The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 969: Idiot

[Psychic Arm...]

[Psychic...]

...

...

“Aghhh!!”

An explosive burst of white energy shot out from the pod at the highest point of the Ferris wheel, rippling outward in the night sky amid the heavy snow. The world seemed to lose its colors for a second, turning a silent gray.

White Dew quietly looked on from the bottom of the Ferris wheel.

The pod at the nine o'clock position crumbled into a metal sheet. Then the one at six melted into molten metal and splattered below. The wires at the eye of the wheel snapped like fragile hair, cut by something invisible. A blurry black figure rampaged about, leaving blinding flames and irregular golden energy in its wake. Like a maddened spirit, it zipped up and down, to and fro with no rhyme or reason, its movements erratic and impossible to track.

Yet the blue and white pod at the zenith point remained untouched and intact amid the chaotic destruction.

Clack—creak—

Unable to endure the destruction wrought by the black figure, the wheel threatened to collapse. White Dew raised her hands, gathering snow to form purple crystals of different shapes, hastily repairing the broken parts of the structure and reinforcing it without pause.

Thirty seconds later, the black figure vanished. The destruction ceased.

All was serene.

White Dew lifted her hand, conjuring a long thin crystal pillar beneath her feet to reach the blue and white pod at the top. She opened the ajar rusty metal door to find Gao Yang holding Fresh Snow tightly in his arms, covered in blood, his clothes tattered.

He was smiling.

To be more precise, he was drooling and smiling dumbly, Idiot from Psychic Armor activated.

“Haha, Fresh Snow, be good...”

“It’s night. The Big Bad Wolf is coming to eat people. Quick. Hide...”

“Ahh! The Big Bad Wolf has arrived. It’s here...”

“We...we aren’t bad kids...”

White Dew extended a hand toward him, face impassive. “Gao Yang, Fresh Snow’s dead.”

After a pause, Gao Yang looked up at her slowly, his bloodied face twisted in a disturbing dumb smile. “Dead?”

The Idiot didn’t seem to understand what death meant.

“Yes, dead,” White Dew said. “You aren’t holding Fresh Snow, but a corpse.”

“Corpse? Corpse...” Gao Yang blinked blankly.

“Here, give me the body.”

“No, no!” Gao Yang shook his head vehemently, tightening his arms around Fresh Snow. “No, don’t...”

“Gao Yang, Fresh Snow’s a cat. Have you forgotten? Cats hide.” White Dew pointed at the box on the seat. “I bet Fresh Snow’s hiding inside. Look for her quickly. Don’t let the Big Bad Wolf find her first...”

“The Big Bad Wolf’s coming! No, don’t eat Fresh Snow...” Gao Yang panickedly let go of Fresh Snow and lunged for the box. White Dew seized the chance to grab Fresh Snow.

“Look closely, Gao Yang. Look for Fresh Snow. She’s inside.” White Dew gently closed the metal door, carrying her sister tenderly in her embrace as she returned to the ground.

Without hesitation, White Dew turned to leave.

The snow fell ever heavier. White Dew walked slowly at first, maintaining her grace. Snow piled on her hair, eyelashes, shoulders, as well as the girl in her arms. White Dew hurried, as if she and her sister would be buried by the heartless snowstorm if she didn't move faster.

Soon, White Dew left the amusement park and reached a clearing. The lonely journey finally drained her. She staggered, falling to the ground with her sister. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Panting, White Dew sat prone on the ground, arms tight around Fresh Snow as if she could pull her into her chest, into her flesh and blood, but it was futile. She was only met with a cold, stiff body.

White Dew gave up. Her black hat tumbled down, silver hair cascading free. Her silver hair wild against the snow, she looked like a witch undone by grief.

She tipped her head up and wailed in despair.

“Ah...ahhh...”

Tears of blood streaked down from her eyes.

...

“Fresh Snow...”

Inside the blue and white Ferris wheel pod, Gao Yang held Fresh Snow's box gingerly, drool running down his mouth as he searched for her.

“Where are you, Fresh Snow... Come on out... Let’s play...”

Gao Yang took the things inside the box out one by one.

