red paper:
Quiet.
A comfortable quiet.
Silence reigned, broken only by the sound of regular breathing and the faint hum of the bus engine. The breaths sent a subtle signal, as if carrying a sign that read: their owners have surrendered to deep sleep.
I rested my head against the cold glass window, watching the blackness of the night recede and welcome the first threads of sunlight. It was calm, gentle, as if it was subtly creeping into the scene with shyness.
The sun was not a clamorous rush; rather, it flowed softly, modestly extending its golden edges. Its first light was like a tender whisper, touching things with extreme gentleness, awakening them from their slumber without disturbing them. Thread after thread, the soft strands of light intertwined to slowly weave a bright silk shawl that covered the horizon. It was not a blinding glare that hurt the eyes, but a light warmth against the biting cold of winter.
In my hands, I held the bag containing the fifth book. Liam had given it to me minutes ago, and then drifted off to sleep with the rest.
The only ones awake were: Mliss (a reckless driver), Luca (afraid to fall asleep and wake up in a hospital because of Mliss), and me. I was the most excited; I was afraid to sleep for a moment only to wake up and find everything was just a dream.
"It was amazing, wonderful, and crazy," I told myself as I recalled the day's events from the moment we woke up until now.
Perhaps the morning came with a scoop, scooping up all our bad luck for the week and depositing it on this day!
I laughed at the thought, or maybe it was angry at us for waking up so early. Or maybe the reason was that my uncle wasn't happy about us taking the bus, but we presented him with a fait accompli.
I moved my eyes to look at the bus. I froze for a moment when I noticed popcorn scattered here and there. It looked like the bus had shared in eating it with us!
If my uncle knew what had happened to his dear bus—from jumping the bridge to the scattered popcorn—I bet he would never let it go easily...
Mliss's sentence broke my train of thought:
"We'll reach the park in five minutes. Wake them up a moment before we get there."
Mliss looked at me through the front driver's mirror.
"Okay." I nodded with a smile, then looked at Luca and said:
"Hey, Luca, why haven't you slept? You don't look good."
His extreme exhaustion and resistance to closing his eyes were apparent to me through the front mirror.
"And leave Mliss to drive alone? Impossible. I have to keep my eyes on the road for fear of hitting a car, or Mliss might try one of her car stunts... I need coffee! Mliss, can you stop us in front of a cafe?" he said, yawning as he focused on the road as if his life depended on it.
Although Luca was exhausted, Louis was using his shoulder as a pillow to sleep on; he didn't seem to care whether Luca was tired or not.
"I'll take that as a compliment. As for the coffee, I think there's a cafe near the park; I can get it for you if you want."
Mliss looked at the road calmly as she spoke. Despite her unusual calmness, she didn't seem tired; on the contrary, she sounded very excited from the tone of her voice.
"Yes, thank you, Mliss." Luca nodded quietly, continuing to monitor the road.
I smiled a little, knowing that even though Luca is a morning person, he usually never wakes up at five, and he needs at least two cups of coffee to focus. In short, he's a coffee addict.
Mliss, on the other hand, is extremely active in the morning.
As for the rest... I turned to look at them. Hmm... they look like corpses! I mean, if I didn't hear their regular breathing, I'd think they were dead!
And Liam was using my shoulder as a pillow, and my shoulder was starting to feel numb.
I took a deep breath, then gently tried to move Liam's head off my numb shoulder.
Luca shook his head at me after my attempt, as if his eyes were saying: accept your fate as a pillow.
I looked at the sleeping corpses and felt like I was facing a near-impossible mission.
"We've arrived. Wake them up while I get off to fetch coffee for Luca and me," Mliss said as she got out.
I noticed the park was very close, got excited to read the book, and then looked at the obstacles that stood between me and it.
Suddenly, an idea came to me. I gathered my breath and shouted at the top of my lungs:
"A rich scientist selling cosmetics and fantasy books for free!"
I felt Luca startle from my scream, then I watched the "corpses" slowly turn back into humans.
"A scientist?"
"Money?"
"Books?"
"Cosmetics?"
"Hahahaha, oh, damn! Look at yourselves, you look like zombies!" I told them as I watched their consciousness return.
I bet their consciousness is filing a lawsuit against me for waking them up this way.
"Money? Money? Where is it? Didn't you say there's something rich?" said Louis, yawning, his eyes looking at me with a sleepy yet sharp look, as if to say: if you say something stupid, I'm going back to sleep.
I laughed at his look and held up the bag in front of his eyes.
"No, money doesn't rain from the sky. But we have a book we need to read. Come on, let's get off."
I said as I got off the bus and ran towards the park. I turned back to find them getting off and walking slowly behind me.
I stood in the park choosing a suitable place for us to sit. I searched and searched and then said:
"Yes, here! The sunlight is stronger here than the rest."
I was about to sit on the ground, if not for Evan yelling at me that the ground was still damp from last night.
