Nightmares

"What are you thinking about, Aresh?" asked Athena, who surprised the young man with her presence.

The young man was sitting leisurely enjoying the quiet afternoon, but suddenly the tranquility disappeared because of his mother's arrival. Aresh turned around with a sharp gaze, wanting to get angry but unable to. However, the middle-aged woman managed to make his reverie disappear.

"Mother!" shrieked Damaresh in surprise. "Can't you startle me every time you come near?" 

Damaresh, the handsome, fair-skinned, thin-lipped young man, was exasperated by Athena's behavior. The middle-aged woman who looked at him sharply did not apologize but chuckled at Aresh's answer. She shook her head as her simple question was not answered by Aresh.

"Damaresh... Damaresh... you've gone too far!" Athena still chuckles at her son's stare. "This figure in front of you is Mom! Not a ghost!"

"I know," he replied. "But I'm not joking, Mom!"

"You're not joking either, Damaresh!"

"Hish! Whatever, mom!" his laughter brought a small smile to Athena's face.

Athena knew in her heart that her son was thinking about something. However, often what Damaresh was thinking triggered arguments between them. The boy always asked questions that he already knew the answers to.

"What's wrong, mom?" he asked, looking at Athena's face.

"What's wrong?" asked Athena with one eyebrow raised. "Shouldn't you be the one asking questions like that? What's wrong with you? What are you thinking about?"

"I don't know, I'm confused," replied Damaresh briefly. 

Athena looked at her son with a look that was hard to interpret. How could Damaresh answer that he didn't know? That didn't satisfy her.

"You don't know?" squeaked Athena. "What nonsense are you talking, Damaresh!"

"I'm not talking nonsense, ma'am! I'm just baffled. So, I don't know what I'm thinking."

"Are you having another nightmare?" guessed Athen.

The handsome, sharp-nosed young man nodded and then took a long breath. It was tiring having nightmares and getting pieces of riddles that he didn't know the answers to.

"What did you dream this time?" asked his mother, taking over the seat next to him.

"A girl crying in the corner of the room with sad cries," Damaresh replied, looking straight ahead. Looking at the beautiful flow of the river was quite soothing.

Silence. Both were busy with their thoughts. Damaresh was busy thinking about the puzzle pieces in his dream, while Athena was busy thinking about how long this shadow would stay in her family's life. The past events traumatized her enough that she didn't want to repeat them.

"Mom," Damaresh called softly. But there was silence. The mother remained with her thoughts without caring about the call from her son.

"Mom!" snapped Damaresh, making Athena startle and immediately glare.

"What are you doing, Damaresh? You startled Mom!" snapped Athena in annoyance.

"Besides, instead of helping me think, you're daydreaming!" Athena rolled her eyes lazily, not caring about the sentence that had just come out of her son's mouth.

"Mom, why the hell -"

"Why what? Do you want to repeat a question that has often been debated between us? Hum? What for!"

"B-not like that, Mom! I-"

"What? I'm tired, Resh! Why do you always ask the same thing? You know the answer is no! Even mom doesn't know the answer!"

"But why me, Mom?"

"Who then? The only child of mom and dad, you!"

"But I don't like it!"

"Oh, come on, Aresh!" scolded Mom. "You can dislike and not even want any of this, but remember. You can't lose any of this, Resh! You have to like what you have now!"

"But, Mom-"

"No buts, Resh! Do you think Mommy's not tired too? Tired, Resh! Tired of hearing all your vague dreams!" she snapped, leaving Damaresh stunned.

It wasn't the first time there had been an argument between them, but this was the first time Damaresh had seen his mother so angry and unhappy with his rebuttal.

"How hard is it to accept all this, Resh? There's no way we can avoid it! Visions of death, dark times, dreams, and more nonsense are bound to come! Try to accept it, and don't protest too much!"

"But, Aresh can't do it, Mom!" she complained desperately.

"You can do it!" replied Athena, leaving her only child behind. But she suddenly stopped and looked back, taking a long hard look at her son's back.