A tab from a cola can. A used blond hair dye. A cat-shaped contact lens container. A panda doll. Two discs of the film Tales of the Journey to the West. Two ticket stubs to Ponyo and Sosuke. A pink goldfish doll with a post-it note: "Stupid Kai helped~" in childish handwriting. A regular coin. An unopened red envelope with New Year allowance. A white ribbon from a gift box, tied into a bow. A New Year card with "Happy New Year" written inside. Five postcards—four filled with the exchanges between Fresh Snow and Gao Yang, one empty.

A crumpled sheet of paper, worn from countless foldings and unfoldings, detailing her bucket list. Half the wishes remained unchecked. The last one read: Be Gao Yang's romantic love.

“Fresh Snow...where are you, Fresh Snow?”

Gao Yang took everything out of the box. It was now empty.

He shouted, “Lies! Lies...Fresh Snow’s not here...”

“Fresh Snow, where are you...”

“The Big Bad Wolf is coming! It’s coming...”

“Hurry...let’s go...”

Gao Yang stubbornly rummaged through the trinkets, trying to find Fresh Snow.

He picked up the postcards once more.

Strangely, even though he was now an Idiot, he could still understand the words.

Staring at the postcards, his blank gaze was drawn by Fresh Snow’s chicken scrawls.

The first postcard:

“Fresh letter. My first time writing one! I’ll be inyourcare.”

“There are horses on the grassland, Gao Yang. I rode horses with Sister. I’m so happy. (*^▽^*)”

“You’re called Dark Horse, Gao Yang, so I rode on a black horse.”

“The beef jerky is good, but not the goat milk.●﹏●”

“I miss you so much, Gao Yang. You should miss me too.”

“Looking forward to your response.”

The second:

“Snow mountain is soooo cold. I don’t like it here. (⊙﹏⊙)”

“Sister taught me how to ski, but I’m an idiot and can’t learn it...”

“I didn’t use any pinyin this time. Ain’t I awesome? (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧”

“I miss you so much, Gao Yang. Do you miss me?”

“Looking forward to your response.”

The third:

“Love Sea, the Aiqing Sea, is so beautiful! I love it here! ヾ(≧O≦)〃”

“But why is it named aiqing, romantic love, and not youqing, friendship?”

“The Friendship Sea would’ve been more beautiful than the Romance Sea! Just like my friendship with you, Gao Yang!”

“I had the second best fish in the world here. The best fish I’ve ever had is the fish I had with you, the one Idiot Kai caught for me.”

“How are you doing, Gao Yang?”

“I really really really miss you. Do you miss me?”

The fourth:

“Sun’s so bright and it’s so hot. I sweat so much and get thirsty all the time. I don’t like deserts. (⊙﹏⊙)”

“Sister said that we were vampires. That’s why we don’t like the sun.”

“I don’t like the sun, but I like Gao Yang. Tee-hee. (*^▽^*)”

“Gao Yang, I really really really miss you. Do you miss me?”

...

Gao Yang quickly finished reading the four postcards, but Fresh Snow was still missing.

“Liar! Fresh Snow’s not here!”

Angry, Gao Yang threw the box upside down and toppled everything around him.

“Liar! Liar!”

He threw a tantrum and made a mess. The display was unbecoming of him.

Then the fifth empty postcard slowly fell, covering his eyes.

He suddenly quieted, lifting the postcard and staring at it.

The front of the postcard showed a fairytale-like watercolor painting. A snowman beamed under the sunlight.

There was nothing on the back of the card.

“Fresh Snow...melted...”

While Idiot was on, Gao Yang made the connection when he saw the watercolor drawing.

“No, no...Fresh Snow, don’t melt...”

Kneeling on the floor of the pod, Gao Yang hurriedly picked up the other postcards, looking for Fresh Snow.

He quickly browsed through the four postcards, suddenly halting.

It turned out that what would have been written on the fifth card was already hidden in the beginning of the previous four[1].

It turned out that some fate had a predetermined ending when it had just begun.

...

Idiot ended.

Psychic Armor deactivated.

Once more, there was no escaping or avoiding it.

Overwhelming sorrow caught up with him.

1. The first words of the postcards are “Fresh”, “Snow”, “Love”, “Sun”, and Gao Yang’s Yang is the same character as sun’s yang. ☜