He looked at me for a moment, then pulled seven small cubes out of his pocket, pressed one of them, and it became a chair. The things he invents always amaze me!
I pressed the rest of the cubes, and they transformed into a colorful set of chairs. We arranged them in a circle and waited for Mliss for a minute.
"Oh, I see you've finished choosing the spot.
Here... here... this is for you, Yuna, and this is for Liam, orange juice is for you, Louyan, and the coffee is for Luca and me."
Mliss said as she handed us a selection of drinks and cookies.
She gave peppermint tea to Louis and Liam. To Yuna, Evan, and me, she gave a selection of juices, and she brought a box of assorted cookies and donuts.
"Oh, Mliss, you're our savior!" said Liam, sipping his tea.
"Yes, yes, the weather is beautiful here, it's worthy of sweets and reading," I said, looking at the bag in front of me.
Finally, the crucial moment arrived.
I calmly took the book out of the bag, as if I were taking out a gold ingot, and slowly, as if we were in a slow-motion movie. Its texture was nice and embossed, and the colors contrasted between red and black. On the cover appeared the book's title: "The Worlds' Conflicts".
The name might seem common in our time, but ten years ago, it was considered an innovative name. I felt their excessive excitement.
This is the crucial moment, the moment we'll know the end of a great series.
I took a deep breath, an inhale and an exhale, and was about to open it...
Suddenly, a small paper fell from the book, wrestling with the air until it landed on the ground.
The paper looked red. We blinked quietly as we looked at it, signs of strangeness and question marks visible on our faces.
I put the book aside and bent down to pick it up. But as soon as I touched it, I felt a strange and scary feeling.
I gathered myself and lifted it. I turned to them to find their expressions strange, as if they had felt what I felt.
It was a piece of paper folded into two layers. I opened it calmly, as if we were opening a treasure map.
And when we looked at the entire paper, there were large words in black, which looked strange to me.
Although I master more than ten languages, and have knowledge of others, it didn't resemble any language I knew.
I looked at its beginning. Even though I didn't know it, I felt my tongue automatically move to read it as if it were a language I already knew.
So, I involuntarily read what was written:
"Happiness... the highest desire of man, a shadow he chases between wealth, beauty, power, wisdom, and immortality.
All are illusions you think are impossible, but they all bow to one who knows the secret.
Hard to attain? Perhaps.
But if you wish... I can grant it to you."
I spoke, shivering with every word I said, and was surprised that I understood this language.
"Is this a new joke from the author? Or a short horror film? And how do you know this language, Louyan?" Evan said with tension and caution, taking the paper from my hands.
I felt a slight relief when he took it. I watched as the rest of us looked at him analyzing it, then he said:
"It's clearly a kind of experiment here to give us happiness, but... pffft, you guys look funny, it's just one of the author's sick jokes." He said, laughing at our tension.
Yes, strange. Why did I feel so much tension?
"Let's try it! He said he'd give us money. I hope golden coins or even gold bars rain from the sky!" Louis was extremely excited.
"If gold bars rained, we'd end up at home because the world would turn into a sea of blood," Yuna smiled calmly, looking at the excited Louis.
I watched them arguing between money and blood.
"Let's try it, it looks very fun!" Mliss said, taking the paper from Evan, looking at the experiment, and then handing it to Luca, who looked at it with features full of curiosity.
Moments later, he gave it to me, saying:
"I don't understand anything... You're the only one who can read it, Louyan."
"Really? None of you know the language?" I said, looking at them as they shook their heads no.
So I continued reading the experiment:
"First: Sit on the ground and form a human circle, and place the youngest among you in the center.
Second: Place before you the things you would not trade for anything, and certainly not made of flesh and blood.
Third: Let your blood drip onto these things; the first for binding, the second for contemplation, and the last for happiness. Then, repeat these words."
I finished reading, then noticed the strange words. Although I didn't know the language, I felt capable of reading them.
I looked at the faces of the others and noticed their questioning expressions.
"Blood? Isn't this weird? I mean, among all our stupid author's games, this time he's gone too far," Luca said sharply, taking the paper forcefully from my hands.
"I think it's weird too. I don't know, for a moment I felt a strange sensation, as if the voice didn't belong to you, Louyan," Liam said cautiously, standing up and coming towards me to gently touch my face with concern.
"Oh, Liam, please, I'm not possessed or anything. As for the voice, I didn't feel anything," I said, trying to reassure him.
"Louyan is right. I didn't sense a voice change or the paper tearing, Luca. I'm excited to try it, and I bet you are too, but you're hiding it."
Mliss took the paper from Luca and looked at him. He seemed hesitant and excited about the experiment.
"I also want golden bars to rain from the sky. Oh, golden bars, I'm coming for you!" Louis shouted enthusiastically, sitting on the ground, then taking off a small crimson coin-shaped necklace and placing it in front of him.
"I've told you a thousand times that if gold bars rained, it would be like a human sacrifice," Yuna sat next to him and placed her gray-diamond pistol-shaped necklace in front of her.
