e·the·re·al

   [ih-theer-ee-uhl] 

adjective

light, airy, or tenuous: an ethereal world created through the poetic imagination.

A dream will start,

A mind will linger,

A heart will wander.

Just one dream, one mind and one heart.

This was something that Kris did not want to realize. But wanting something and reality are two completely different things.

People will die. I became weak as soon as the sun disappeared behind the clouds. I grabbed my blanket and tried creating some kind of comforting embrace from something that was completely made out of fabric. There were no arms. There was only this phony warmth of a person that did not exist.

A grin appeared on my face and crawled upwards until it could be named a smile. This gape I had in my existence couldn’t ever be restored again. Warmth turned into cold ice and the more people that were surrounding me, made me feel completely alone. The paradox of my life couldn’t be fully described with just mere words.

It was my birthday today. But it didn’t feel like a day that needed to be celebrated. It wasn’t only my birthday today. I inhaled deeply and stood up, dropped the blanket on the floor and realized that it was happening again.

There weren’t any mirrors hanging on the walls. I hated mirrors. It confronted me with everything that had ever hurt me before. The past, the future and the godforsaken present.

I entered my bathroom and felt an upwelling nausea devouring my little existence. While throwing up into the toilet, my core contracted countless times, making breathing between the intervals of pure lunacy completely impossible.

I hadn’t seen Tao in a week. To be honest, my interest in him had faded since the bureau knew of his connection with the doctor. I couldn’t visit the house. I needed time to think this through. I had the talisman, the black book and absolutely no clue of what was going on. I had some theories, though.

The first one was that the doctor and Tao had a secret relationship that wasn’t based on the principals of the house, but on actual love. The doctor was murdered by Zico or really did commit suicide because of the impossible love.

The second one didn’t make any sense while reviewing the story and the third one sounded something like a mere coincidence. Maybe they were just acquaintances.

I couldn’t see any neutral response. It made me doubt who to trust. At this rate I couldn’t even talk to Minori, the maid, without feeling a strange vibe. I couldn’t trust anyone.

It was time to see Tao again. It was Wednesday, one of the days I was allowed visiting him. I dreaded it at first, knowing that what I was going to find out in the future would shock my very being. Or that was my prognoses.

As I was walking through the hallway, noticing that Zelo’s painting was missing now as well, I was surprised to see Yong Guk walking towards me. He had a lady by his side.

They both did not look happy. And that was a huge understatement. The female doll was wearing a purple dress. Her hair had that exact color as well. She had big eyes and a great body. Only her skin was unhealthily white, making me feel slightly uncomfortable watching her. She seemed permanently ill.