The sky was blue ~

The young man was walking with his cousin, who considered that the weather was perfect to climb the mountain. She had already done it twice, and wanted to share the stunning sensations that she experimented while reaching the summit. The wind playing with her hair, and being stronger at each step she was making. These butterflies she felt in her stomach when her eyes caught this splendid sunset, locking up this memory in her brain, as it was an inestimable treasure. Her treasure. This special feeling that Buddha was walking with her, approving her action, and murmuring words of encouragement to her ear ; pearls of wisdom which led her to continue. And she forgot stiffness; she didn’t care about heat, thirst. With stars in her eyes, she never lost sight of her goal. She was so excited by the perspective of doing it another time that he couldn’t refuse.

They had been walking for two hours yet when it happened. It started with a loud noise of explosion, frightening, blood-chilling. It reminded Keitaro the one of the thunder, but it was even stronger. Suddenly, hunting memories came back from the bottom of his consciousness. He knew he had already heard to this noise before. Nonetheless, there was a big gap between the sound that could broadcast his television appliance and the one he was witnessing at this moment. He wished he were sat on his sofa, able to channel-hop this nightmarish scene. He couldn’t control his fear. He shivered.

The explosion resounded through the entire valley. No one could imagine that. For like split a second, time appeared to be stopped, as it was held in his race by an invisible strength coming from nowhere. Seconds seemed to last for hours. No one was breathing, scared to death, as people wanted, by their discretion, to make the volcano fall asleep again. A deafening silence accompanied this vain human reflex.

And then, the cloud of destruction spurted out. Too fast, too close. Ash and dust started to cover the sky; their world fell into the darkness. Nature had taken the control, imposing them her laws. A deadly ash flow was running in their direction, bringing with it fire, boiling mud, and a scent of sulfur. But paradoxically, this was certainly the most mind-boggling natural phenomena that Keitaro had ever seen. Incapable of doing the slightest movement, he had the impression that his legs where stuck to the floor. Petrified, with his mouth wide open, he couldn’t remember how to breathe. He was completely lost, facing this monster who, baring its fangs, could throw him in the jaws of death.

Suddenly, he felt a pressure on his arm. He couldn’t remember when his cousin Arisa started to shout, yelling his name with a high-pitched voice, and ordering him to react. He shook oneself up. “We have to find a place to escape the toxic gases, she said. If we go now, we would reach it in less than 15 minutes. Follow me!” She pointed her finger on a lodge, near the summit, pretending it was sure, describing it as a kind of safe heaven. Keitaro looked at the sky, terrified. The volcano was now propelling in the atmosphere a rain of red burning rocks. To run away. That was all that the young man desired. The lodge was too far from them, it would be a miracle that they reached it before the cloud of ash and dust. No more listening to Arisa, he turned back and took one’s heels, trusting one’s instinct. When he looked back, he noticed that his cousin, completely panicked, was now running in his direction. Relieved, he smiled at her, and took her hand. They continued together, breathless, but alive. Then the cloud caught them.

How long had they been walking?

He lost track of time. She felt as she was standing in the eye of the hurricane. He couldn’t focus properly on anything; her eyes were irritated.

The world seemed to be blurred.

He couldn’t distinguish even his feet. She had already abandoned this idea and wasn’t trying anymore. Mud spattered his clothes; her hair was sticky, covered by ash and dust. Steam obstructed his lungs; tears were running down her cheeks. He had this tingling sensation on his face, as a multitude of spurs was grazing his skin. All that tethered her to reality was his hand in her. He didn’t know what he would have done without her.

***

Now Keitaro remembers everything.

The orange uniform of the fire fighter, rushing to them. His help while his legs couldn’t carry him anymore. His look of concern.

The inside of the fireman’s lorry, bringing them to the hospital. The eyes of Arisa, staring at him, appeased. Her smile, lighting her ash covered face.

The white sheets of his bed, immaculate. His short period of convalescence.

The journalists, the cameras and the microphones when he went out of the hospital with his cousin. Shocked by their rough introduction in her privet life, she didn’t want to answer any question.
“How did it happen? What was your reaction? Could you remember a small detail that you would like to share with us?” asked a woman, pointing her microphone in his direction.
Snatched by this flow of cameras, of smiles, he felt confused, out of place among them. Shuttering a little bit, he told them the first thing that came to his mind. “I-I remember that at the beginning, the sky was blue …”