"Mom, what for dinner"
"Pad kraprao" she reply
His father is sitting on a couch, watching the news report. The warm, orange sunlight shrine through the windows, reflecting against warm, wooden floor. My mom is cooking and the food aroma filled the living room.
I am doing math homework at that time.
I hear a fainted voice from the speaker, follow by the afternoon news reporter who announced "The Soviet Union had dissolved on yesterday, December. 26 1991 at around midnight gmt+7)
"Mom, what is the Soviet Union" I asked
"It is a country" she reply
The news reporter continue to talk about previously secret Soviet documents which have been released, most of those files are about military secrets but then the reporter stop listing and call an assistant.
"Can you verify this one" the news reporter ask
"Sure" the assistant reply
Then the news reporter say: "The information I will mention might be fake report. The file stated that the Soviet exploration team have found a massive mountain range in Antartica where it is previously believed that South Pole is located. One of them climb the mountain then he see an endless sea of water but when they report this information to their superior, they are told to keep this a confidential information."
"Can I go there?" Raiden asked
"I don't think so" his mom reply
"Dad, is there land there?"
"How will I suppose to know?" He reply with an angry tone and then he shift his focus back to his work.
My mom finally walk out of the kitchen with the food. I spend some time eating it and I would say this is one of the more delicious meal she cook. Then I go back into my room to continue his math homework.
That night, I can barely sleep as my mind keeps running, trying to guess what is behind that mountain.
*treet…treet…treet*
My alarm clock sounds at around 6 am.
My brain feels heavier than usual, maybe from too much thought or lack of sleep.
I slowly get out of bed and then walk down the stair like a zombie with black circle around my eyes.
In the morning of the school day, I still cannot get over the fact that there is a hidden land that we just discovered. My mom drives me to school silently, her mind overwhelmed with thought just like me. I ride for almost a hour from Chatuchak to Sathorn. The endless possibilities start to flood into my mind. Is the world going to come to an end? Will there be magic? Will human ever step in there? When I arrive at the school, I overheard a lot of conversations related to the news reporter yesterday. Surprisingly often for a 5 grader.
The first class today is math but no one, not even teachers, can focus on teaching as they all discuss about the yesterday report.
"I wanna go there so bad" Satoru say
"Me too" I excitedly reply
The teacher still attempts to teach math.
"Number 41" she call my class number
"Answers equation 6 on muti….."
*ring* *ring*
The school bell ring
"The class time is over" I tell my teacher
I feel lucky that the bell sounds just in time as my brain is too busy for me to do math.
The math teacher walk out of the classroom. We can see a little bit of disappointment in her eye. After she left, the class erupted in conversation again.
After a while, the conversation comes to an end as the English teacher, teacher Steven, comes into the room. After he come, he announces that this class will be a debate class where he allow students to debate on the possibility of the outside world.
"Today will not be graded" he said
Then he set a 30 minute timer on the clock above the blackboard. On the blackboard, he also have recommended topic such as possibly of the outside world, will there be monster, and something about magic.
"Bro" Satoru call me
"Yeah" I reply
"Do you wanna debate with me?" he asked
"Why not" I reply
"What topic will we choose though?" I asked
"Probably magic, that sound cool" he reply
"Let begin I guess" I said
"I don't think there will be magic" he said
"I think there should be one" I reply
"Why?" he asked
"I don't know, it sounds right" I answer
It seems like he is trying to hold his laughter from my dumb attempts at reasoning.
After the English class, we have lunches at the school cafeteria. I ordered chicken rice and he order a noodle. We then go sit with other friends and talks about the yesterday report.
After lunch, I go back to the building to study science but I accidentally fall asleep for the entire class and the only thing I can recall is that they mention something about XX and XY something c word but I have not heard anything about the new land. After class, I call my mom to pick me up then I take a ride home, this time I managed to have some conversation with her.
"Do you want to go outside" I ask her
"Probably" she reply
She seems to hide something from me and we drive home in silence.
The following Christmas break feel odd with no one talking to each other and our house feel lifeless.
After the Christmas break, everything seems normal again. My friend and family begin to talk normally again and the land have be kept in my mine quietly for years until…..
After a long time, I finally become 13 years old and reach grade 8. In some Monday, I see a leaflet on the kitchen table about "exploration" and "the world beyond the mountains". I initially don't have much thought in it until one day, when I walk home, I encounter my house, empty, devoid of any life, and I feel a shiver run down my spine. I unlock the house and enter only to see a completely intact house and the leaflet is the only thing gone.
I grab my phone and dial the police number, the police arrive quickly, then they asked me few question. As they stand in front of my door.
"When was the last time you see their parents" one of the police asked
"Today, morning" I reply
"What is the difference you see in the house" he asked again
"Only a leaflet shoutout exploring the outside world is gone" I tell them
"Can you remember the cost to go out?" One of them asked with a serious expression.
"It should be around a thousand Bath" I reply then they begin to panic
"Do you have any families members except them?" they asked
"I have my grandmother" I reply
"Can you call her" he asked me
"Yes" I answer
"Go live with her while the police will figure the case out." One of the tell me
"Yes" I answer again
I see those police talking on the phone line to what seem their superiors.
"Sir, we found a case of leaflets of "new world expeditions company" again, you need to file a report and a missing person poster."
"I will notify other" police chief reply
I can also hear a faint sound of writing from the phone.