That's All for Today's Journey
"We have to go out!"
It was the dead of night. After my little escape attempt, none of the three of us could fall back asleep. Seeing me look so down, Amy took Shine and me out of the room.
We walked down the hallway in silence. Shine held my hand tightly, clinging close as if she had no intention of letting go. She was so close our feet almost tripped over each other. I let out a slightly awkward laugh at her overwhelmingly clingy behavior.
"You can laugh right now?"
"Sorry."
Shine seemed very angry. At this hour, she should have been fast asleep, washing away the day's fatigue, but there wasn't a hint of sleepiness in her eyes.
"Amy, where are we going?"
After walking for a while, unable to contain my curiosity, I asked. Amy glanced back at me with a playful smile.
"You said you wanted to see that."
"What do you mean by that?"
Wearing a mysterious smile, Amy suddenly stopped in her tracks. Because she stopped so abruptly, I almost bumped right into her legs.
"Amy?"
"Here."
Amy said, pointing to a massive door. It was an incredibly huge door, looking even taller than Amy herself. I swallowed hard and looked around.
"Where are we?"
Amy didn't answer my question and simply threw the door wide open. A massive entrance. Bright light pouring out. A space so vast it made my eyes widen. At the far end, an incredibly wide screen hung down. This place was a massive movie theater.
"This is...?"
As I looked up at Amy in wonder, she reached out and scooped me up into her arms. My body lifted high, my perspective rising. Startled, I kicked my legs. Amy gave a soft chuckle, as if telling me not to worry.
"You said you wanted to watch the theatrical version."
"Huh? But that's..."
Amy said as she stepped into the theater. Footsteps echoed in the empty space. Behind Amy's footsteps, Shine's quiet pitter-patter followed. I looked up at the screen with trembling eyes.
"What flavor of popcorn do you want?"
"Caramel for me..."
The tips of my ears burned. My trembling gaze refused to drift away from the screen. Walking to the center of the theater, Amy gently set me down in a seat. The plush, sinking chair wrapped around my body cozily.
Shine sat down right next to me. She still had no intention of letting go of my tightly held hand. My palm was starting to get sweaty, and I wanted to pull away, but Shine looked so anxious that I just stayed still.
"What about you, Shine?"
"I'll have whatever Jeff is having."
At Shine's answer, Amy tapped on her phone. I shifted my gaze from the screen to look up at Amy. Sensing my gaze, Amy smiled warmly and stroked my cheek.
"If there's ever anything you want to watch, just tell me."
At her words, I mumbled, unable to say anything.
Thud—
A small sound echoed, and then all the lights went out. A black curtain fell over us in an instant. As I flinched in surprise, Shine leaned against my arm.
"Don't go alone next time," Shine said, sounding hurt.
I nodded with a complicated expression. Gently stroking Shine's hair with my free hand, her expression softened slightly. In the darkened space, a massive beam of light shot onto the wide screen.
"Here."
While I was focused on the screen, Amy handed over a giant tub of popcorn. A fragrant, sweet aroma wafted over. Swallowing my saliva, I took the popcorn. The roaring sound of wind. The vast sky unfolding on the screen was a night sparkling with starlight.
The sound of the cool wind blowing gave me the illusion that I was actually flying through the sky. A little girl on the screen was flying through the air on a broomstick. The starlight sparkling around her guided her path as if blessing her. The soft moonlight made the girl's hair shimmer.
"Lucy..."
My eyes sparkled as I focused on the screen. Scenes filled with spectacular special effects, unlike anything I had ever seen, poured down. Flying alongside the starlight, Lucy began her journey to a faraway land. Throughout the movie, I became Lucy, traveling with her.
I arrived at a massive castle and played tricks on a grumpy king, and I went to the land of giants to save them from danger. Lucy always flew freely through the sky. Her figure, soaring away amidst the brilliant starlight, looked incredibly captivating.
The journey was nearing its end. As always, Lucy climbed a high cliff and sent a marble filled with memories floating into the sky. It became a twinkling star, hanging in the heavens.
[That's all for today's journey.]
I clutched my pounding chest. Saying those words, Lucy flew up into the sky. Lucy's journey wasn't over. Because the world she lived in was very, very wide. She prepared for her next journey. And so did I. The brilliant night sky scattered in an instant.
Lost in the lingering emotions, I jumped up from my seat as the ending credits slowly rolled up.
"Amy!"
"Mmh...?"
