Chapter 22: The Goodbye for Now [END]

 

 

"I'm not so sure, but I got the feeling it might be," Alex says.

"But why?" I ask desperately.

"Well, my task is done, I guess. You're back up from your lowest point, and you're cheered up again..." Alex explains. "But actually, we shouldn't have met until the afterlife, so..."

"How much time do we have?" I ask, cutting him off.

"About ten minutes...?" Alex replies, unsure.

"But it's not sunset yet..." I tell Alex.

"Tell it to the clouds; they're my ride back home and they're getting close," Alex says, looking up at the gray clouds above.

"Please don't go. I wish I could stay with you a little bit longer. I'm so happy I could walk and talk with you all this day long. I don't know why I can finally tell all of my stories to someone that smoothly, without any fear. I feel like I can just trust you, you know. Usually, I can't even talk this long or remember what words to use. Being with you like this, makes me feel secure. I've been dreaming of this moment for so long. I'm tired of being lonely," I tell Alex, pouring everything out from my heart.

"It feels like I just finally found my reason to be happy, but now I have to lose it and even forget about you. Then what's the meaning of this meeting anyway? Am I going to be okay after you leave? Can I really survive this world without you? What if I go back to feeling miserable again?" I keep asking Alex.

"Then try hard to remember me again, please," Alex says with a smile.

"But how?" I ask. How am I supposed to remember something that was already erased?

"I can only hope this will help," Alex says, and then he suddenly kisses my left cheek.

I'm completely shocked and frozen. Suddenly, the park changes into a field of clouds. Pairs of white doves fly around us. The blue sky turns clear and bright. Our bench is somehow replaced by a more sophisticated and golden gleaming one. I feel like I'm in heaven now.

I see my body and hands getting muscled and taller, and I'm wearing a green garment like the guy I saw in my reflection before. The puddle below us turns into a small, calm, and crystal-clear river. Then I check my own reflection, and it turns out I am that handsome guy with the silver hair now. I see Alex beside me wearing the exact same outfit, kissing my cheek with a smile. As I see myself blushing, the sky turns into a red-pink color too.

The moment Alex releases his kiss, all of that vision is gone, and I am brought right back to Earth.

"Wow... thank you," I say to Alex, smiling, unable to say anything more.

"I hope you always remember that I will always be waiting for you until the day you return," Alex says seriously.

We stay quiet for a moment, enjoying our last minutes in the park. Suddenly, a low rumble echoes in the sky. It looks like it's about to rain.

"I know this feels unfair. I really wish I could have recognized you earlier. But maybe fate tells us we should meet this way," Alex says as he stands up. "So please stay out of trouble from now on. I don't think I will have another chance to meet you again here. But honestly, I really can't wait to see you again very soon," Alex continues, holding both of my hands to help me stand up.

"Is it already time?" I ask as I rise from my seat.

"Five more minutes," he replies.

"Can I just die right now, then go with you forever?" I say, kidding.

"Please, just stay here, wait for me, okay. I'm not going to risk it and lose my chance to live together with you forever or wait any longer. We will have more time later, in the after. Trust me, I'm sick of being alone too up there. But what can we do but just wait anyway?" Alex says, squeezing my hands tightly, looking a little bit worried.

"Don't worry, Alex. I'm just joking. I'm a crybaby; I don't think I have the guts to do anything extreme like that," I say, apologizing for making him worry. "I will do my best to get back to you, okay? Waiting seventy more years is nothing compared to being with you forever in the future," I tell Alex with a smile.

"Good, let's wait a little longer. It'll be worth it," Alex says seriously.

After a lot of smiling and staring, we finally release our grip and slip our hands into our jacket pockets at the exact same time. Meanwhile, the wind begins to blow, signaling the rain, scattering leaves and flower petals around the park.

"Hey, Alex, do you think we can still get into a fight in heaven?" I ask him one last time before he goes.

"I hope not. Isn't everything in heaven supposed to be perfect?" Alex answers.

"Yeah, I'd like that," I reply, smiling.

Suddenly, the rain begins to pour down on the park. People scramble around, looking for shelter, yet around the bench where we stand, not a single drop falls. Suddenly, right behind Alex, a portion of the falling rain begins to shape into steps of a water staircase, cutting straight up into the sky. The rainwater continues to flow down each step, sparkling against the sunbeams which manage to pass through the cloud gaps around us.

"My ride is here," he says, gesturing with his body toward the water staircase behind him.

"Wow," I am completely stunned by everything I just saw.

"Oh, yeah, Billy... don't you ever worry about all 'that' God things. You can be right or wrong, but as long as you use your pure heart, I think the universe will lead you to the right path," Alex says before he turns around.

