At first he had thought it was just his imagination, but as time went by, he became more and more sure that something was off, or wrong, or both. Water was becoming an obsession of some sort, and as if that wasn’t enough he was contentiously having the strangest nightmares about water and drowning in it. He had talked with Derek about it, but neither of them had a good idea about what this could all be about.
“How about a trip, to take you mind off things?”
“Anywhere particular in mind?”
“Well, there is that Volcano we talked about?”
“Ooooh.”
He wasn’t sure if Derek was worried or not, if he was, he did a very good job of hiding it. He mostly seemed to be like he always was, although there was the occasion where he noticed him looking out a window as if far far away.
“Ehm… are you sure this is safe?”
“It’s a volcano… are they ever safe?”
It was a good point, he had to admit, but it was also really cool standing so close, and the heat coming from the crater was quite the experience.
“Look.”
He pointed at a butterfly who was gently flying around them. It would seem they easily adapted to the heat up here, as when they noticed one, they suddenly noticed a lot more.
“What?”
They had stood there, when he suddenly noticed a change in Toshi, like he was dragged somewhere else again like so many times lately.
“I don’t know… I feel like I should be going somewhere, but I don’t want to. I…”
Derek just pulled him close, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried, and that it hurt to have Toshi in many ways so distant, like he was constantly not quite present.
“look, whatever this is, we will find out and you need to stop blaming yourself for it.”
“But.”
“No, it could be that we talked to spirits, it could be anything. And until we know, you are not going to walk around and feel like you are doing anything wrong.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
He could feel Toshi relax a little more, but he was still not quite back to his old self.
“Now.. come on, let’s go home, and you can try and get some sleep.”
“Okay.”
“Not this again..”
It had become a reoccurring dream lately, the odd scene of him walking along what he could only imagine was actually the bottom off the sea, but he could breathe, so he knew it wasn’t more than a dream.
“Why?”
For a second he was sure he heard a voice somewhere in the water, but he could see nothing.
“Okay, if you are here, then just come out already, I am sick and tired of this nonsense.”
“Hello.”
He could feel a hand on his shoulder, but just as he was about to turn around the world faded, and he woke up instead. Derek looking at him, this time around with a more worried expression.
“There was someone in my dream… it talked.”
“It?”
“Whatever was there with me.”
Derek was quiet for a while, something Toshi had come to learn was him piecing together things in his mind.
“You know.. there are fairytales off something like this.”
“Eh?”
“Yeah.. mermaids or well, sirens I guess who enthrall someone?”
“But.. I haven’t met any siren?”
“What if we just don’t know we met one?”
“Then how come we both aren’t affected?”
“I guess siren songs don’t work on aliens?”
“That is just such a cheat!”
“I’ll ask around, if anyone knows, you can come if you want to?”
“I think I’d like to sleep some more.”
“Okay?”
“Maybe I can find it there.. I heard a voice.”
“Go for it.”
He watched Toshi curl up staying with him until he had fallen asleep again.
“You watch him for me Ollie, I’ll see if I can find someone that can tell me more.”
“Mrow.”