I stomped my feet in excitement and clung to Amy. She was half-asleep, her eyes closed. Wiping away a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth, she looked around and asked, "Is it over?"
"Thank you so, so much!!"
I grabbed Amy's hand and shook it up and down. I didn't ask how she managed to screen a movie in a theater that hadn't even been released yet. I just wanted to bask in this lingering feeling right now.
"Did you enjoy it?"
"Yes!"
I nodded, sinking back into my chair. My heart was pounding. My face was flushed hot. My hands were trembling with excitement. I would never, ever forget this moment today.
"What about you, Shine? How was it?"
I turned to Shine, my eyes sparkling. Still staring at the screen, she gave a small smile and replied, "It was fun."
I wrapped my arms around Shine. Being able to enjoy a hobby I loved with someone I loved was incredibly wonderful.
Click!
Another sound echoed. The darkness that had enveloped us vanished in an instant. Bright light flooded in from all directions. Shielding my eyes from the blinding light, I stood up. Amy let out a soft groan as she stretched, loosening up her stiff body.
"Shall we head back?"
Amy said, reaching out her hand. Shine and I took her hands and walked out of the theater. Still unable to calm my excitement, I kept talking to Shine about the scenes we had just watched.
"Time to sleep now."
"Yes!"
Right after returning to the room, Amy climbed straight into bed. Shine and I did the same. We had eaten popcorn and drank cola, so we probably should have brushed our teeth again. But Amy didn't say a word. Lying down on the bed, I closed my eyes while hugging the giant witch hat to my chest.
"Looks like we'll be waking up a bit late."
Checking the time, Amy fell asleep immediately. It was the same for me. The fading effects of the coffee and the sleepiness I had been pushing back came rushing over me like a flood. In my hazy vision, I offered a small smile to Shine, who was looking down at me.
"Goodnight, Jeff."
That night, I had a rare dream. In a vast, sprawling city, I had become a young, short girl. I stared blankly down at my hands. Small. So incredibly small. But it didn't feel strange. I took a cautious step forward.
The moment my foot touched the ground, the gray city was dyed in brilliant colors. Wearing nothing but a white dress, I took one careful step after another. Life breathed into the desolate, picture-like city. Cars appeared on the empty roads. Little birds flew high in the sky. The silent city filled with countless sounds.
I kept walking. A street both familiar and strange. I moved forward without hesitation, as if I knew the way. Passing the well-paved road, I entered a sprawling residential area. A place I had never seen before, yet felt so familiar. Out of all the houses, I walked toward one with a beautiful red roof.
"Jeff."
A faint voice echoed in my ears. I turned my gaze. Through the white wooden fence, I saw Shine. She was waving at me.
"Shine."
I reached out my hand blankly. At my call, Shine stood up. A green lawn spread out beneath her feet. I passed through the fence and stepped onto the grass.
Shine was holding a small rubber ball. The ball in her hand slowly dropped. Falling to the ground, it rolled lazily toward my feet.
"This place is..."
"Did you forget?"
Shine said, gently stepping closer. Her white clothes fluttered, dizzying my vision.
"It's our home."
I nodded blankly. Our home. Shine's and my home. But we can't go there.
"That's right. We can't go there right now."
"Why?"
"Because they took everything from us."
I had forgotten. I nodded blankly. But who? Who took it? Filled with questions, I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Shine's figure slowly drifted away. I reached out toward her.
"See you later."
Shine waved goodbye.
My consciousness slowly drifted back. A subtle, heavy weight. A stifling warmth wrapped around my body. Rubbing my eyes, I looked around. The blanket was tossed aside haphazardly. I slowly looked down to examine my body. My upper body was half-raised, and Shine was clinging to me. She was hugging my waist with both hands as if she refused to let go.
"Are you awake?"
"Yes..."
I mumbled in response to Amy's question. It seemed Amy had woken up much earlier than me. Sitting at her desk, sipping coffee while doing paperwork, she looked incredibly cool to anyone who saw her.
"Shine, wake up."
I gently shook Shine's body. But Shine seemed to have no intention of waking up, burying herself even deeper into my embrace. When I looked at Amy with a troubled expression, she stood up and walked over to me.
"Go wash your face if you're up."
"Okay."
Amy untangled Shine from my body and gently shook her. Shine's closed eyes fluttered open, and she sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes still heavy with sleep.
"Shine, go wash your face with Jeff."
"Okay..."
She answered, but didn't move. Dozing off and swaying back and forth, Shine buried her head back under the blanket.