It Appeared IV |
The young man put his head on the floor and started to get down on his knees.
It was evident that he was in dire need of help, no kidding.
According to the details, he was trapped by a large collapsed tree and owing to the immense impact, his spirit was detached from his body, leaving him in an ongoing state of suspended animation. While he was narrowly holding on to life, his death would be imminent if the situation were left unattended.
Therefore, he requested me to go with him into the sea of trees to search for the location of his body.
“Are you kidding me?”
This development was not in the least amusing. The sea of trees, we were talking about that sea of trees.
He went further in through the copse around the convenience store. It was said to be a boundless labyrinth that an amateur would never be able to return to if ventured into thoughtlessly.
Moreover… it was a suicide spot, where it was reputed that many people came to abandon their lives every year. And he wanted me to go there?
The mere thought of it made me shudder. Simply being in that convenience store alone was overwhelming, so what would happen to me if I went to a place with such a dense aura of negativity? There would probably be tens, if not hundreds of them. Not only that, perhaps inside there might be… real ones lying around or hanging besides spirits and the like.
“It’s not like that! I had to enter it for work, and it took me longer than I thought it would… and I got retaliated against… No, I mean! I screwed up! Yeah, I screwed up!”
You screwed up and nearly died… More importantly, what kind of job required you to enter the sea of trees?
“Well, I run my own business and work behind the scenes… so I don’t want anything too out in the open, like cops.”
Seriously, what kind of job would that be?
“Even if it’s your own life on the line!? You can’t afford to be so modest about it!”
“But… it doesn’t guarantee that I’m going to die yet.”
“If you’re going to seek help from a civilian, go to the police, they’ll save you for sure. I’ll call them.”
“Whoa, hold on! Hold on! If the police are involved, trouble will follow… or rather, even if I make it back alive, I won’t be able to go home.”
…Were you a criminal?
“If you don’t like it, give it up. My bad, I won’t move even a muscle. I seriously don’t want to put myself in danger.”
“Ah.”
I was nothing but a convenience store staff member and not benevolent enough to willingly extend my hand to a customer I once met who requested me to enter the sea of trees with him.
“I am sorry but… don’t get me embroiled in anything strange.”
I wondered if that was a roundabout way of telling him to die. Even though he was a total stranger, I felt like a wicked guy for saying this to him.
I lit a cigarette and smoked it to compose myself. If I could, I would save him, but the conditions were too adverse. At this hour of the night, and with him in a state of astral projection, it would be suicidal for me to go into the sea of trees with him. In case I messed up, I likewise would end up lying in the sea of trees as a corpse.
Even I feared for my own safety. Too many incidents in the past few days had driven me to the point where I strongly felt that I had to protect myself. While I did understand that this young man in front of me was facing a crisis and needed someone’s help, there was no way that it had to be me to help him.
There would be others who would be willing to offer their help instead of me. Though, he had to choose the way to present himself.
“I-I guess so…”
Instead of reacting furiously to my denial, as I had anticipated, the young man looked up apologetically with a small smile on his face.
“Indeed… I showed up out of the blue and asked you to accompany me into the sea of trees. What I said was too outrageous. I messed up on my own, and I was too naive to ask someone else to help me out. Sorry, sonny, for the trouble I caused you, and I hope you forgive me…”
“You…”
“During the day, I was desperately trying to find my body but I couldn’t locate it. I have a friend but that guy has no sense of direction and I have no idea where they are right now, so I was brainstorming about who might be able to help me instead, and your face came to mind, the same sonny who gave me a towel yesterday…”
I couldn’t help myself, I had no idea where to turn. I thought you might be able to help me, he said.
“Yeah. But you know, it’s your thing, and you have to clean up your own mess.”
I have disturbed you―
After saying this, the young man began to become thinner and thinner and more transparent. It was as if he was fading away.
“Hey…”
“Tomorrow night, I’m going to go to the convenience store again. If I don’t show up at the convenience store then… please call the cops.”
“T-That means…”
Before I could say anything else, the young man grinned at me.
“What? That possibility is highly unlikely. I’ll see you tomorrow night at the convenience store, sonny.”
“Are you certain you’ll be fine on your own?”
“I have no one else to rely on, well, I’ll manage! I’ll get myself out of this mess!”
Even though he was dying, what was he saying so self-confidently? As I was about to tell him so, I found that the young man was indeed trying to disappear from the spot, or rather, he had already completely vanished, down to his upper body.
“Hey!”
“See you later, sonny.”
“Hey! You…”
Hold on. By the time I said that, it was already too late. Like mist, no trace of him lingered. The young man’s figure was utterly out of sight.
Was he gone?
“Is he really gone?”
I called out to him, yet received no response. There was no presence.
I knew it. It seemed that the young man had returned alone to the sea of trees to search for his body.
What had just ensued was so unrealistic that I was dazed for a while, but no matter how long I waited, there was no sign of the young man emerging again.
“…”
For now… For a change of mood, I decided to open the window and have another smoke.
A slight yet cool night breeze was flowing in.
While blowing out the smoke at random, I gazed up at the night sky.
I wondered what was going to become of that guy… Would he make it back alive and actually visit the convenience store tomorrow night?