"Thanks, Alex." I'm so touched that he really cares.

Alex begins to climb the water staircase now.

"Oh, wait, here is your sketch. Don't forget about me either, okay?" I hand his sketch back to him.

"Never," Alex answers, blushing, taking the paper from my hand.

"Oh, also, I know you gave this to me, but can you hold onto my wax duck once more when I'm gone, please?" This time, I hand him the toy with a wide smile. "And, please pass on my best regards and thanks to your angel too for fixing it and... pretty much everything," I add in a small voice.

"With pleasure, your highness," Alex chuckles, giving me a mock bow.

"Okay, then... Goodbye for now, my princess!" Alex says in the middle of his steps. "See you in the after!"

As he steps upward, each water step he passes drops back down, turning into normal rainfall once more.

I look up at the sky, watching him ascend further up until he completely disappears.

"Love you, Billy!" his voice echoes before the rain finally stops, leaving only dark clouds that slowly fade away.

I still stand there, frozen, staring up at the sky, before suddenly snapping out of it—like waking up from a vivid daydream.

"Huh? What am I even doing here?" I think for a second.

"Oh, right... I followed Clara all the way to the station earlier, but I chickened out, so I ran and walked until I ended up here." I'm such a creep! I say, letting out a small laugh at myself before sitting back down on the bench.

But it's strange... I'm not sad anymore. And it feels like I just had a dream of someone like Zac or Dave kissing my cheek... again? What? I mutter to myself, touching my left cheek, feeling confused.

And why do I suddenly feel so sure that... that guy will be waiting for me later in the afterlife? I scratch my memory, trying to recall what I was just thinking about.

And why do I have this fairy tale story in my head that I'm actually a beautiful princess with good hair just like Clara in my heavenly future? I chuckle. Is that why I kept chasing her all my life even though I don't feel any love for her? Is it because I feel like I see a true form of myself when I see her?

And why do I suddenly feel like I don't need to worry about all of my things in this world because God already has them all saved in my own actual cloud storage later in heaven? Where did I even get all of these ideas anyway? I start to wonder.

But the sky is about to get dark and I have to go home anyway. I let my thoughts sigh out, quickly stand from my park bench and am ready to leave it behind.

Why does this concept suddenly make my sadness fade away? Is it because I extend my hope to way beyond my future? Or is it actually just my time to finally accept all of this? Is this Your way of telling me something, God? But why just now? I still wonder while on my way walking back to the bus shelter.

Whatever. I'm just glad it works for me now. I really hope this lasts forever. So whatever I decide for my life in the future, if I ever go back to that crisis again, I wish I can still hold onto this as my life foundation. But everything is actually up to You, God. So, yeah...

I finally reach the shelter. While waiting for the bus, I pray in my heart.

Dear God, please forgive the mistakes I've made in my past. I know I've been a jerk a lot of times. Please help me fix everything I did if You will. Please ease my life, and help me not to forget all of this if it is what's best in Your eyes.

My bus finally arrives and I start to step in.

"Ok world, I'm ready now. I got a husband to catch," I say with a smile, while my bus starts to leave the shelter, ready to go.

From the clouds, Alex watches me from a distance.

"Until the day we meet again, but that time we will be forever," he says, while sitting on his cloud steps somewhere above the sky, watching Billy. He holds his new sketch of the current face of Billy that he has just drawn, placing it side by side with his previous sketch— the princess version of Billy.

THE END

Inspired by 18:109 & 36:36

Updated 06/14/2026

• Back to All Chapters <<

© billysan89. All rights reserved.

Chapter 21: The Princess

 

 

"What? You're joking!" I say in disbelief.

"Nope, my ring reacted, and yours too apparently," Alex explains, showing the glowing ring on his finger and gesturing for me to look at my own hand.

I am completely shocked. Out of nowhere, I find the same glowing ring on my own finger.

"But how? I've been with you all the time and it didn't happen before," I say, totally surprised.

"That's because you still had that big dark cloud over your head before," Alex explains. "When I told you that you are my princess, you started feeling hopeful again, and that thing is finally gone for good."

"Really? But I thought your soulmate is that girl in your sketch?" I say, completely puzzled as I point his own sketch back at him.

"Yes, she is, which is actually your own reflection right now," Alex says, looking down at the puddle under our bench.

"Huh?" I grow even more confused.

"See it for yourself. Look at the water, that's your own true form later in heaven," Alex adds.

I try to gather my courage to look at my reflection in the puddle. Bismillah.

