Her Eternal Soul

“Happy Birthday Mayu.” I smile, gazing into her passionate eyes from across the table. The reflection of the candlelight flickers across her irises, illuminating her rosy skin.

“Shinya, you shouldn’t have!” She exclaims, blushing as she fumbles with the wrapping of her gift. I can’t help but chuckle as she struggles not to rip the paper.

“Just open it!” I press, nudging her ankle with my foot. “I can’t wait to see your face!”

“You’re seeing it right now.” She smirks, sticking her tongue out. I can’t help but roll my eyes. She knows what I mean. “Oh Shinya!” She gasps, breath caught in her throat as she finally gets the box open. No doubt her eyes are focused on the glimmering candy colored diamonds set in a white gold band. I smile tenderly as she meets my gaze.

“Kigan Mayu…will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your years with me?” I question, heart thrumming in nervous anticipation.

“Oh Shinya! Of course!” She hiccups, choking down tears of joy. I smile broadly, taking her hand and slipping the ring on her finger. I can’t wipe the grin off my face, knowing I would be spending the rest of my life with this woman.

“I love you Mayu.” I whisper.

“I love you too Shinya.” I can barely hear her respond between gleeful sobs. I could barely manage to finish my meal that night. My stomach was so full of butterflies. Even though she said yes, I couldn’t coax those retched things out of me.

“Shoot! I forgot our leftovers on the table!” Mayu huffs as we leave the restaurant.

“What? Again?” I laugh outwardly, her fingers entwined with mine. She just sighs, glancing back at the restaurant. “I’ll be right back.” She utters, quickly prancing off. I just shake my head, waiting for her on the sidewalk.

An eerie feeling suddenly slithers down along my spine, raising goose bumps on my skin. I glance sideways into a dimly lit alleyway. It appeared to be empty, aside from the expected city debris and trash receptacles. A pained moan fills my ears, and I realize what I had thought to be a pile of trash, was actually a man.

“Sir? Are you okay?” I question, darting into the alley. I did not even stop to question my actions. I stood in front of the crumpled figure as they moaned in agony. They clutched a book to their chest tightly, avoiding my gaze.

‘Great…I’ve stumbled across a homeless heroin addict.’ I thought to myself as the man refused to acknowledge me. As I turned away from the man, he quickly took hold of my ankle. His cold, narrow fingers sent a numbing chill through my body. I felt as though he was sucking the energy from my soul.

“Let go!” I growled, tugging my leg away.

“It’s your time Shinya.” A dark voice filled my ears. I glanced back down at the man to find that he had opened his book to me. He smiled a rotten smile as I noticed my own name scribbled across the pages. My heart raced. What was going on?

“It’s your time.” He repeated, rising to my level. The man was tall and malnourished, almost skeletal. His body was clad in tattered, dark rags. I couldn’t help but glance up at his face, my breathing stopped as I took in the last of his features. His narrow lips twisted back in a sick grimace, while his eyes were sunken into his skull. His gray skin fell in patches as he cornered in on me, holding his book in my face.

Terachi Shinya. It read, in big, bold letters. It repeated over the page, again and again. I could feel my heart in my throat, thrumming as if I’d just ran a marathon. My palms were thick with sweat, and my mind reeled. What could I do?

I ripped the page from his book. What good would that do? I didn’t know. I just felt not seeing my name in my face would ease my nerves. I shredded the paper between my fingers, exhaling harshly through my nose as I focused on the ink bleeding into my skin. It covered my hands as I let the scraps of paper fall into the alley. And then, the man laughed: a heavy, guttural laugh. I didn’t think he had it in him. His voice bounced off the walls, surrounding me.

“You showed me.” He chortles, his mouth hanging open. My body shook as he spoke. “I guess it isn’t your time anymore.” He continues laughing boisterously. I glance around nervously, wondering if I could escape from the mad man. “Here you go kid.” The man belts, shoving the book into my chest. I clutch it unconsciously, watching as the man backs away from me. “Enjoy your time.” He smirks, his body crumpling into itself. I stared in awe at the pile of tattered rags and boney dust in front of me.

“What on earth…?” I muttered to myself, glancing down at the book in my hands. It had no title. In fact, it appeared to be a journal.

“Shinya? Shinya?! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Mayu’s voice calls out bitterly, her eyes narrowed at me. “What are you doing back there? We’re going to be late for the movie!” She huffs, urging me forward, out of the alley. I stare at her figure in awe, questioning my own sanity. What had just happened? “Come on!” She hollers. Pushing away the thoughts of what had just occurred, I rush to her side. She narrows her eyes at me, questioning me.

“I’m fine.” I lie, knowing what she was about to ask. “There was a cat caught in the dumpster, I let her out.” I lie.

“You’re such a good person.” She smiles, taking hold of my free hand. “What’s that you’ve got there?” She questions the journal in my grasp.

“Oh…just a journal.” I shrug, quickly flipping it open. It was filled with names. It was a list in fact, like a to-do list. My heart stops as I notice the first name written in the book… Kigan Mayu. I quickly snap it shut, tucking the journal under my arm.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about this movie.” Mayu chatters, but even her playful voice and loving smile couldn’t rid the dread in my heart.