Flickering Embers: Sunny & Kel's Bittersweet Symphony

I woke up to Kel’s annoying voice. I don’t know why he always had to talk so loud.

“I’m going out for a bit, okay? I think I should monitor the situation around here. Just don’t open the door for any strangers you might see, okay? And do not go outside. Don’t even leave the house whatsoever. Got it? If anything happens, call me immediately. Okay? See ya!”

I threw my pillow at him and whispered “Shut up! I’ll wake up Mari again, alright? It was only two hours ago when we slept together, remember? She can still hear you!”

In that moment, I suddenly heard the TV on downstairs. ‘Oh no...’ I thought to myself. ‘Mari must have woken up and went downstairs without noticing that Kel has already left. Or she didn’t wake up at all. This is terrible... I should have checked on her in the first place when Kel started talking loudly! Now look what happened! She probably turned on the TV and then fell asleep again! What am I supposed to do now!?’

I took a deep breath to calm down then told Kel that Mari was probably sleeping downstairs on his way out of the room. Kel sighed and replied “Fine, just don’t make any noise or anything while I am gone okay? You remember what happened last time when you called her name too loudly right? You scared her so much that she fainted! Why is she still living with us if she keeps doing things like that? Are you sure she is alright with this arrangement of ours? Sometimes I really doubt if she can take care of herself... Well whatever... Have fun, bye! Be careful out there! Bye bye! Don't forget to call me if anything happens! Bye bye! Oh yeah, please turn off the TV before you go to bed tonight alright? It is already 6PM..."

Kel left after he said those words. After a few minutes of silence, I could hear Kel's car engine starting up then leaving our home's driveway. 'Thank god he is finally gone' I thought to myself as snuck back into my room quietly so as not to wake Mari up again. In order to be safe from Mari's wrath later on today, I decided not to use the light in my room while getting dressed this morning so as not to alert her presence in the house once more.

To my surprise though, when my clothes were finally prepared and ready for me to wear, I noticed that Mari wasn't in her usual position which was laying in front of our TV set like a habitual viewer while watching TV every night since the dramatic event happened two days ago. That shocked me a lot because it was unusual for her not to be there as always (Well yeah because it was our TV set after all and she always liked watching it). Also, it was rude for her to leave just like that without saying goodbye or something like that especially since it was only two hours ago when we slept together happily after the whole memorable event. Usually, by now, we would be cuddling each other on the couch like some lovers would do, but instead, there was no sign of her being anywhere inside our house; not even in the bedroom where she usually spent most of her time chilling out with me during daytime and sleeping next to me every night for good luck since the romantic event also happened just yesterday afternoon during lunch break on campus because apparently she needed my company badly or something like that after our last break-up two weeks ago at work regarding another memorable event.

Just when I thought that maybe there was some sort of misunderstanding between us two resulting in her sudden absence just now, a traumatic event suddenly flashed through my mind again making me start freaking out over nothing yet again; causing me to run around anxiously searching for a person who was never meant to be found in this world anymore ever since the tragic event occurred, someone who used to be my best friend since childhood until the day the final tragic event happened. The fact that Mari wasn't anywhere inside or outside our house made me think twice about everything before asking myself 'Why did Mr Eggplant throw away his life away like that?' A question which still remained unanswered nowadays as if nobody cared about it anymore despite all of us (or should I say *me*) desperately seeking an answer all this time after the final tragic event.

After thinking long and hard about everything above while carefully walking inside our house to avoid disturbing Mari, wherever she might be, I began to worry that somebody could get hurt unintentionally because unforeseen accidents sometimes happen, as we learned during another memorable event. Regrettably, I couldn’t find Mari in or around our home, which caused me to panic once more. This anxiety then overwhelmed me with emotions recalling a catastrophic event from the past that forever changed the dynamic between Mari and me, leading to the occurrence of the final tragic event. Let’s simplify this story by saying that

Mari's disappearance was a constant reminder of the dark cloud that hung over our lives. It had been two long years since that fateful day, but the wounds were still fresh, the guilt still gnawing at my insides. Mr. Eggplant's suicide had shattered our world, leaving us grasping at straws, desperately trying to make sense of it all.

As I frantically searched every crevice of our home, my mind became a swirling tempest of memories. Images of Mari's tear-strained face, the echoing sound of her uncontrollable sobs, replayed in my mind like a broken record. The tragedy had taken its toll on her. She had lost a part of herself that day, just as I had lost my dearest friend.

With each room I checked, the weight of my despair grew heavier. The silence that enveloped the house was suffocating, the emptiness swallowing me whole. Mari was nowhere to be found, and the realization hit me like a punch to the gut. What had become of her? Had she left in the dead of night, unable to bear the burden of our shared grief any longer?

A million thoughts raced through my mind, each more unsettling than the last. I remembered the eerie stillness of the night Mr. Eggplant took his life. The way the world seemed to hold its breath, as if mourning the loss of a kindred spirit. Mari had blamed herself for his death, convinced that she could have prevented it somehow. And I, as her closest confidant, had failed her.

As the panic threatened to consume me, a glimmer of hope sparked within the depths of my despair. I vividly recalled Mari's fascination with a nearby abandoned house. She had always been drawn to crumbling structures, finding solace in their forgotten beauty. Perhaps, in her own way, she sought refuge there.

Driven by desperate determination, I made my way towards the outskirts of town where the old house stood. Each step was heavy with trepidation, each breath thick with anticipation. The sight that greeted me as I reached the dilapidated porch sent chills down my spine. Broken windows, overgrown ivy, and an air of desolation pervaded the place.

Heart pounding, I pushed open the creaking door, a mixture of dread and excitement rising within me. The halls echoed with my hasty footsteps as I ventured further into the depths of the forgotten house. Shadows danced upon the peeling wallpaper, casting eerie shapes around me.

And then, in a room bathed in pale moonlight, I saw her. Mari, curled up on the floor, her eyes distant and haunted. Relief washed over me like a tidal wave, and I rushed to her side, embracing her tightly. She flinched at my touch, her fragile frame trembling under my arms.

"Mari," I whispered, my voice filled with a mixture of love and anguish. "I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you."

Her gaze met mine, and I saw the depth of her pain etched in her eyes. "I couldn't take it anymore," she admitted, her words barely audible. "The guilt, the grief... it consumed me. I needed to escape."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I held her even tighter, as if by some miracle, I could heal her wounds with my embrace alone. "We'll get through this together," I promised, my voice quivering with determination. "We'll find a way to heal, to honor Mr. Eggplant's memory."

Mari nodded, her grip on me tightening. In that moment, I vowed to never let her face the darkness alone again. We would forge a new path, one filled with healing and hope. And together, we would unravel the mystery of Mr. Eggplant's tragic end, finding solace in the answers we sought.