"Resh, remember, don't be fooled! Mommy, I don't know your dream's meaning, but somehow Mommy feels bad! Mommy hopes that you can think with a cool head later! Don't be reckless! Remember, you already have a chosen mate!"

After speaking at length to remind her, Athena walked away, leaving Aresh stunned by her mother's words.

What's the connection between my dream and the soul mate that has been chosen for me? It makes no sense at all, Damaresh thought.

On the other hand, precisely behind the wall, as a link between the terrace and the living room, there was a pair of eyes watching the two of them. He smiled slightly and shook his head at the argument between his son and wife. Aristama stepped forward. He did not understand the dream's meaning and his wife's words. The two things were related, and Aresh had to be careful about this.

"Resh," Aristama called out. Again, Aresh was surprised by his father's sudden presence. Feeling annoyed because the two parents, every time they stepped to approach, always did not hear their footsteps.

Why do my parents always do something surprising? They always come unannounced without even the sound of their footsteps. Is it possible that they're flying? Haha! That doesn't seem possible, Aresh thought.

The young man shook his head quickly, making Aristama stare at him with a look that words could not explain. Taking over the bench next to Aresh and then landed his butt perfectly.

"Aresh, why are you shaking your head like that?" asked Aristama, confused.

"No!" she replied quickly. "What's wrong, daddy? You always come without a sound."

"Relax, Resh! You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

"I did!" she gasped.

"What are you saying, Aresh?"

"N-no, daddy!"

"You must be saying daddy is like a ghost, right?" guessed Aristama. "You're friends with them all the time, Resh!"

"Daddy, not funny! Who would want to be friends with them? I still have human friends!" she snapped.

"Oh, I thought," he chuckled, further irritating Aresh.

"Daddy, please, I'm not in the mood for jokes!"

"Who wants to joke around? Nobody!" Aristama replied quickly.

"I'm tired, Dad!"

"Yes, tired if you feel like it's a burden!" said Aristama. "If you try to take everything in your stride, don't feel like it's a burden, then you won't be tired, Resh!"

"But, how can that be, Dad! All this-"

"Damaresh... Damaresh... how long will it take? How long will it take for you not to accept all this and even reject it? There's no point, Resh! It's inherent in all of us! Daddy, Mommy, and you! Try to calm down and live with it, Resh!"

Aresh tried not to listen to everything her Daddy said. He was tired of arguing with his parents but couldn't let go. While talking, Aresh's eyes caught something behind a tree near the stream. He saw a shadowy black figure darting quickly.

"Resh!" snapped daddy. "You heard what daddy said, didn't you?"

"I-yes, daddy!"

"What's wrong with you? Your face is as pale as if you've just seen a ghost!" chuckled Daddy, making Aresh paler.

It wasn't the first time he to see the invisible, but it was also a surprise to see it suddenly.

"Daddy saw it?"

"Maybe! It could be a clue from your dream!"

"Wh-what? Even daddy knows the contents of my dreams?"

"No!"

"Then? How can daddy talk like that?"

"It's still a possibility. Not necessarily true!"

"But it seems to be related, Dad!" 

"Maybe! And it would be best if you found out all about it, Resh!" daddy replied, looking closely at his son's face. "But you must remember, don't be fooled, Resh!"

Damaresh let out a rough breath and stared at his father's face. He felt sure his father knew everything but was reluctant to tell him. He didn't know why, but if he had told him, he wouldn't have confused the puzzle pieces.

"Your soul mate is near, Resh!"

"And, try to make peace with yourself! Don't always resist something that can't be resisted! Even you know that! If you feel tired, rest! If you feel sleepy, sleep! If you feel hungry, eat! It's that simple, right? But you always make things complicated because of your own doing!"

"Don't always burden Mommy with all your silly questions! Daddy doesn't like it, Resh! It's time for you to accept everything sincerely! Live it carefree with a calm heart! I'm sure you can and you will! If you can't and you won't, it's impossible for all these silly things to come into our lives!"

"I think you understand, and if you don't understand, you should understand!"

"I remind you again of this dream. Don't be fooled. Your soul mate is near, Resh!"