But all I see in my reflection is a handsome, stranger man without glasses, with silver hair and wearing a green garment like a toga—as green as Alex's jacket—staring back at me from the water. "Huh? Who is that guy? Why is his hair silver, and why is he copying my movements?" I ask, trying to shake my head and move my arms around, but still the man in the puddle mirrors me in perfect sync.

"Apparently that's you too... in the future? Aside from the girl I sketched?" Alex says, looking a bit confused himself.

"Wait... what?" I am completely lost by Alex's words for a second. But the man with the silver hair really has my attention.

"Oh, wow! Am I going to be this gorgeous in the future? No way!" I say while touching my face part by part. "Well, it does resemble my face, but this is way more perfect and handsome than me now."

I never knew someone with gray hair could look cool and still young like that. Maybe it's really true that gray hair is the hair of heaven after all? I can only stay stunned watching my own reflection for a moment. Meanwhile, I notice Alex's reflection beside mine is also wearing the exact same garment as me, but his looks still remain the same.

"I thought you were pretending to be Dave all day, but it turns out it really is your actual look after all?" I ask him curiously.

"Yup, this is all my own true form and I haven't been pretending all this time with you," Alex answers.

Wow. So that means the reason why I always fall for someone like Zac and Dave is actually because they all resemble Alex? My own true soulmate that I have always been looking for? I try to connect the dots, nodding to myself.

"But wait, how about your princess? You said earlier that my own reflection is a girl in that sketch. What did you mean by that?" I ask, turning my face toward him.

"I don't understand either," Alex says, confused. "Oh, there it is! Your reflection turned into a woman again, not a man anymore," he adds, pointing his finger at the puddle.

"Huh? Where?" I look down at my reflection again, but I still see the same handsome, silver-haired man.

Both of us watch ourselves wrinkle our foreheads in our puddle reflection.

"But just a second ago, I saw your reflection was a woman," Alex says, looking confused himself. "Ummm wait..." He's starting to get an idea. "Billy, try looking at me now," Alex says, while observing my reflection in the water. "Now, look straight ahead," Alex asks me again. "Now, turn to the right."

I pause for a second. I am always confused figuring out my left and right. Alex is on my left, oh, so the right is that way. I then turn my face to the right.

"Now look straight ahead again," Alex says.

Suddenly, Alex let out a loud laugh.

"Huh? What is it?" I am still completely clueless about what is going on.

"I don't know, I'm confused about how to explain it too," Alex says. "You have two reflections. One is your male reflection—the better version of yours now—and the other is your female reflection, which looks like the princess in my sketch, but only when you turn to the side. So, you can't see it yourself; only I can."

I pause for a second, trying to process everything. "So am I a man or a woman in the afterlife? Am I still a real man but my reflection is a woman? Or the other way around? Or am I a man during the day and a woman at night? Or what else?" I ask Alex if he knows something.

"I really don't know," Alex answers, shrugging his shoulders and hands. "We can only find out once we are actually in heaven."

"But if we're both men, why does the water in the wax duck always show people in pairs—a man and a woman?" I ask Alex.

"Well, your black cloud is gone now. I think you can try to check yourself through it and see what the result is," Alex suggests.

I pick up my wax duck toy. I totally forgot that one of my ducks is broken.

"Here, let me fix it first," Alex says, pulling his watch from his jacket sleeve. "Please repair this wax duck toy back to how it used to be." Suddenly, his watch glows and the shattered duck becomes completely whole again. "Here you go."

"Wow," I say in awe.

Okay, this is it. This is the time I've been waiting for, to finally check who my own soulmate is through my wax duck toy, even though I already know the spoiler.

Water, can you please show me who my true future soulmate is?

Finally, a bubble rises, and the water is no longer black like before. Inside the bubble, a female figure resembling Clara appears—just like the one in Alex's sketch. But shortly after, another bubble forms right behind it, and that figure is Alex.

"It's you. It really is you, I don't believe it," I say, surprised, knowing Alex is really my soulmate after all. But I notice my bubble prediction is quite different from a lot of people. "Wait, this pattern is exactly the same as the bubble results from that drag performer and a few people I checked before," I say to Alex.

So the first bubble—the woman resembling Clara—is actually myself, because that is one of my own future forms in heaven later. Meanwhile, the second bubble is Alex's face, which is clearly my actual soulmate. As for that drag performer, the woman in their first bubble was actually their future form in heaven too, meanwhile the empty bubbles that followed must be their soulmates but only kept hidden. Hmm... now I get why this happens only to a few people like us.

"So, how is it? Does everyone truly pair up as man and woman?" Alex asks me.

"It's actually a yes, but at the same time, it's not that simple either," I conclude.

