Mirai woke up with the eerie feeling. She was alone in the nurse’s office and only a single light was lit up. She looked at her watch, it reads 11:39 pm. It was not the first time she’s left alone for the night shift but tonight seemed different. Her phone beeped and she almost squeaked in so much surprise. She read Takanashi’s random message. She sighed as she rolled her eyes which landed on the corner table.

Mirai’s eyes widened.

The blue wrapped box wasn’t there. She ran closer to the table and tried to look under it. Nothing. She looked everywhere around the office. Nothing. She took her phone out from her pocket. “Hello Takanashi-san.” Her voice sounded troubled.

“Shida-san!” Takanashi’s beaming voice penetrated through the phone.

“You’re drunk!” Mirai exclaimed.

Takanashi laughed. “Late night out with the girls! Come here at... where are again? Hey girlshh... whatsh thisz place again? Uh yeah! We’re here at—“

Mirai turned her phone off. It is useless talking to Takanashi now so she decided to ignore the missing box.

She fixed herself and went out of the office. She wandered along the hallway. At least it made her relax as she encountered some doctors and crews who were on duty at that time too.

She continued walking through the hallways when she heard something. She had run further when he heard a man’s voice echoing from the left side. Mirai gulped as she followed the voice. As she drew closer, she learnt the voice was singing. At first humming. Later on...the gibberish lyrics were getting more vivid.

 “...the silence of the night...”

Mirai gulped more air.

She’s getting closer and closer to the voice.

“...close your eyes...”

She was panting silently.

“...and tomorrow will be bright...”

Her pant went heavier when she realized that she was approaching room 338—Yamada Ryosuke’s ward.

“...your mom will sing you goodnight...”

Mirai stopped as she saw the silhouette of someone inside the room. It was Ryosuke Yamada, she was sure of that.

“...my little... candle light.” He finally ended the song.

“Who are you?”

Ryosuke’s face slowly shifted on her direction. “You had forgotten me?”

She shook her head. “No...coz I don’t know you.”

“How could you be so cruel?”

“You are scaring me.” The fear in Mirai’s face was visible.

He finally stood up from the bed, completely revealing himself. Mirai was more surprise when she saw what was he holding in his hand—a box with torn blue wrap.

“How did you get that?! Why do you have that?!” She cried loud. “Answer me!”

 “I sent it before I got in a traffic accident along with daisies.” He stared at her in the eye. “You love daisies, right?”

She did not answer.

“I never intended to scare you.” He walked closer to her and she stepped away from him. He reached the box to her.

“Stop it!”

Ryosuke kept reaching her the box.

“I said stop it!!!” But Mirai was so scared that he snapped it away from her. The blue box fell on the floor and a smaller box broke inside it. The smaller one stumbled open and the tune of the lullaby echoed from it, making Mirai shake in surprise.

She slowly walked towards the box.

“I had to make a music box just feed up the yearning I felt when I left you in the orphanage.” Ryosuke said.

She looked at him.

“Ka-chan it’s me!” Ryosuke’s plain expression was now changed into a lonesome one. “It’s me Ryosuke.”

Mirai intently looked at him. Trying to recollect all her memories, yet... “I don’t remember.”

He shook his head. “I-It can’t be... We...We met in the orphanage. I...call you...Ka-chan. coz you wanted me to when you started singing that lullaby.” Tears breaking through his eyes. “You sing to me the lullaby every night when I can’t go to sleep...You tell me your dreams. We...We created dreams together. You love that baby blue dress. And...”

Mirai’s eyes grew wider. “You met my sister?”

Ryosuke became more confused. “What...What are you saying?”

“My twin sister...Megumi.” Mirai said. “It was Megumi whom you met! But...” She looked down at the floor as she bit her lower lip.

“But...”

“...she’s already dead almost 17 years ago.”

Ryosuke’s tears ran rapidly from his eyes. “No...You’re wrong. She’s not dead.”

“I’m sorry, Yamada-san.”

He fell on his knees and punched the floor repeatedly with his injured hand that his bones could break. “No! No! No! That’s a lie!”

“Yamada-san. Stop that! Please! You’re hurting yourself!” Mirai tried to stop him.

He stopped punching the floor but more tears streamed down in his cheeks. He lifted his face and saw Mirai in front of her. She was blurry in his sight due to the tears masking them.

“Yamada-san?”

*****

Seventeen years ago, in a Catholic Christian Orphanage operated by nuns stood a little girl with her baby blue dress. She looked lovely but she was crying. A car parked outside the gate. Another girl approached her, holding her hand and cupped her cheek before wiping up the tears in her eyes. The girls were different but the same.

Mirai, who was born 13 minutes after Megumi, was now leaving the orphanage. She had been adopted, finally. But unfortunately, her twin Megumi had to stay and had to start another waiting .

At that spot she bid goodbye.

From that day on, Megumi became timid.

“Megumi.” One of the nuns, Sister Hina, called but she won’t respond. She called her again. “Megumi.” But the girl kept drawing imaginary patterns in her hand as she sat on the garden of daisies. Worried, Sister Hina sat next to her. “What’s wrong Megumi?”

The girl slowly looked up at her. “Can I be Mirai?”

Confused would be the definite understatement on how the nun looked at the girl in baby blue dress which she was sure to be owned by the little girl’s twin sister, Mirai.

“Ne, sister? From now on, will you call me Mirai?”

The nun could do nothing but tolerate Megumi’s request. Thinking this might the only way for her to stop missing her twin sister, they started calling her Mirai though sometimes they forget and eventually calls her by her true name, they tried their best. Because Megumi was gone long and another Mirai is now in the orphanage.

It was a good idea though. Because Megumi, or ‘another Mirai’ to the other orphans, had now recovered upon the departure and was cheerful with her new identity she insisted.

 Fortnight after two months, a boy came to add up the number of the unwanted. He called himself Ryosuke.  His wounds were fresh and the bruises were healthy. At first glance, you would think they were accessories in his wrists, ankles and neck but in closer look, they were traces of embedded chains. Silhouettes yet vivid enough. They were in bright colors of red and violet but they were not as lovely as paint.

Ryosuke was a very lonely boy. He had his lousy eyes and dried lips that was cracked and gnashed which causes the little tint of blood. You would think it might look dreadful, but in fact add up to his natural cuteness enhanced by his plump and rosy cheeks.

But every night when the dark had eaten all up the light...when the orphans’ voices were replaced by the sound of crickets...when all he can hear was the tick of the clock...all he can do is remember the pain to soaked in it causing him to not even close his eyes and be awake as long as forever as he wanted.

 One night and everyone was asleep Mirai, the previous Megumi, approached Ryosuke in his bed.

“Hello.” She would start with the sweetest smile, but Ryosuke wouldn’t even move an eye to look at her.

“My name is Mirai.” She introduced herself but the boy was not interested enough as he looked blankly at the ceiling.

She sighed and sat on the bedside. “The crickets are singing, aren’t they?”

It took a couple of humble seconds before Ryosuke nodded. That made her smile. “What’s your name?”

The boy did not answer.

“AH!” The girl exclaimed. “Are you mute?”

“It’s Ryosuke.”

The girl next to her laughed silently. “You hate the idea of being mute.”

Ryosuke looked at her.

Mirai stopped laughing but the sweet smile remained in her face.