"I'm nervous, but I'm excited. If gold bars rained from the sky, I could buy all the invention tools I need. Maybe I'd even pay off my long-term debt to Louis."
Evan sat next to Yuna and placed his yellow necklace on the ground; it was shaped like a book with a picture of the globe on it.
"Alright, here we go." Mliss sat next to Evan and placed her white necklace, which was shaped like a decorated sword.
I looked at who was left: me, Liam, and Luca.
Liam's gaze was cautious, while Luca was serious and quiet.
"Come on, Liam, Luca, I think it's just a simple experiment," I said to them, hoping to change their minds. I was excited to try it.
"An experiment, huh? I just hope it doesn't backfire on us," Luca said as he sat next to Louis and took out his blue chess-board-shaped necklace.
"I don't feel good about this, but who's going to stop them? Louyan, whatever happens, even if you feel the words come out of you involuntarily, just wink your left eye. I promise I'll stop all this nonsense, okay?" Liam said quietly, patting my head gently, his eyes looking at me with sincerity and kindness.
"Okay, okay," I said to him excitedly, pushing him toward the others.
Liam sat next to Mliss and took off his purple necklace, mixed with dark and light shades and shaped like a swirl, placing it in front of him.
I looked at them as I observed them forming a circle, then I stepped forward and sat in the middle.
I took off my necklace. These necklaces were dear to all of us, given to us by our families when we turned ten.
I looked at my necklace; it was shaped like a black watch with two layers; the first symbolized time, and the second, when I opened it, symbolized our existence and held a picture of us together.
"Now, do I have to bite my thumb or what?" Yuna said, looking at her thumb reluctantly.
"I have one blade, and I don't think it's enough for all of us, so yes, let's do it that way," Mliss turned to us and said this.
"Alright, come on, at the end of the countdown...
Three...
Two...
One!"
As soon as I announced it, I bit my thumb. It hurt, especially doing it yourself, but the pain was light compared to high school fights.
I saw my crimson blood bleeding, and the first drop of my blood fell onto the necklace.
One for binding...
The second for contemplation...
And the last for happiness...
I repeated the instruction in my head as I watched the three drops fall. I turned to find they had finished, so I asked them to hold hands and repeat after me what I had read in the book.
I started repeating the strange words that I felt flowing from my tongue without effort, those words that did not belong to any language I knew.
"The face of ## who wears the mask of ##....."
I repeated it, and I felt my mind involuntarily translating the meaning of some words, while I uttered others without understanding them.
".... The witness who does not blink at #####. The echo of ## in the cold ##..."
My voice sounded different, deeper and more resonant.
"... ## of the Universes ##, and the viewer of the eyes that have not ## yet."
All their voices followed me, faint at first, then becoming stronger and more harmonious. They weren't just sounds; they were vibrations that pierced the air and touched my skin. I felt the human circle around me tighten, as if an invisible energy was binding us together.
And in a moment, all those feelings and sensations vanished as if they had never been there.
We quickly pulled our hands away as if we'd been hit by a slight electric shock, our eyes fixed on the seven necklaces in front of us.
Nothing changed, only our blood dried up. Yes, it... it dried up, and the necklace did not absorb it, I repeated, trying to convince myself. I picked up the necklace and stood, looking around. Nothing happened, as if we hadn't tried the experiment at all.
Luca was the first to break the silence, his voice carrying a mix of anger and exhaustion. "Nothing happened. No happiness, no money, not even gold bars falling from the sky. Just psychological fatigue."
"But I felt something," Yuna said, looking at her gray necklace with suspicion. "It wasn't just tension. Those words..."
"Your voice, Louyan," Liam interrupted, approaching me again, his violet eyes searching my face for any sign. "I swear your voice changed for a few moments. It was different, as if someone else was speaking from your throat, then it suddenly returned..."
"Oh, Liam, enough! No one is possessed, and there's no black magic!" I tried to sound confident, but my heart was still pounding hard from the dread. "Maybe it's a psychological trick from the author. He played on our fear and excitement."
Evan sighed in disappointment, "Okay, let's get rid of this nonsense and open the book. I won't let this author deprive us of knowing the ending after all this."
Everyone reluctantly agreed, except Mliss, who was looking at our seating spot with suspicion and an uncharacteristic calm.
"Could the happiness be... that no harm came to us?" Mliss said, her eyes narrowed.
"Oh my God, Mliss, that's worse than the author's joke!" Louis yelled.
"Okay, okay, it was a good joke from the author. Now put on your necklaces and let's go read," Luca said, picking up his necklace from the ground.
And while we were doing this, none of us noticed a small, a very small and important thing... it could have changed a lot.
There was a warning. A very small warning at the end of the paper, as if the one who wrote it didn't want to show it. It was in a faint red color.
"Warning: - Do not do this in a place empty of people. We are not responsible for any case of loss, fading, or madness. We wish you a safe journey."
Suddenly, the paper silently faded away amidst their noise, as if it had never been written...