As if surfacing from the depths, I awaken in a dream. It’s dark and hazy around the borders, as if I’m viewing it from within a viewfinder. And while I cannot feel, or smell, or taste, the scenery paints a vivid picture. The smell of damp earth, the feeling of mulch and the prickles of thorns underneath a girl’s hands and knees, the lush bushes overgrown with weeds, and the sun gracing the clearing with warm sunbeams... The very sight of nostalgia, perfectly contained within four black borders... Visions of a world beyond reach, far.. far into the past.

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

It used to be law, that this world was divided cleanly in two. Hot and cold, up and down, Gao and Zetsu. No two things blending, no possibility of asymmetry, wherein someone right-handed could also be somewhat left-handed, wherein the hot summer day brought in cold rain. This used to be law.

Gaooogooaga Gagoooogoaga Gaoogaaagogooogaogoaaaaoga Gaagoagaoago Gooogogaogooogo Goaoaoagoaoaoagoaoaoa

In this world, the law stated that the Gao were good, and the Zetsu were evil. You could be Gao, or you could be Zetsu, and things and citizens moved between categories, but never both. Our kingdom was Gao, and so it was good. My parents were Gao, and so they were good. My school was Gao, and so they were good. They were good... They were good... They were... good.

Gagoooogoagagoaaaaogooo Goaagoooogoaga Gogoooagogoaogaoaagaaagaogo Gaoagogogoaaogooo Gooogoagaoaagoogaogaao Goaoaoa

I was Gao, therefore, I was good.

Gagoooogoagagoaaaaogooo Goaagoooogoaga Gogoooagogoaogaoaagaaagaogo Gaoagogogoaaogooo Gooogoagaoaagoogaogaao Goaoaoagoaoaoagoaoaoa

I was good. I was good... I was...

But, the world did not write this all encompassing law, and I had known that people were not always neat, nor divided cleanly in two. Neither were fairies neat, nor divided cleanly in two. Although these thoughts went against law, they were easily visible to anyone who would perceive it. Even I, as far as my recollection went, could perceive it. And yet nobody...

Nobody ever...

Goaagoagooo Googa Gooogoagaoaagoogaogaao Goaaagooagoooga Gagogooaaoo

In this world, the law stated that the Gao were good, and the Zetsu were evil. You could be Gao, or you could be Zetsu, and things and citizens moved between categories, but never both. Our kingdom was Gao, and so it was good. My parents were Gao, and so they were good. My school was Gao, and so they were good. They were good... The law of this world said they were good, so they must be.

Then, that means that the one who is different is...