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Chapter 132
Sorry, Thank You, and…
“Hmmmmphh… I wanna watch cartoons!”
A little girl pouted in front of the TV. She stood in front of the screen, blocking her family’s view of the TV.
“Lise, don’t block the TV,” The middle-aged woman sitting on the sofa said to the little girl who was pouting.
“Yeah, today’s Dad’s turn to decide on what show to watch,” A girl that looked older than the girl blocking the TV was sitting on the sofa, in the middle of the pair of adults. The space next to her was vacant, clearly meant for the little girl blocking the TV.
“Ann’s right,” The middle-aged man responded as he held the remote control in his hand.
“Hmmphhh…,” The girl named Lise pouted, but she relented and sat on the vacant space meant for her, still pouting.
“There, there. Be patient, li’l sis,” Ann patted her little sister’s head.
I can understand how boring Dad’s selection can be.
But what can we do?
That is the rule of our Sunday’s family time. Taking turns to watch a show of one’s choosing together.
And it is odd, but for some reason, I feel like I missed watching the TV so much…
As if I had gone through a long time without watching TV…
Ann couldn’t comprehend the sense of nostalgia and oddness that she was feeling at the moment.
“Ah, this one is interesting!”
After musing for a while, their father finally decided on a show to watch.
“Today, we are going to talk about ‘indigenous tribes’! Do you know what indigenous tribe is? Indigenous tribe is…”
The narrator in the documentary TV-show began to hype the audience and teased them on the content of their episode this time, as clips of what seemed to be indigenous tribes playing on the screen.
“Huh, what year is this footage taken from? The 1700s?” Lise asked.
“No, it’s recent footage,” Ann answered as she saw what seemed to be timestamps on the recording clips shown on the screen.
“Whaaat?” Lise opened her mouth in disbelief.
“Amazing, isn’t it? In our modern era where we depend so much on technology, or you can call it digital age, there are actually people who choose to live in seclusion, without even any interaction with the outside world.”
“Not even cartoons?” Lise asked.
“Nope,” Dad answered firmly.
“Eeeh, how boring their life is?” Lise seemed as if she were mind-blown.
Her reaction was so cute that it sent the rest of the family laughing.
Eh, for some reason, I feel like this ordinary, very normal family time is something that is so precious and nostalgic, something that I missed so much… I wonder why?
“But they are amazing in a way that they live in harmony with nature, and seem to be proud and not missing out on anything in life.”
Words flew by Ann’s mouth before she could even think it through.
Huh? Why is it that I seem like I personally know anyone from indigenous tribe?
Ann felt like there was something that she must remember, but she couldn’t figure out what.
And part of her didn’t feel like she wanted to figure it out. For… she was afraid this time and this scene would disappear.
It was such an eerie feeling, and she was just confused on what she should do.
“Oh? You seem to know much about indigenous tribes already?” Dad raised his eyebrow.
“I think I have heard, read, or seen about them somewhere before?” Ann tilted her head in confusion, also wondering about it.
Luckily, nobody pressured her to remember where she had learnt about indigenous tribes.
“I heard that their values might not align with us, modern people. Like, they are still outdated. For example… don’t they resort to murdering the outsiders that just want to reach out to them?” Their father had a mischievous expression as he began to talk.
“Oh yeah, I heard they even still practice scary rituals and… cannibalism?” Oddly enough, their mother also added oil to the fire.
“Yeah, imagine being genuinely curious and only wanting to approach them out of good intent, only to end up being the object in their ritual, and then becoming their food? Scary…”
“Dad, stop it!!” Lise shouted as she covered her ears, not wanting to hear it anymore.
For some reason, I don’t feel like they are as scary as that…
Hmmm…? They? Who are ‘they’?
Ann thought real hard before she suddenly heard something akin to tribal music and chanting. When she looked up at the TV, it wasn’t showing any of the tribal rituals. Instead, it was currently showing ads. That was also why the family of four talked among themselves instead of focusing on watching the TV show.
Huh? Am I hallucinating?
Why do I feel like the tribal music and chanting growing louder and louder?
Ann closed her eyes for quite some time in order to ward off any hallucination that she might be having.
But the next moment she opened her eyes, the scenery in front of her wasn’t the nostalgic living room with her family surrounding her.
Instead, she woke up to being in the middle of the said tribal ritual!
There were crowds of tribal people dancing, chanting, and playing music.
And the moment she opened her eyes…
“She has woken up!!” One of the tribal people shouted.
“Finally!!”
F-finally what?!
When some tribal people that were still wearing scary masks drew closer to her with what looked like spices and herbs in their hands–those that one would normally use during cooking–Ann’s mind replayed her mischievous father’s words.
‘Imagine ending up as the object in their ritual, and then becoming their food?’
Ann felt like she had the blood from her brains being drained, as she blackened out in an instant.
Dad, are you a psychic, predicting your daughter’s future? You should’ve taught us what to do in situations like these, not just coming up with the scary scenarios!!
That was what she managed to think, before she blackened out completely.
But when she opened her eyes again, she noticed that she was being caressed in the head softly, and there was a very nostalgic aroma that entered her nose.
“Mom… Dad?”
Ann noticed that she was lying on her mother’s lap with her father caressing her head. Her little sister was staring intently at her.
“Big Sis, you fell asleep mid-show!” Lise’s face showed an expression that seemed to be protesting, as if saying, ‘You cheated! I couldn’t fall asleep somehow!’
“D-did I? My bad…” Ann couldn’t remember her falling asleep. She felt as if she just blinked and there was an eerie scene that felt like reality.
“Did you have a nightmare? Look, you were sweating,” Ann’s mother caressed her forehead gently.
