“Hai, Morisato desu.”¹

Belldandy waited a moment, but there was no response. Then the high-pitched squeal of a computer modem, then…

Sydney didn’t comprehend at first what happened. Angry, she had slammed the phone down, punched numbers on the keypad, then a foreign tongue answered her. But she forgot that as she relived the young woman’s memory…

Belldandy awoke. She got up from the futon, pulled on a light kimono, then quietly folded the bedding. Placing it neatly on her futon, she stepped around her sisters and into the hallway. She padded through the temple quietly, not waking its other three occupants. As it was still dark, she navigated the hallways by memory and touch. In the bathroom, she brushed her hair until it tumbled freely about her. At either end of the temple, she slid the doors open to let the fresh morning air cleanse it, and walked outside.

The flagstone paths were cool and smooth under her feet as she walked about the temple grounds. On this gentle summer morning, birds chirped in the trees. Cicadas hummed in the bushes. A light breeze rustled leaves and grass. Breathing in, she smelled the dew in the air, the light fragrance of morning flowers blooming. She took her time walking around the temple, silently giving homage to its spirits. When she finished, predawn light filled the sky.

Turning off the path, Belldandy walked through the dew-laden grass until she came to a small clearing surrounded by hedges. Arranging her kimono about her, she carefully knelt down in the soft grass. From her position, she had a perfect view of the horizon. Breathing slowly and carefully, she let the feeling of it empty her mind until she knew nothing but her breathing and the senses of nature around her. Accomplishing that, she sat quietly and let the morning awaken around her.

…Sydney blinked, then took off her goggles and gloves. She didn’t quite remember what happened during that connection. Why she was angry before, she couldn’t recall; in its place, she was left with a sense of inner peace she hadn’t felt before.

Belldandy replaced the handset on its cradle. Smiling to herself, she remembered the tranquillity she experienced that morning.

Owari²

Belldandy is a goddess from the Japanese series Oh My Goddess! which had manga created and written by Kōsuke Fujishima from 1988-2014, animated TV series, and movies. Sydney is the main character from the mid-1990s TV show VR.5 who has the ability to tap into other peoples’ memories using a phone and computer connection.

¹ “Hello, Morisato residence.”

² End