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[awaystory]

Chapter 1

The image of an off-white door is burned into my eyes. I still feel the humid outside air that settled on the back of my neck as I stood in a hallway, lit by buzzing lights. I placed my hand on the rusted knob that I told myself I’d replace so many times before, a shiver shoots down my spine. Something was wrong, without hesitation I burst through the door of my apartment. My noisy entrance was almost immediately dulled by the pre existing silence of the room I found myself in. In front of me, the silhouette of a woman. Hung by a belt over a dining room chair, my sweet Cherry…before I knew it, my knees hit the hardwood floors, my eyes swelled up in a tearful mess and my arms were pushed against my head in an attempt to comfort myself. 

The rumbles of a train shake my body awake, my hands holding a journal and a pen. Back to reality. Cherry had died about a year ago, and yet the vivid memories of discovering her body haven’t left me to grieve. I tilt my head and look out the window near me, my eyes wander the bare hills as they pass by. My aunt had checked up on me last week, she found me in a distant and dissociative state. Because of this she practically forced me out of my apartment and into another, closer to the sea. She said it would do me some good, and who am I to argue?

“Attention all passengers, we will be arriving at Santa Taro station shortly.” The announcement breaks my train of thought. 

I grab my bag from underneath my legs and quickly shove my journal into the front pocket. I didn’t know much about the town of Santa Taro. I knew that it practically lived in the ocean and that my aunt had spent her early years as a student here. When she told me about it, it sounded like a different world entirely. Then again- I don’t trust the memories of my aunt, especially in her younger years.

 The train softly stops and my ears perk up at the anticipation of an announcement. “We have arrived at Santa Taro station.”  I get up and take a large suitcase from above, carefully putting it down and rolling it out onto the platform. I stand and watch as the train departs, before turning around and being greeted by a small dark woman. She had a patch covering her right eye, dull blue hair and a green military jacket over a sundress.

“Marco?”

I nod.

“Hello, I’m a friend of your aunts and your landlord. People around here call me Oracle.” I stare for a bit, puzzled, she seems to be a bit young to be a landlord-

“I’m 29..” she blurts out, as if she was reading my thoughts.

“Um… right.” I awkwardly respond. 

“Ahem, well follow me and I will take you to the complex.” she gestures for me to follow. 

“Don’t we need a car?” I ask.

“Don't worry, it’s closer than you’d think.” she pauses “This entire town has everything within walkable distance.” 

We spent the rest of the walk in silence, I took this time to give the town a good look. There was one convenience store with a flower shop built into the side of it. Down a bit further, a small clinic that didn’t seem the most reliable, an old-school pub and some inn hosted by a big hotel chain. The apartment complex I was staying in was adjacent to the ocean and sat next to a small house. The town was small, mostly consumed by the ocean. No shops, or boardwalk- just the sea and its blinding qualities. 

We stop and head into my complex, climbing up 2 sets of stairs and down a hallway until the woman in front of me stops at a door. Oracle pulls a silver key from her pocket and offers it up to me. I took it, thanking her.

“Here we are, apartment 3B. I’ll leave you to get settled then.” 

I push the key into the lock and rest my hand on the door knob, something about this seems familiar- the more I think about it the more my head throbs. I take a deep breath and focus on the sounds of the lock inside the door clicking and the footsteps of my landlord walking away.

Turning the knob, I exhale and enter my new apartment. It’s a small apartment, pre-furnished with things my aunt had sent me. The walls were painted a cozy shade of white and the living room was bathed in sunlight. The light came from the clear sliding doors that faced the ocean. To the left of me, an open kitchen with the basic necessities and to the right a door leading to the bedroom. I put my stuff down and sat in silence for a bit, taking in my new surroundings. 

Being here reminds me of things, beautiful things, fleeting things. I think of the time Cherry and I moved in together. Before, we had lived in a similarly small apartment, out in the city. We moved in at a young age, since we had been together throughout high school. It felt right at the time, everything felt right. I remember unpacking boxes, wrestling duct tape, spending late nights sorting things out.

I snap back into reality after realizing that I had been standing at the door of my apartment a bit too long. The breeze here was different, It was lighter. This feeling of sudden weightlessness reminded me of the differences between now and then and at the same time welcomed me into a new part of my life.