“Uh, I…” It didn’t look like a nightmare…
“Can you tell us what you just saw?” Ann’s father asked.
“So, I was suddenly in the middle of a ritual held by an indigenous tribe…”
“Do you know what tribe they are?” Lise asked in curiosity.
“Uh…” How am I supposed to know?
But for some reason, her mouth mentioned a foreign name with certainty, “The Imparie tribe.”
“What kind of people are they?” Ann’s mother asked.
“Do they seem like evil? Or will they eat you?” Lise asked.
”Huh? Oh… I don’t think so…?”
They are disgusted with humans, so how will they be able to eat something they think is disgusting?
Moreover, I have people who will be by my side and help me, so I don’t think things will end up that way…
Huh?
Ann blinked.
When her mind thought of that, suddenly, her scattered memories returned to her.
Everything finally made sense to her.
She remembered having died and then getting transmigrated to the game world, taking over the villainess’ body and gaining an additional 365 days to live.
Those additional days to live were about to end when she unexpectedly received a ray of hope that it would be extended… to her true second life, with her old bestie by her side.
Then, then, what about the family that was right in front of her, that she had missed so, so much…?
Are they real? Or are they an illusion being shown to her?
For what reason?
Is it to guide her way? Or could it be that she is about to die, and this was how her brain tried to comfort her in her last moments?
What about the glimpse of ritual she saw for a bit back there?
Was it real?
Or… since the ritual should be a success based on what she had witnessed and talked with Birdie and Anne, perhaps… this was her final chance to say goodbyes, to get closure for real on her previous life back at the modern world, and then living her second life to the fullest?
Ann had a hunch that this guess of her was correct.
As if her guess was correct, the space changed.
She suddenly found the space that was their living room to disappear, leaving nothing but an empty space, with her family standing right in front of her.
They were no longer the younger versions of her family members that she had in her memories. They were older, perhaps more befitting to the last images Ann had of them before she got transmigrated.
“Ann, are you happy?” Ann’s mother asked.
“Does anyone dare to bully you in the new place?” Ann’s father asked.
“Big Sis, do you think your new family and friends are nice? Do they love you like I do?” Lise asked.
Ann’s vision turned blurry. Tears burst from her eyes, before they flowed like a river.
“Mom, Dad, sis…” Ann said amidst her tears.
“I… I… I’m sorry for being a bad daughter, a bad sister” Ann then bawled like a baby.
The apology that she had wanted to tell them. The last words and goodbyes she had never thought of having. Even if this isn’t real, even if this only happens in her dream as her soul was merging with her new body, she doesn’t mind at all.
Knowing that this might not be real, she still said the words she had wanted to tell her family, not knowing what words she would receive in turn.
“Oh, Ann, it’s not your fault,” Ann’s mother hugged and comforted the bawling Ann.
“I should’ve pestered you more, Sis, even if it’d be childish of me and considered annoying. Had I known, I wouldn’t have thought that I was too busy adulting to reach out as well…” Lise also began crying.
“I didn’t know you worked too hard… I know I advised you to work hard since you were young, but I did not mean for you to work til death…” Even her stoic father had the rim of his eyes turning red.
The family of four then hugged one another as they all cried together.
“But you’re in a better place now, right?” Lise asked again after their tears have subsided.
“Mhm, yeah, yeah, I am. It’s completely different than our world, but I am happy. Laura, I mean Lori is here with me too.”
“Give my best regards to her. It’s good that you are not completely alone in the new place,” Lise said.
“Mhm. Don’t follow your sister’s steps, okay?” Ann tried to loosen up the situation with a joke.
A very bad joke, however.
“Like hell I will, you’re not a good example,” Lise tried to laugh at her big sister’s bad attempt at joking, but she ended up crying once more.
“Ann, be happy,” The father sincerely said.
“You need to be even happier than you were here, okay?” Ann’s mother said with a shaking voice.
“Yes, I will… Mom, Dad… Thank you for giving birth to me, and for raising me. Sorry I wasn’t able to make you proud. Sorry I caused you to send me off first, when you must have expected me to send you two off…”
“Silly child. There is nothing you should apologize for. It’s our fault for not being able to be better parents…” Ann’s mother said with tears streaming down her cheeks once more.
“Even though you are no longer here with us, not a single day has passed without us not praying for your happiness, wherever you are,” Lise said while trying to hold back her tears.
“Now, go. Go to where the people who care for you are waiting for you,” Their father instructed.
Ann nodded.
Unsure whether it was a coincidence or not, a ray of light appeared from behind Ann, all out of a sudden.
Ann meekly turned around and began walking towards that light.
However, just a short while before entering it, she turned to look at her family of three, who was still looking at her, as if sending her off and giving their encouragement to her.
“Mom, Dad, Sis… I’ll be off.” Ann said with a smile, the line of tears apparent on her cheeks.
“Take care, Ann.” The three of them waved back at Ann with similar expressions—they were smiling through their tears.
Then, Ann turned away and walked towards the warm light before surrendering herself to this warm and loving sensation she felt.
This might only be a dream, my wishful thinking, but it’s good to have a little closure.
I hope Mom, Dad, and Lise also got a glimpse of this little dream of closure and last reunion I had, so they won’t feel so sad anymore, and so they know that I am already in a good place, though not in the same world as them.
Right…
Mom, Dad, Lise…
I… am moving on now, in a world without you guys.
It might be lonely without you guys with me in this world, but please rest assured that I’ll be happy with precious people that I encountered in this world.
So… I hope you guys can move on and live happily in a world without me.
Sorry, thank you, and…
Goodbye.
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