The sound of rushing water slowly faded away.
For a while, there was nothing but silence.
Then, I heard the sound of birds singing.
I opened my eyes.
I was standing in the middle of a vast, open field. Green grass stretched as far as I could see, swaying gently beneath a clear blue sky. The sunlight warmed my face, and a soft breeze brushed against my skin.
I looked down at myself.
My hands were smaller.
My clothes were different.
I looked like a little kid again.
I couldn't have been older than four.
"Where am I?" I whispered.
I turned around, searching for something familiar, but there was nothing. Just the open field and a distant line of trees.
Then I heard a voice.
"Sweetheart?"
I froze.
I knew that voice.
Slowly, I turned toward the sound.
A woman stood a short distance away, wearing a gentle smile. Her hair moved softly in the breeze, and her eyes looked at me with a warmth I hadn't felt in what seemed like forever.
It was my mother.
I stared at her, unable to believe what I was seeing.
"Mom?"
She opened her arms.
I didn't think. I ran toward her as fast as my little legs could carry me.
She knelt just in time to catch me, wrapping her arms around me and holding me close.
"There's my little boy," she whispered.
I buried my face against her shoulder.
"Mom, I missed you."
She gently stroked my hair.
"I missed you too, sweetheart."
For the first time in what felt like years, I wasn't worried about anything. There was no rushing water, no fear, no desperate struggle to get home. I was four years old again, safe in my mother's arms.
I pulled away just enough to look at her.
"Mom, can we stay here?"
She smiled sadly and brushed a tear from my cheek.
"Why would you want to stay here, sweetheart?"
"Because I don't want you to leave again."
Her expression softened. She pulled me close once more.
"Oh, my little boy."
We sat together in the grass. She held my hand while I told her everything I could remember. I told her about the people I'd met, about Rudy, Ethan and Emy, and about Hina and her little brother, Osako.
Mom listened to every word.
When I finished, she looked out across the field.
"You've been trying so hard to take care of everyone, haven't you?"
I nodded.
"Someone has to."
She looked back at me.
"But even the strongest people need someone to take care of them sometimes."
I didn't answer. I simply leaned against her.
For a while, we watched the clouds drift across the sky.
Then I noticed something strange.
The sunlight was beginning to fade.
"Mom?"
She squeezed my hand.
"It's time for you to go back, sweetheart."
I immediately sat up.
"No! I want to stay with you!"
She wrapped her arms around me as I began to cry.
"I know," she whispered. "I know."
"Please don't make me go!"
She held me tighter, resting her cheek against my head.
"You still have people waiting for you."
I shook my head against her shoulder.
"But I want my mom!"
Her arms tightened around me.
"And I want you to live your life, sweetheart."
I looked up at her, tears running down my face.
"Will I see you again?"
She smiled and kissed my forehead.
"You carry my love with you wherever you go."
The field began to grow brighter. I could feel her hand slipping away from mine.
"Mom!"
"It's okay, sweetheart."
"PLEASE!"
Her voice became quieter as the world around us faded.
"I love you."
Then everything went white.
Two weeks later.
A steady beeping filled the hospital room.
Machines hummed softly beside the bed, and sunlight filtered through the window.
I lay motionless beneath the blankets, surrounded by the quiet sounds of the hospital.
For fourteen days, I had remained unconscious.
Doctors had monitored me around the clock, uncertain when—or if—I would wake up.
Beside my bed, someone sat with their head bowed, holding my hand.
They had been waiting for two weeks.
And then, for the first time in fourteen days, my fingers moved.
The person beside me immediately lifted their head.
"Wait…"
They leaned closer, watching my face.
My eyelids trembled.
Slowly, painfully, I began to open my eyes.
The light above me blurred my vision. My whole body felt heavy, and I couldn't understand where I was.
I tried to speak, but my throat was dry.
All that came out was a faint whisper.
"…Mom?"
The person beside my bed froze.
Then they hurriedly called for the doctor.
"He's awake! He's finally awake!" I could barely understand what was happening. I only knew one thing. I had come back from the field