by E. Mendell
Hiroshima Book One
E. Mendell
Copyright 2014 E. Mendell
Table of Contents
Golden Messenger
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
About the Author
Connect with E. Mendell
- Golden Messenger -
For one world, all was lost. Pain. Separation. The ache of a beating heart torn and shredded… all that once was will never be again. The white hand of death was coming closer with every breath, yet still so far…
“Don’t come!” The voice screamed through the swirling darkness. Stars morphed and the galaxies spiraled out of control. “Don’t come closer!” Cried the voice again in such pitiful agony that to hear it would break one’s heart. A heavy sob of anguish filled the emptiness. “Stay away! Don’t come here!” It cried.
In the blackness none saw the crystal tears that mingled with the stars.
~ One ~
A burst of light made Hiro’s golden eyes fly open. He sat up at once, his shadowy black hair whipping around his face as he held the blankets to his heart, panting for air. He stared at the window above his head to the sunlight spilling in on him. Hiro blinked, holding his hand up to shield his eyes. His bangs were long at the front and the back was spiked out and short. He had pale skin and wore a nightshirt and jeans. Once again he had gone to bed without a care, collapsing onto the mattress and coiling himself with the thin blankets.
He narrowed his eyes miserably. “So… another day decided to dawn,” he whispered gently. He sighed sadly, lowering his head for a moment before rolling out of bed and standing up. The small room he slept in was his whole house. It was small and dark with no lights, scarcely any electric and a tiny bathroom. A laptop lay on Hiro’s bed with the wrinkled sheets. Dirty clothes were piled on the floor at the foot of the bed and so were a pile of books and papers. Hiro paid these no mind as he dug through the clothes and found two mismatched socks. He held them up, collapsing onto the mattress that lay solo on the floor. He had no real bed or many possessions. Most of what he treasured he kept on him at all times.
Hiro pulled on the socks, grabbing the boots that sat beside the clothes pile. He slipped them on, tying them tight before standing. His golden eyes swept the room before he grudgingly realized he was still wearing his nightshirt. With slight reluctance he pulled it off, tossed it aside and searched the floor for a different shirt to wear.
The winner was a black jacket that he always wore. He paused before putting it on though and glanced down at himself.
The bandages around his abdominal made him cringe and he swiftly pulled on the jacket, zipping it up halfway. He then crossed the room to the front door. It had several different locks on it and Hiro undid each of them with three swift flicks of his hand. He then pushed the door open, blinking as he stepped out into the sunlight pouring from the sky.
It caught in his dark hair, showing the silver strands that glowed against the black. He lifted his arm over his head, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light.
His house was a small abandoned shed that stood near the sidewalk. Larger buildings lined the street and in the distance could be seen the city. Telephone lines strung their way from one pole to the next; most of them were speckled with small birds warming their feet. Hiro frowned at the birds, but then looked quickly down the street when he heard a car coming. It honked lightly as it passed him and Hiro lifted his hand to wave, his forced grin faltering slightly. He recognized the car, but remembered not who the driver was. That was normal for him though. Most of the city knew him, but he wasn’t sure who anyone was. Names escaped him. The only way he remembered people was by specific attributes they each possessed. He never remembered a name, but when he did it always ended badly.
Which is why he currently didn’t know a single person by name. The last person whose name he learned had died an extremely painful death. An accident, yes, but it wasn’t the first time it had happened. The person before whose name Hiro remembered had also died another painful death. It was his curse. When he remembered a person’s name they would die.
It was because of this that no one hated Hiro. No one knew how bad of an omen he was. When meeting strangers he refused to let them tell him their name in fear of remembering it. He didn’t want another person to die such gruesome deaths.
“Don’t come!”
The shrill voice echoed in Hiro’s mind, making him flinch and touch his head. He had never before had such an eerie dream. To have heard the voice screaming, crying out in pain for him to stay away scared him to no end. He didn’t know who it was or what was happening to him, but he was determined not to learn another name again in fear of hearing another voice of some helpless person crying out, doom to death…
“Stupid,” he muttered to himself, walking up the hill that was to his right. The sidewalk laced over it happily. Green grass grew through cracks in the cement and along the rim there grew rosebushes and flower gardens. The other people who lived nearby owned them. Hiro tried not to speak to them, but even so, he had no enemy among them. He often stopped and smelled the flowers. Acknowledging the people who looked at him and offered a kind wave or nod. He rarely spoke to others. The only words he said were for his own ears.