"What about you, Alex? Are you a man or a woman, then?" I ask him.

"Well, I thought I was a man since my body looks like this, but now, I don't even know anymore," Alex says. "Do you really think there will still be a reproduction process later in heaven that requires us to be real men and women?" Alex asks me.

"I surely hope not, because that is actually the root of every problem on Earth. I don't think heaven really needs this at all," I joke with Alex.

"Yeah, whatever it is, I'm just glad I finally met you. I thought I'd never find my princess, but here I am now, with you, in great condition. Mission accomplished," Alex says, feeling very glad.

"Is this really real? This is not all your doing to make me feel okay again, right?" I ask, still feeling insecure.

"I told you the truth, Billy. Are you happy if I'm going to be your future husband or not?" Alex asks with a smile.

"Yes, I really, really am," I answer him with so much joy. I can't believe it's really happening.

Alex and I look at our future reflection—two men smiling happily in heaven; it looks so beautiful and feels peaceful in my heart. But I'm actually curious about what my female reflection looks like too. Does it really look exactly like Clara? I wonder if the reason why I'm attracted to her but can never love her is because I actually feel like I'm looking at myself whenever I look at her?

"Hey Alex, if I look like Clara, and you look like Dave too, and there are also Clara herself and her future soulmate who also looks like Dave—or is actually Dave himself—does that mean we're actually fated to be twin couples in heaven later? Wouldn't that be awesome since Clara and I are actually close to each other from the very beginning?" I add.

"Who knows? I guess heaven has its own story to tell the future, right?" Alex says, chuckling.

"Oh man, this is still hard to believe that you and I are actually soulmates," I tell Alex, smiling as I watch our reflection in the water.

"Yeah I know. It gets even harder to believe because in the next few minutes, I have to leave you..." Alex says, sighing. "And I'm afraid you may never remember this ever happened."

"What?!!! I can't believe you've just said that!" I say, totally shocked.

Updated 06/11/2026

• Chapter 22: The Good Bye for Now >>
• Back to All Chapters <<

© billysan89. All rights reserved.

Chapter 20: The Mall of Memories

 

 

"Sorry, forget about that. I just make it about me again, don't I?" I say with a grin, feeling selfish.

I wish I could just get rid of his dark clouds at least before I go, Alex thinks to himself.

"Hey, Billy, what does your faith actually say if someone doesn't get what they want here on Earth?" Alex asks, opening a new topic.

"That they'll get it in heaven instead?" I answer, feeling pretty skeptical.

"Exactly," Alex replies confidently. "Remember what I said about my princess's things appearing in heaven whenever she longs for something?"

"Yeah?" I say, lifting one of my eyebrows.

"She gets every single thing she wishes for," Alex explains.

"Is that really true? Then who creates all of that?" I ask doubtfully.

"I don't know, I'm not really sure either," Alex answers honestly. "But hey, see it for yourself."

"Water, please, can you show us my palace in heaven?" Alex says to the puddle right below our bench.

"To be honest, I don't know if you can see everything clearly with regular human eyes, but... well, let's just find out," Alex continues.

Suddenly, I notice the reflection in the puddle below my feet begins to shift. I start to see something.

"Okay, what do you see right now?" Alex asks.

"Umm... are those castles?" I guess, totally terrified of looking stupid. "Are they built right on top of super steep, high cliffs? Swirling with waterfalls all around them?"

"Seriously?" Alex cracks a smile. "Nothing weird that you've never seen before?"

Hmm... I pause, staring back at the reflection with intense focus.

"Oh, now I see... a red dragon and a river floating around those high cliffs?" I say, telling him what just I saw.

"Hahaha!" Alex bursts out laughing. "Is that what your version of heaven looks like? It seems that you can only see the best imagination you can think of about heaven," Alex explains. "Let's skip straight to my princess's gallery room. There are a lot of items from Earth there, which you might be able to see clearly this time."

"Is this whole space the gallery room?" I ask Alex.

"Yup, I arranged it all myself," Alex nods with a smile.

"Whoa. This is basically a mall," I say in absolute awe, looking at the multi-layered collection room that is structured exactly like a shopping mall—my favorite place. "This really is heaven."

"Is this section specifically for toys? Wow, it's so complete. Toys from the shows I love are all right here. This is the hamster house play set that I always wanted, but it was way too expensive to buy. It's so cute. And this is the red dragon robot that I searched everywhere for—the one that can combine into a bigger robot. And this... oh my god, this is that magical girl scouts action figure set that my parents refused to buy for me, haha!"

"I really wish I had something like this," I admit honestly.

Suddenly, the gallery room, which was initially a bit dim, lights up as the lamps turn on one by one.

