bedroom. midnight. "Did you hear that?" "It’s okay. It's just the train." "It sounds like it's getting closer..." “You’re right...” “That’s strange... I’m sure it’s just an illusion.” “We can get on, you know. If you want.” “What?” “e x s p i r a v i t” “...” “The ghost train. It can stop time. It runs all night, carrying tired souls.” “Ghost train?” “It runs through a forest in the north. Doesn’t need tracks. Flies straight through, like the wind. Everyone sees it differently. To one person, it may appear as the train that always passed outside their window at night. To someone else, it may be the metro that took them to work or school every day. To some, it may not appear as a train at all. Once you board, it will take you to your final destination. It’s contracted to see every journey to its end. It’ll pick you up wherever you are, if you have the fare.” You: “A fare? What would a train full of ghosts want with money?” “Hm... Good question. I’ve heard that Charon only lets you on if you

roof. late night. "Mind if I have a hit of that?" "Oh hey, bud. Sure thing." "Thanks... Listen, can I ask you something?" "Shoot." “So... you don't really think THE END is tonight, right? Like they’re saying on the news?" "Mmm...no. I don’t think so. But it's a good excuse to smoke up here. I get to tell myself ‘okay, maybe this is it. My last look at the sky.’ That’s fine with me." "I know what you mean. We should savor it while we can." 無常•共有 IMPERMANENZA•CONDIVISA IMPERMANENCE•SHARED "Okay, my turn." "For what?" "I get to ask you a question now, duh!” "Oh, alright. Whatcha got?" "What do you think happens after we die? Do we go to some kind of paradise? Or a blazing shithole? Or is it just...nothing? Pure darkness? Eternal dreamless sleep, and we leave everything behind?" “Okay, I’ve never told anyone this, but... I’ve seen it.” “Eh?” “What happens after death. I’ve seen it.” “You’re messing with me, right?” “I’m serious.” “Cross your heart? Hope to DIE?” “...” “Alright, fine, Death Master! Tell me what you saw.” “This happened when I was a kid. I was walking in the forest, with...” “Oh. Your younger brother...” “Yeah. Blake. We’d been playing in the forest all afternoon. It was getting dark, so I decided that we should head home, a little over a mile’s walk. He begged me to play Follow the Leader with him for just a little longer, and I didn’t see any harm in it. We’d be a bit late to dinner, but I didn’t think our parents would be too upset. Blake started walking faster and faster ahead of me, and I was almost struggling to keep up. I tried telling him to slow down, but he started sprinting ahead. I thought I’d lost him in a dense thicket, but it suddenly opened up to a glade, and I spotted Blake walking towards the small lake in the center. I didn’t recognize this area at all, but he seemed to know exactly where he was going. There was a massive, glowing ball of white light floating just above the surface of the water, in the middle. And the noise... there was a noise like nothing I’d ever heard, coming from that light. Like a million voices all crying out. I was completely stunned... I froze up. Blake... started wading into the water. He hadn’t learned to swim yet, but he walked with an eerie confidence... He was already halfway to the light before I snapped out of it. I yelled, ‘Stop! It could be dangerous!’ He couldn’t hear me, or wasn’t listening, so I ran into the water after him, screaming ‘COME BACK! DON’T TOUCH IT!’ When he got to the light, the water was almost up to his chest. He turned to look back at me. He had this frightening look in his eyes. They were sort of reflective, like cat's eyes at night, but completely black. He looked almost... apologetic. 許してください•Forgive me•Perdonami 行かせて•Let me go•Lasciami andare He was about to touch the light when I finally caught up to him. The noise was deafening up close. I started to feel my skin...vibrating. I grabbed his hand, tried to pull him back, but it was too late. He pulled me in. Everything went dark. Silent. Searing heat all over. For a second. Then, ice cold. I realized his hand was gone. He was gone. My heart was going a million miles an hour. I screamed for him. I screamed and screamed, so loud I thought my throat would burst. I felt my vocal cords straining, aching. I felt the vibration in my chest. But I couldn’t hear a thing. I kept screaming for what felt like hours. I tried to run, but my legs were paralyzed. I moved my arms around, tried to grab onto something, but there was nothing around me. Just my aching body, stuck in some silent, dark nowhere. This must be death, I thought. I thought of Blake. He must’ve been terrified. I was the oldest. I was supposed to look out for him. I just stood there, stuck, picturing his face. The way he looked at me, that last time...so solemn. Like he knew exactly what he was doing. Then, white. Piercing, blinding white. And noise. Buzzing, shrieking, humming. One voice stuck out above the others, inhuman but still intelligible. It said, ‘NOT YET.’” “...” “I blinked, and I was lying on my front porch, soaking wet and freezing. I told my parents what happened. They didn’t believe me, of course. Told me I was in shock. They found his body on the bottom of that lake the next morning.” “I’m... so sorry.” “The official story was that he drowned. My whole life, that’s what I’ve told everyone...except for you.” “Oh man, I... I believe you.” “I saw that light again today. It just...appeared outside my window, floating above a puddle in the street. It’s been...33 years.” “...” “Could I have another hit of that

