom, and she would do the same. It’s like they’re doing a weird but cute dance together.” She smiled when she heard him say that. “You think so? Other kids always bully me because I can’t talk.” she wrote smiling. “Well they don’t understand the meaning of cool!” he exclaimed. “You’re weird too.” she wrote as she showed it to him amused.
“Do you like moons? I think they’re beautiful. Just look at it.” she wrote. “Yeah, it is beautiful.” he awed in wonder. She wrote again in her pad, “Can you see the bear in the sky? Look!” “What, where?” puzzled, he asked. He gazed intensely, looking for the bear in the sky. “Wait I see it! It’s that right? That’s the ears, then the head. And that’s the arms and feet. And that’s his belly, right? The moon!” he excitedly answered. She nodded smiling. She drew the picture of the constellation in her pad, the picture of a bear, with the moon as its belly. “Come back here next time, okay?” she wrote. “Don’t worry, I will as long as you’ll still come.” he said. “What if I can’t come back here?” she wrote again. “Well we’ll just meet on the moon dummy! On the bear’s tummy!” he exclaimed. It made her happy again. She wrote once more, “This’ll be our secret, ‘kay?”
They suddenly heard a faint shouting in the distance. “Evan! Evan! Where are you?!” it was his mother looking for him. “Oh crap, my mom’s gonna scold me. Sorry, I have to go now. Bye.” he said as he quickly bolted out of the forest. But then he heard a chime coming from behind him. He saw her shaking her necklace while holding up his bag with the plushie inside it. “Oh, it’s yours now. I don’t really want those anymore. I can just win a prize again next year. Take care of the doll for me!” he said as he dashed outside the forest. She wrote, “Remember my name. It’s Mia.” but Evan wasn’t able to see it.
Ivan, along with his mother and sister kept looking for Evan. They saw someone rushing out of the forest. It was Evan, “Mom! I’m here!” he shouted as he called out to them. “Evan! What do you think you’re doing in there?!” she raised her voice as she came to hug him. “I made a friend in there.” he said smiling. “Now Evan, I don’t want you making friends with forest critters.” she told him. He just laughed. “Hey, where’d you put my duck? I’m not giving you another one.” Ivan squabbled. “I gave it to my friend.” he replied while laughing.
They left the park, and started to head home. Out of all of them, Evan had the most fun and memorable night. He wanted to come back again next year, but he’ll regret the day that he wasn’t able to come back to their spot.
One afternoon, Evan and Ivan played tag in their backyard. Evan was “it” so Ivan had to run really fast. They played tag even across the street. Came from afar, was a car steering speedily. The car dashed in front of their house, and a loud thump was heard across the neighborhood. Ivan got caught, his frail body on the floor, with a pool of blood forming around him. Evan got scared, he bawled out crying. The car kept running until it crashed on the wall. The neighborhood was alarmed by the loud noises. Their mother was coming home from work when she saw the chaos in front of her. Huge crowds gathering in front of their house, Evan wailing loudly, a pool of blood, and her favorite son, Ivan’s lifeless corpse on the ground. She was speechless and distraught, but she was screaming deep inside.
A few weeks after the incident, their mother had to take anti-depressants prescribed by her doctor. But her mind was so disturbed that she took huge doses of it. She even made Evan take huge doses of anti-depressants along with her. Those huge doses damaged their brains and memory. She kept calling Evan as Ivan and couldn’t accept that he died.
Evan recalled all of these thing as he walked home. As he came home from the park, he was afraid of stepping inside their home. He didn’t know how he can treat his mother the same after all that she’s done.