"Whoa, it looks so beautiful now that all the lights are on," I say, still completely mesmerized. Alex only smiles in silence, watching me suddenly get lost in happiness.

"Wait. Is all of this just a fantasy that I want to see, or am I actually looking at real items?" I ask suspiciously.

"Yes, Billy. You're seeing them right," Alex explains.

Whoa, is this the comic book section? These are all the comics I have been searching for all my life. The collection is entirely complete. And this is my favorite comic tabloid that went out of print, oh my god. When I was a kid, I owned a few issues, but then my parents threw them all away along with my toys because they thought I needed to grow up. If I am in heaven, of course I want to have them all back again. All my good memories, even with my parents and sister, are there.

I then move over to the movie collection room.

"Are you sure these are actually your princess's favorite movies?" I ask Alex in disbelief, looking at all the video cases neatly displayed on the shelves just like in a rental store.

"I don't know. Why, though?" Alex asks back.

"There are a lot of cartoons here. I'm pretty sure most women don't enjoy this kind of stuff. And these are all my absolute favorites," I answer. "I've always wanted to own this collection, and that one too. Man, it really is heaven if I can have all of this."

"Is there anything you don't like in there?" Alex asks.

"Hmm... let me check..." I scan around, searching for anything that might displease me. "None. I love every single thing."

"This room, the choice of colors, the interior, the arrangement, the lighting—it's literally everything I have ever dreamed of." I smile, totally starstruck. "Are these all just what your princess and I are into, or does everyone in the afterlife actually enjoy this kind of stuff?"

"Hmm, interesting..." Alex starts thinking of something. "What about these places, then? Do you share the same taste with her too?" Alex asks. "This is a mini park specifically meant to store all the landmarks she treasures, I think. Honestly, I don't know much about it either."

"Whoaaaa, this is so beautiful!"

"Oh my god, no way! Is this department store coming alive again?" I say, staring at the first building with absolute shock. When I was a kid, my family used to hang out here all the time. I have so many beautiful memories here. I've always wanted to come back, but it went bankrupt a long time ago. "Does your princess have memories here just like me? It seems like she really lived in this exact city."

"Really? What kind of store is it?" Alex asks.

"Well, you could call it a mall, but a bit smaller. Back then, whenever a new cartoon movie came out, my mom would bring me and my sister here. Look over there—they used to put up movie posters, the painted ones, right in front of the gate."

"There are four floors. The basement is the supermarket and the cassette and CD shop. The second floor is the cinema. The third floor is for clothes, which always bore me, and the very top floor is my ultimate favorite—the toys and other quirky novelty items. I used to cry here a lot, begging to be bought those toys I saw earlier, hehehe," I explain at length while the water displays different sections of the store one after another. Alex simply nods along.

"What about the other buildings? Do you know them too?" Alex asks, kind of curious.

"Yes, this was my favorite bakery too. It's like a small minimarket but with two floors. This is where I used to buy unique pastries that were rare anywhere else. Look, the pastries are actually still there, hahaha!" I let out a surprised laugh. "That's the chocolate cake with the little white rabbit topping. I used to stare at it in the display case because it was so cute, just like my wax duck here, but I never bought it. And that's the colorful cat-shaped steamed cake that I loved to buy because it was cute and much more affordable. My birthday cakes were bought here too; I remember always picking the ones with pink and green colors, just like our petulo colors before."

"The second floor is for books and magazines. Yeah, this is where I loved to buy my comic books and that comic tabloid I mentioned earlier. But just like the previous place, this store went bankrupt a long time ago. It's just a memory now," I explain as the water reveals the inner layout of the next building. Once again, Alex nods in absolute silence.

"And this is the place where my mom used to buy me unique ice creams—windmill shapes, dinosaur shapes, branded cartoon shapes, tart shapes, even my mom's blue soursop-flavored ice popsicle there. Man, back then, it felt so memorable to me."

"As for this store, I didn't actually like it that much. My mom always shopped for clothes and boring household items here for a really long time, leaving me stranded while she talked to the saleswoman. But the part I loved was the portable game vendor in the electronic section under it, and all the staircases inside. I've always loved buildings with lots of staircases. I actually wouldn't mind coming back here again, remembering how thrilling it was to explore this place like I was in a video game back then."

"Do you recognize every single one of these places?" Alex asks.

"Yeah, it seems so. I never knew this city well even at my age now, because I rarely go anywhere, but those are all the places that I myself ever visited in this town, except for that sad bench over there. I think I saw it in a different town during my lonely trip many years ago," I answer.