許してください•Forgive me•Perdonami 行かせて•Let me go•Lasciami andare

front door. early morning. “I’m going back to that forest today. Please don’t look for me. I need to do this alone. The noise... it's getting worse every day. His voice cuts above the others now. I can never make out the words, but it's definitely him. I haven't slept. The windows shake at night. thelightalwaysbleedsthroughalwaysbleedsthrough I've been having daydreams, too. My legs seize up and my screams are choked, impossibly silent. I'll feel something pulling my arm, hard, but there will be no one there. This morning, I had scratches all over my right hand. I'm getting a weird feelinnngq... I hope I’m not too late. I don’t want you to think that you didn’t do enough. You listened, and you believed me...that’s more than I could’ve asked for. I’m sorry, but you can’t help me with this. You were the brightest thing in my life. I need you to know that. brightestthing Oh, could you do me one more favor? Please don't tell my parents where I went. Yours,,,

forest. afternoon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “You feel it too, don’t you?” “Hm?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “The vibration... It’s like I can feel the forest’s heartbeat. Every little thing has its own voice.” “Yeah, I feel it... Even the trees. They’ve all got some kind of energy. Resonance.” ~~~~~~~~^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “I want you to promise me something.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^~~~~~~~~~~ “What’s that?” “Promise you won't die before me.” “...Well, that’s not something I can really control, you know.” “Of course you can!” “...” “Okay, let’s both die at the same time. Together.” “What are you talking about? Are you feeling okay?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^~~~~~~~^^^^^^~~~~~~~~ “Hey, it looks like that storm is coming in, and it’s getting dark. Maybe we should head home--” “Let's jump into the sky and turn into lightning!! Let's die with a FLASH and a BOOM!!!!” “What are you doing up there?” “You’ve got to see this!! You can feel the whole world through these...needles...” “You’re not feeling well! Let’s just go home, okay?” “I'm going to jump into the clouds!!!!! I WANT TO RESONATE” “Stop messing around! If you fall, you’ll--” ~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^~~~~><><><><~~~~~^^^^~~ ~~~~~^^^^^^^^^~~^^^^~~^^^^^^^~~^^^^^~^^^~~~~~ “Oh... That light... ~~~~~^^~^~^^~^~^^~^~^^~^~^^^^^^~^~^^~^~^~^^~^~^~^^~^~^^~^~^~^^~^~^><~^><^>~~<^>><>~>>><<<<~~~^^^^^>>><<<^~~>><<~~~>>><<<~~>>>><<<<<^>>>>>~~~~~^~^~^^^~^^~~^~^~^~~~~~~^^^~~^^~~~ • • • • It's so beautiful up here

lake. evening. “Blake, come back! You know you can’t swim! Don’t touch it! It could be dangerous! Please come back... I... I can’t move... DON’T LEAVE ME ALONE • I feel your ghost... It’s stronger here. thehum I shouldn’t have let you go... But it took you and put me back. Where did it take you? Did you hear a voice calling to you? Did you recognize it? Blake... It’s not fair... I should’ve stopped it, somehow. I shouldn’t have let you go. IT SHOULD’VE BEEN ME . . . is it a line or a circle is it a line or a circl is it a line or a circ is it a line or a cir is it a line or a ci is it a line or a c is it a line or a is it a line or is it a line o is it a line is it a lin is it a li is it a l is it a is it is it is it is it ... see you soon

is it a line or a circle is it a line or a circl is it a line or a circ is it a line or a cir is it a line or a ci is it a line or a c is it a line or a is it a line or is it a line o is it a line is it a lin is it a li is it a l is it a is it is it is it is it

tree branch. now. You near the end of your path. Blake is resting in his DeathEgg. You will join him soon. My child... You will be finally laid to rest in the warm noise. First, we ask that you show us your heart and mind, before they are regifted as energy back into the system. “Are you proud of who you’ve become?” ƧƎY ɿo OИ "You will be remembered for" ƎVO⅃ ɿo HTᎮИƎЯTƧ “Do you have regrets?” TЯUH I ƧƎИO ƎHT ɿo ᗡИIHƎᙠ TᖷƎ⅃ I ƧƎИO ƎHT “Have you done your best?” ... “First and final. You didn’t ask for it. Out of the dark for good. One can never undo. The truest curse. The grandest release.” HTЯIᙠ ɿo HTAƎᗡ We are aware of our impermanence 死は悪ではない È una linea e un cerchio It comes for us all 人生は常に変化しています Perdiamo e guadagniamo tutto The forest 森 La foresta The noise 　音　 Il rumore The lake 湖 Il lago The light 光 La luce Please be prepared. 準備してください。 Si prega di essere preparati. •

******come****************************inside******************and*****************************you***********************************will****************************be*********************warm**************************************************************************************************************************************************we’ve**************************************met*************************************before******************************************************************************************************************************************************the********************************************************************soil***************************************the****************edge**************************of*****************************it....................*******************a***********kiss*************on****************the***************forehead******************* silent snowfall. whiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhiteuponwhite ******************************************************the****************************************************************orangepink*****************************************************glow***************at***************************the********************end*******************of*****************the******************day******************************************************************************************************************************************warm**************************************blood**************************************on**************long**************************************shadows**********************************************growing***** lll ooo nnn ggggggg eeeeeeeeeee rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ****************************************************************************************************************** .the.dark.return. .again.and.again. ****************************************************************************************************************** p s y c h O p o m p s ferrymen deatheggs **********************************************************************************************************************all********come***********************************************and************************************************************************************************************************************all*************gone*********and********************put*********************back****************into*****************everything*****************************************************************************************************************************not*created*************************************or*destroyed**************************but********************************************************************transferred******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************collected*****from*****the*****end*****of*****a*****long*****thread****************** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please do not be afraid~ Come. We will see you warm. •

ありがとうございました GRAZIE MILLE THANK YOU VERY MUCH