This made life unbearably lonely, but at least it was safe.
Hiro walked to the peek of the hill, his hands in his pockets and his golden eyes gazing at the sky. He wasn’t as happy as he made himself believe. The only comfort he really felt was in knowing that with his solitude he was saving those he passed. Kind people who smiled and waved at him, honking merrily at the sight of him or just admiring his kind disposition, all of them he was saving with his silence. Deep inside his heart was heavy. Laden with pain from his past. A past no one knew about. A story he wished never to relive or think of again.
“Stay away!”
Hiro stopped at once, flinching and looking around himself. He stood atop the hill. Turning, he looked down the road to his small home and beyond. In the distant he could see the white buildings of Castroph City glowing merrily. The city and towns surrounding it were beautiful and peaceful. Hiro let his gaze wander over them from the hill where he could see everything. He often sat on the bench that was by the sidewalk at the top. From there he would look around in silence for hours, pondering what to do when next someone attempted to speak to him.
Glancing around, Hiro spotted the bench. He approached it casually, noting the bushes that were planted around it were in bloom. It looked nice, but then a flutter of white on the bench stopped him in his tracks.
He stared in shock to see a piece of paper on the bench. On top of it was a lucky-kitty paperweight. The breeze caused the paper to shiver and snap, but it couldn’t escape the smiling gold cat seated on its back. Hiro stood motionless, staring at the paper in silence. He lifted his head, glancing slowly to his left and then to his right. In his heart was a sinking feeling that the note was for him.
Hiro looked down at it, his golden eyes narrowing gloomily. Was it from a villager who had taken to his silence like the rest? Had someone discovered that he always sat on this bench?
He couldn’t avoid the inevitable, or the curiosity he felt. The thought of someone trying to speak to him through paper was interesting. That and the golden smiling cat statue seemed oddly welcoming. It could have been a perfectly planned trap and Hiro wasn’t sure what to expect when he took the note and sat down. He crossed one leg, placing the kitty statue on his knee and examining the paper. It had a pink ruffle along the edges and Hiro frowned. Was it from a female admirer?
Sighing, Hiro glanced around once more before opening the folded piece of paper and reading the
fancy scrawl on the inside. He was interested at the start and arched an eyebrow as he read the note carefully.
“Dear Stranger,” it began lightheartedly. “So many times I see you pass by my window, stopping to wave at all the cars that honk at you and the people that wave. You seem to be a very kindhearted spirit and I wish more than anything that you would speak so I could know what kind of a voice you have. Do you even have a voice? I haven’t ever heard you speak, or seen you open your mouth at that. Except once when you yawned. That was adorable though. Oh! I’m sorry… that must have sounded awkward. I would have erased that if I hadn’t written this in pen.” Hiro shook his head at that, noticing how the fine penmanship had become a little gagged after that. “I hope you are not alarmed at me stashing this note on the bench for you. I only wanted to see if you would respond. I swear I’m not a stalker! I just see you every day, but you haven’t once seen me.”
Hiro frowned a little at this. He looked around as the morning light illuminated his surroundings. Nowhere in sight was there a girl or boy. Though by this time Hiro was convinced it was a female. The stammering in her letter proved that well enough. He waited a moment before looking back at the note as it came to its closing.
“Please write me back,” it said. “I’m extremely lonely. I thought the golden cat could be our messenger. Guarding our notes day by day. Whatever you decide, Stranger. I’m just happy you read my note. Thank you very much! I hope to hear from you.”
The best part of the note for Hiro was that the girl hadn’t signed her name. She simply ended the note without leaving a name. Hiro sighed in relief and lowered the note. He leaned back in the bench, looking up at the sky with a distant gaze. He wasn’t sure what to think. Should he write back? In truth he was tempted to. The girl sounded almost as lonely as he felt. Was it possible he could have a friend through paper?
Shutting his eyes, Hiro let the thought slide. He had all day to think on it. There was no real rush…