"Wait a minute. All these buildings preserved in this park... it feels like I have a personal memory in every single one of them. And all the items in the gallery too, are absolutely things that I really love. If all of that is true and the two of us met, it feels like we could be close friends, or even twin siblings, you know," I joke, totally clueless.

"Billy, can you do me a favor?" Alex says, suddenly turning completely serious. "Can you forget all of your problems for just a single minute?"

"Okay..."

"Then think about this seriously: what if I am truly your destined soulmate in the future... would you want that?"

I freeze for a moment, hardly processing. "What? You're joking. You already have your own soulmate, it's impossible," I say, trying to respond to it as a joke.

"What if it's true? Can you please just imagine it for a second. Would you want that?" Alex asks, his face still completely serious.

"Are you kidding? Of course I would want that, and you know that. It would be the most beautiful day of my entire life," I say, while picturing myself being with Alex, finally together forever.

"Good..." Alex answers. "Because you are truly the princess I have been looking for all this time."

"And everything you saw just now... those are your items, and that is your palace in heaven."

I stand there frozen, completely melted by his words, caught between pure happiness and absolute confusion over how he could even possibly say something like that.

Updated 06/11/2026

• Chapter 21: The Princess >>
• Back to All Chapters <<

© billysan89. All rights reserved.

Chapter 19: The Story of Alex, Part 2

 

 

"Next thing I knew, I landed in a place that was entirely different from my palace," Alex says. "I feel like the water had shown me a scenery like this so many times before. Yes, just as I suspected, this was Earth. There's a lot of tall buildings around me, which means I'm somewhere in the middle of a city. Did this mean my mission was truly to find my soulmate here? What was actually happening to her anyway? I turned to my guardian angel, but I couldn't find anyone beside me or anywhere around me, just a green grassland and a big old tree sheltering me. From a distance, I saw humans walking back and forth, but they wore clothes that were entirely different from mine. I was clueless about what to do; usually, my angel would provide everything I needed whenever I felt lost."

"Then, I looked at the wristwatch my angel had handed me. I asked myself how on earth I could search for my princess wearing a dress like this. If only I could change my appearance whenever and to whatever I want so I can match theirs. Suddenly, my wristwatch was glowing and then a second later my clothes just transformed into the exact style that I wanted. Wow! I was amazed to witness it. This meant that perhaps my angel was still helping me. But it's just that I could no longer see him here? Or so I thought."

"At the exact same time, my watch screen began to display an image of a setting sun. Did this mean my time here only lasted until dusk? I looked at the sun around me, and it seemed like it had just risen to the height of... my angel's staff?"

"I pulled out the sketch of my soulmate. I had to find her immediately. I asked my watch where I should look for my princess, but no answer appeared at all. I guess I had to try finding her on my own, then."

"To be honest, I had no idea where I was going. So, I just kept walking and checking around while also hoping my angel would give me my next clue. When I arrived at some park, I suddenly saw a massive, incredibly dark and black cloud moving along—and it turned out to be your aura. Because I was curious, I started to watch you. Who knows, you might have been a bad person who would harm the people around you," Alex tells me.

"Really?" I turn to Alex with a snarky look for a second.

"But then I watched you turn around, about to buy that little wax duck toy, and I couldn't help but feel how cute it was. Perhaps I'm just overthinking things a little bit."

"I was still watching you by the way after that, and I peeked at the photo on your phone and saw a girl who looked exactly like the sketch of my soulmate. I began to understand that you were the clue to where I could find my princess. I quickly asked my wristwatch where I could find her. It showed me a picture of a train station somewhere far away and a clock showing the time of 4:00 PM. You don't know how happy I was. I was about to get going but then I looked at you sitting there feeling so frustrated and sad. I couldn't help but try my best to cheer you up as my way to say thank you. And as it turned out, you had your own problem that requires you to meet Clara too, so why not, we just head there together? And the rest, you already know the story."

"What you don't know is what happened when I met Clara earlier," Alex notes. "Clara was quite shocked the first time I approached and greeted her. It turned out she could sense that I wasn't just a regular human. That's why she invited me to sit down, wanting to know my story and why I decided to find her. All I know from my book is, my soulmate and I share an invisible ring on our fingers that will glow whenever we meet. But when I was with Clara, my ring didn't react at all, and Clara didn't seem to have a similar ring either. That's when I realized Clara wasn't my own true soulmate."

"I'm confused, because as I recall, Clara's face actually looks just exactly like my princess's. I was searching for my sketch but it's gone. I don't have time for this. So I quickly asked my watch to show my own future soulmate. Suddenly an image showed up after a long time I couldn't see her face anymore. But it turned out, it wasn't her face; it was the image of the front signage of the frozen yoghurt cafe where Clara and I were sitting. Could that mean there was someone else who resembled Clara, standing around that cafe logo, who is actually my true soulmate? I still wasn't so sure.

