You lean back in the chair and close your eyes for a few moments, thinking on what you’ve just read. An image of the young Miko, adolescent and gawky forms in your mind and you doze fitfully for a few moments, imaging what it must have been like to be her.
When you open you eyes again it is dark outside.
You jump up from the chair as if it is electrified, scattering Kali’s notebook onto the floor, before running back into the living room. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” you shout anxiously. “I fell asleep.”
Miko and Kali are sitting in the lounge as you enter: Miko curled up in a chair and Kali lying back on the sofa. Their conversation stops and they both turn to look at you, consternation etched on their faces.
Miko glances at Kali, who’s mouth is slightly agape. “Can you understand what I’m saying,” she says very slowly and carefully to you.
“Uh…” you reply more than a little dumbly. “Of course I can?” Kali’s gaze flickers back and forth between you and Miko.
“You know,” continues Miko slowly, uncurling her legs out from underneath her. “That you are speaking in Japanese?” She rises from the chair, her face starting to colour.
“I’m what,” you sputter.
“It’s bad enough,” says Miko, the tone and volume of her voice starting to climb. “That you are standing there looking like that, but to have you inside here as well.” She indicates her head by tapping on it with a finger. “Don’t you go fucking about inside my head,” she screams and storm off towards her bedroom.
You can only stand slack-jawed and watch her leave. “What was that about,” asks Kali in English. Now that you realise what you’ve been doing, you can clearly tell the difference between the two languages.
You sit down in the seat Miko just vacated, unconsciously curling your feet underneath you. Concentrating hard, you focus on trying to use English before speaking. “I think,” you say slowly at first, then picking up speed as using your own native tongue becomes second nature again. “I think I remembered some things about being Miko. I was speaking Japanese. Did I make a mess of things?”
“Gracious, child, no,” replies Kali. “But what upset Miko so much?”
“She told me not to, um… go looking inside her head,” you reply, omitting Miko’s vulgarity.
“I see,” says Kali, holding her hand to her chest very self consciously. “I would say that everyone has secrets of a sort. They might seem trivial to the rest of us, but they don’t want to relive them or have other people find out. Can you remember any of her memories still?”
You take a moment to think, but all you can find are your own memories. “I don’t think so,” you reply. “I can barely remember what we said. I mean, I remember the meaning of it, but the words seem like nonsense to me now.”
The pair of you sit there in silence.
“Should I go speak to her?”
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author