Chapter 143 – Trial (1)

“Goodness, what brought on this sudden change of heart?”

“Just because. Hehe…”

“Did you pull this on your dad, too?”

“Yeah. They both suddenly ambushed me, begging me to let Dad take some time off.”

“I… I didn’t go that far.”

I turned my head, watching the scenery blur past.

“So, why the amusement park? You hate crowds.”

“Well… I do, but there’s a fireworks festival tonight. And since tomorrow is your anniversary… I thought I’d treat you.”

“Oh my, really? Honey, do you remember twenty years ago, around this time, when you proposed in the mountains?”

“Ahem… y-yes.”

Despite sharing the same memory, their expressions were polar opposites. Mom looked ready to burst out laughing, while Dad seemed to want the earth to swallow him whole.

“…Did something happen?” I asked, even though I knew the story by heart. I’d heard it countless times. It was unforgettable.

“Heehee… Your dad didn’t have a car back then, so we couldn’t go into the city. We just hung around locally. Then one day, he borrowed a car—a man who’d only gotten his license three days prior.”

Even though I knew it, I wanted to hear it again, relive it. Their happy times. Their joyful expressions.

“Yeah…”

“He picked me up, saying we were going to the city. And… pfft… I saw deflated balloons in the backseat. That’s when I knew.”

Three hundred balloons, inflated by lung power alone. All in Mom’s favorite colors. Tied with thin string for easy carrying.

“I was so excited. I imagined a fancy restaurant, or at least somewhere quiet, considering baby Noah was just a few months old. But… ahahaha! He took us to the mountains. At night!”

“Ahem… I didn’t realize those places needed reservations. It was… a disaster.”

Their expressions began to converge.

“So, we’re hiking up this mountain, and I keep seeing these popped balloons. Your dad, oblivious, was sweating bullets, carrying you so carefully, terrified he’d wake you.”

Amusement transforming into happiness. Embarrassment into warmth.

“Then… we finally reach the top… and there’s this huge tree, decorated with the cutest balloons.”

The largest tree on the mountain. A landmark in their lives.

“And… pfft… these ridiculous candles. Not even nice ones, just… plain white candles, lined up like some kind of ritual.”

“Ahem! But you were surprised, too.”

“Of course I was! Stuck in a creepy, dark mountain with these weird candles everywhere.”

“…So that’s why you…”

Dad’s ears turned crimson.

“Anyway… we get to the top, and he’s holding you like a loaf of bread, and he gets down on one knee—”

Not one knee.

“Both knees! Then, bawling, he thanks me, apologizes, and gives me a necklace.” Mom touched the necklace at her throat, a wistful smile on her face.

“So, I took Noah so he could put it on me. And just as the clasp clicked, BOOM! Fireworks!”

“Like something out of a drama, haha!”

“And you, Noah, who cried constantly, actually smiled at the fireworks. Woke up and didn’t even cry, just giggled.”

They laughed, then Mom continued, “And then you saw your dad’s face and started bawling. Well, he did look a bit scary, I suppose. Shadowed by the fireworks in the dark.”

“I was… somewhat manly and handsome twenty years ago, wasn’t I?”

“You were handsome to me. You still are.”

“…Ahem.”

Watching them, more like young lovers than a long-married couple, made me smile. They continued to reminisce, sharing stories I’d heard countless times. Stories I could never forget. Stories I already knew.

I listened, savoring the echoes of happiness amidst the ashes.

***

“Pretty amazing view, eh?”

“Ugh… Stop rocking it…”

“Hahaha! Scared, are you? Huh?”

With each of Dad’s movements, the Ferris wheel swayed precariously.

“Aaaah! Mom! Make him stop!”

“Honestly, you two are like children. Just sit still. Hehe…”

“Kuahaha!”

“Aack!”

I gripped the flimsy safety bar, palms sweating, when suddenly the lights below went out.

A moment later, a brilliant streak of light shot skyward.

BOOM!

A dazzling explosion of color filled the sky, so bright it was almost blinding.

“…Ah.”

I had never seen real fireworks before. I’d seen them on screens, inside the Black Sun, on TV, on my phone. But never like this. Never with the sound, the vibrations, the sheer presence.

I’d been worried. Worried that in this world, reconstructed from my memories, a fireworks festival wouldn’t be possible. That my resolve might crumble.

BOOM!

A needless worry.

“Incredible,” Dad breathed.

“Even more beautiful than twenty years ago,” Mom added.

Because here they were, blooming brilliantly before my eyes. The sound resonated deep within me. I felt the spectacle in every fiber of my being.

BOOM!

Each explosion reverberated through me. With every cascade of light, shadows reached out. The lingering trails of each burst etched themselves into my mind. And with each firework reaching for the sky, I felt myself falling further away.

I was looking up now, not down.

“Noah?”

“…Yes?”

I turned to Dad. The fireworks illuminated his gentle face.

“Do you know why fireworks are so special?”

“Because they’re pretty…?”

“Do you know why they’re pretty?”

I tilted my head, and Mom chuckled softly.

“I don’t claim to have the definitive answer… but I think it’s because they’re so fleeting.”

This was new.

“They exist just long enough to imprint themselves on our memories, then vanish. That’s what makes them so captivating.”

“…What do you mean?”

BOOM!

“Imagine if those fireworks lasted for minutes. Imagine seeing them every single day. What then?”

“Well…”

“You might love them at first, but eventually, they’d become commonplace.”

Dad’s hand clasped Mom’s and mine.

“You’d grow numb to them, indifferent. You might even come to resent them—keeping you awake at night with their noise and light. You’d forget how much you once loved them.”

Dad smiled.

“But I’m different. I’m superhuman. I don’t forget those precious first impressions. I remember the weather and the exact time your mom first smiled at me. I remember the sky and the clouds on the day you were born. I’ll remember these things until my dying day.”

Mom smiled.

“Me too. Every day feels new and precious, impossible to resent. Your dad tiptoeing to the bathroom so he won’t wake me. Noah waking up and going straight to his computer. I could never resent these things.”

Fireworks exploded.

“No matter what happens. Even if you turn away from us…”

The brilliant light scattered, illuminating us.

“…Mom and Dad will always love you.”

The final firework ascended.

Higher.
Brighter.
Grander.

“Always.”

It burst at an almost unimaginable height, painting the sky with blinding brilliance, erasing even the shadows, bathing our family in its light.

Remembering that unforgettable, searing image…

Following Mom.
Following Dad.

I smiled.

“…Me too. I love you both. Always.”

***

“Noah! I’m taking some side dishes to our neighbor, but it’s quite heavy. Could you help me carry it?”

Click. I opened the door. Mom was setting down a heavy shopping bag filled with containers.

“Just a quick trip— Noah? Is something wrong?”

I shook my head.

“Just… a bad dream.”

Her rough hand caressed my cheek.

“Noah, I have a superpower. I can always tell when you’re lying.”

Her hand moved from my cheek to my head, down my back, and then I was enveloped in a warm hug.

“If something’s bothering you, you have to tell me. Okay?”

“…Okay.”

“If I can’t help, Dad’s there, too. Right?”

I nodded.

“Good. Get some more rest now.”

“…Mom.”

I hugged her tight.

“Be… be safe.”

“I will.”

“Come back… quickly. I’ll be waiting.”

Mom gently disentangled herself and picked up the bag.

“Alright. I’ll be back soon.” She walked to the door and stepped outside.

I watched until she was gone.

Then I sank to the floor, hugging myself, burying my face in my knees.

A long time passed.

Then the acrid stench of smoke filled the air.

And the screams from my memories—those unforgettable, hellish sounds—began to echo all around.