Meanwhile, I told Clara what was actually happening, that I had mistaken her for my future match. She actually laughed when she heard it. Shortly after, I immediately said my goodbyes because she had to catch her train too. I looked for any woman around that logo signage who looked like Clara, but I couldn't find anyone. My ring never glowed once. I asked for my watch again, but it didn't display any more images."

"I didn't know where else to look, or what these clues even meant anymore. I started to wonder what the purpose of me coming down here to earth even was if it wasn't to meet my princess. My mission failed, and my time was almost up. I went back to look for you, but you were no longer there either. Luckily, I managed to find you again by tracking down my sketch."

I knew it, I say to myself.

"And I'm glad that you also saw that logo inside the bubble. You have no idea how long it's been since I last saw my princess's face; seeing just a sign like that already brings me peace. Even though I had already told the water inside your wax duck not to talk about my soulmate... I guess it has a mind of its own."

"So, yeah... that's pretty much my whole story," Alex concludes.

"That means you lied to me all day long, but actually you just wanted to meet her?" I snark.

"I'm sorry, Billy. I really shouldn't have lied," Alex apologizes with a smile. "But honestly, I have never experienced life on Earth before. I was terrified that you wouldn't believe me or help me if I told you the truth. But at least I am being honest with you just now, right?"

"Yeah, it's fine, whatever. Lucky for you, you're still single. If you weren't, I'd be way too mad to even look at you right now," I tease back.

Alex smiles.

"I'm actually sorry too, if because of me, your time was wasted and you failed to find the princess you were looking for. I can only pray that wherever she is right now, she is still doing good." I tell Alex.

"Thanks, Billy," Alex nods.

"Oh, come on, don't worry about it," I nudge his elbow.

"I mean, I never really get normal people like you guys; your lives are already secured. Your path is the correct one. Even if you screw up or make massive mistakes, the universe will forgive you. Sooner or later, you guys will be granted and still reunited in heaven, right? It's just a matter of time. But someone like me?" I say casually, trying to cheer him up.

"I really don't understand what you guys are so worried about, honestly," I chuckle.

"Oh, Billy... I really hope you get to heaven too, someday," Alex says softly.

"Yeah... I don't think most people would agree with you on that," I reply, waving the thought away.

Updated 06/06/2026

• Chapter 20: The Mall of Memories >>
• Back to All Chapters <<

© billysan89. All rights reserved.

Chapter 18: The Story of Alex, Part 1

 

 

Suddenly, Alex catches me from behind before my body can roll over onto the sidewalk. For some reason, his body and his grip feel just like a regular human now.

"Hey, are you alright?" Alex asks.

"Yeah, I think so... thanks," I say, feeling mixed between embarrassed—because it is my own fault for running away from him—and also annoyed at seeing his face again after his meeting with Clara.

"Why did you run away from me? I've been looking for you everywhere," he says after helping me stand back up. "I still have a promise to help you, remember?"

I remain silent and pout, still upset with him.

"No need. You don't have to help me anymore. I don't need help from normal people like you."

"What do you mean?" Alex asks, wanting to know.

I look around for my wax duck toy, only to find it dropped on the ground. I pick it up and check, but one of the wax ducks inside has already shattered from hitting the pavement earlier. I feel like I want to cry, but believe me, being a grown-up guy, your tears hardly even come out, even if you want them to.

While standing up, my hand accidentally reaches into my jacket pocket and I realize I forgot that I had stuffed Alex's sketch in there. Did he manage to track me down all the way here because of this sketch? I wonder to myself.

I show both items to Alex, pointing at him as a gesture. "I saw the logo of the frozen yoghurt cafe where you two met, inside your bubble," I explain.

"Oh, really? You saw that too?" Alex says, looking surprisingly pleased.

"So, does this mean you and Clara... are like a thing, right?" I ask, narrowing my eyes.

For a moment, we both fall into silence.

"I can explain, but it's a long story..." Alex tries to clarify.

"No, I get it now. Just go okay, your time is running out," I say, cutting him off. "The sun is about to set soon. You should be with her. Why are you even coming to meet me here? Just forget me, okay! You don't have to help me anymore, I'm fine."

"You don't understand, Billy. My business with her is already over," Alex continues his explanation.

Huh? I grow even more confused about what he means by that.

"I promise you, I have no more business with Clara now. I'm free. I have to be honest with you though," Alex says seriously. "But it's a long story. Let's find a place to sit first, okay? Maybe in that park up ahead?" He points to a new park that I have never visited before.

"Fine..." I'm still a bit mad.

We're then walking toward our target park while still continuing our conversation.

"So, Billy..." Alex says. "Actually, I am not an angel..." he reveals. "I am someone's soulmate in the future, up from heaven."

"I came down here to find my future princess, because..." Alex pauses. "...I thought she was in danger."

What? I'm shocked in my heart. But it's clear now why his body feels like a real human just now. He must have been tricking me when we met at the beginning.

"So it's true then that Clara is really your soulmate?" I ask, while holding onto Alex's sketch.

"I thought so at first, but it turns out she isn't," Alex says with a disappointed expression, making me even more curious.

We finally arrive at the park and find the only quiet, empty bench. But there's a puddle below it, probably from the rain before. We sit there anyway.

"Okay, here we go, this is my actual story," Alex begins. "Deep in heaven, I live in a palace where my future soulmate and I are destined to live together at the end of time. I had never met or known her before. I could only ask the water to reveal what her face looked like. Her face matches your friend Clara, just like the one I sketched on that paper. I could only learn a bit about herself through her things that would keep appearing somewhere around the palace—whenever she wished for something, I assume."

"You're joking, right? You must be lying again," I chuckle in disbelief.

"I am serious now, Billy. It's up to you whether you want to believe it or not," Alex says seriously.

"I have no clue where I came from. All I know is I've lived there from day one. I have never been a baby or a kid; I have always been in this adult form for my entire existence. In the palace, my only company is an actual angel—the real one with wings—not the fake one like me. He was the one who brought me everything I needed, but I could never speak to him; he only used simple gestures. Most of the time, he just stood guard outside. He was the one who gave me the book about myself, my soulmate, my role, and all my duties in my very beginning. And because I am the one and only soulmate for my princess, he signaled for me to make friends with the water whenever I felt lonely."

"That was pretty much all of my life. Just keep waiting and waiting until me and my soulmate can finally meet. Even though there's no way for me to go outside, I learned a lot of things through my book, my angel, and the water. Well, mostly the water; it showed me so many things I could learn about, especially the world where my soulmate lived."

"Wait, hold on there, I need you to be completely honest right now." I cut Alex off. "What about God, then? You don't pray to Him? Is He ever mentioned in your book? Can everything in that heaven, in this world, even the angels and all of us exist just like that without the Creator who made all of us?" I ask, as I'm going back into this circle again.

"Well, my answer still remains 'I don't know about God'," Alex says. "I do believe that there's a power above all of us, as I myself can't even create a single cell in my body. But there's no command for me to pray to anyone in that book, so I just do what the book says."

"I see... continue, then," I say with a nod.

"Anyway, lately, things started to get worse in the palace. Day by day, the sky kept getting darker and darker. Her things, which used to appear frequently, started to vanish one by one each day. Eventually, one day, I couldn't even see my soulmate's reflection in the water anymore. Luckily, I had managed to draw her in my sketch before; I didn't want to forget her face. I really had no idea what was happening. I started to worry that something terrible might have happened to my soulmate down on Earth."

"The last time I was there, the atmosphere in the palace became so dark and foggier on its peak. From the top of the tower, out of nowhere, I saw a really big, swirly, cloudy vortex cover up almost our entire courtyard and my guardian angel was standing right next to it holding his staff, staring up at me. I wondered what was happening. I ran downstairs, grabbing my soulmate's sketch along with me just in case, then stepped out of the palace. I watched my angel step into the vortex and I followed him right in. Inside, I saw a very, very long, cloudy staircase going way down into nowhere while my angel kept walking down on it, so I quickly rushed to catch up with him. The place was completely dark; his light along with his glowing staff was the only thing I could follow."

"We walked down that endless staircase for days. It was my first time leaving the palace. We passed around all kinds of darkness. Sometimes we went through a deeply quiet darkness, and other times a darkness filled with creepy clouds and rumbling. I was just glad my guardian angel was still there with me, even though we never spoke a single word. I could only guess if this staircase was leading toward Earth. Was this my time to finally meet my soulmate? But it's not that time yet. Was she in trouble now, considering how the palace had been falling apart lately?"

"I lost count of how many days we've stayed still in the dark. Finally, at one point, we reached the last step and it led us straight to a giant portal door. Before we entered, my guardian angel handed me a device resembling a digital wristwatch, though its screen was actually just simply water. He then opened the door with his key, and soon we stepped right through it together."

Updated 06/06/2026

• Chapter 19: The Story of Alex, Part 2 >>
• Back to All Chapters <<

© billysan89. All rights reserved.