“OK, so this is what a photo is.” It’s strange, I can feel him speak. I’ll admit, it was rather clever of him to think of this. Sitting back to back so he couldn’t see me but could still see to show me his ‘phone.’ I pondered as to why I had to remain turned away from him. He claims that by having us lean against each other it will remind him not to turn around while also letting us support each other to ‘help our backs.’ I’m reaching behind me but I can’t seem to find his hand. Ah, here is the phone. The light still hurts but in time my eyes will adjust, I’m sure. This time it displays a portal to a large body of water. There are humans standing in front of the water on some golden dust. Though, nothing is moving.
“Have you frozen this portal? The other humans aren’t moving, nor the water. How do you fit into this ‘photo’ portal anyhow? I’m sure you could barely even fit your arm through.” His bed is soft. I sank in a fair amount when I sat down.
“Portal?” I can feel that joyous laugh through his body. The rumbling is pleasant. “No. It’s not a portal. It’s like… How can I explain this? It’s like you take a moment in time and freeze it - make a copy of it. Then you can look back at that moment whenever you want.” I suppose I understand what he’s saying. His back is warm against mine. “Here, if you put your finger on the screen and slide it to the left or right, you can see more of those moments. For example, all those ones at the beach are from a couple weeks ago when I went with my friends.”
Moving through these photos, I can see various people at this ‘beach.’ Some of the photos have him in them as well. I think I like these photos the most. “These photos are copies of moments from weeks ago? Hmm, what are these photos? They look more like drawings of… Are these demons?” His laugh feels different this time.
“Aha, yeah, those are… Those are my best attempts at drawing what I think you look like. I only really have that one sketch to go off of, so those are all of my guesses. I’m not really an artist but I just had to get the visions out to see if any looked right to me.”
“These photos… Could they freeze a copy of me in time? Then perhaps you could know my appearance.”
He’s straightened himself. “Shit! Why didn’t I think of that? Here, hand me the phone and I can set it up for you!” When he grabbed the phone, his hand touched mine. My chest is swelling again. I wish I could stay here, leaning against him, forever. “OK, here. Now, when you take it, you’ll see a white circle at the bottom of the screen. Hold the phone in front you and press that circle… Oh! You’ll also want to cover your eyes, too. It’ll flash and make a bright light that’ll probably hurt your eyes.”
“Alright, but if I cover my eyes, aren’t I covering a fair portion of myself as well?” He’s leaned back more, now. His head resting on the rear of my own.
“Hmm… Yeah… Oh yeah! You can use the tie I’ve been using as a blindfold. I’ll even help you tie it - keeping my eyes closed, of course.” The bed is shifting and his back is no longer against me. “Sorry, this might be a bit awkward but I’m gonna have to kinda feel around for you so I know where to tie it. Is that OK?”
“I don’t see why not.” I see what he meant. His hands are on my shoulders, strong and firm. He’s moved his hands to my face and is softly patting around. The fabric in his right hand has a strange feeling to it. It’s smooth in a way unlike skin.
“Now, I’m gonna put the tie in front of your eyes and bring it around and tie it behind your head. Don’t freak out or anything.” My vision is now blocked by the smooth fabric. I can feel his hands working behind me. He’s tightening the fabric around my head. “There, now you can take the picture without going blind!”
“Ah, yes, however I can no longer see the white button.”
“Oh… Shit. Haha, whoops. Alright, we can do this. Feel the sides of the phone. You should feel a button on the right side and two buttons on the left. Do you feel them?”
“Umm… Yes. I believe I’ve found them.”
“Good, now when you want to take the picture, just hit either button on the left side. Do not hit the button the right. Understand?
“Yes. I understand. Press the buttons on the left side.”
“Exactly. Now just hold the phone so that it’s front of your face and press them… Wait! I’ve got an idea.” The bed is shifting again and… His chest is pressed against me! I can feel the warmth of his face near mine. His hands are resting on my shoulders once again. “Here we go! Now you can take the picture. Oh, and don’t forget to smile.” This human… I can’t help but smile in this moment. His words echoing through his chest and into me. His breath grazing my cheek.
I did as he instructed and I could faintly make out a bright flash of light. His fabric did indeed protect my eyes! He’s removed one of his hands, why? “OK, take another one.” I repeat my action. His arm returned but he’s now slid both forward! They’re resting on my chest. He’s pulling back ever so slightly. “Now one more.”
Attempting to maintain my composure, I press the button one last time. He’s letting go of me. I wish he wouldn’t.
He’s removing the fabric.
He’s leaning against me once more. We’ve returned to our initial positions.
“Here, can I have the phone for a second? I’ll pull up our pictures.” I comply. “Wow, these turned out… surprisingly good! Haha, now I can finally see what you look like. That was such a good idea! Here you go, just slide them like I told you and you can see them.”
As promised, there are three moments of us: frozen eternally. The first is us, his hands on my shoulders. His eyes are held shut and mine are covered with the black fabric. We’re both smiling: his that brilliant smile, mine a more timid grin. Next is a strange one. His lips are held shut and his face is red as if he’s trying to hold something in. He also placed two fingers in a ‘V’ shape behind my head. I suppose I’ll ask him about that.
“U-um, may I ask what you are doing in this second photo?”
“Oh! Hahaha!” His laugh shakes even the bed. “That was just a little joke that humans like to do. We hold up our fingers behind someone else’s head so it looks like rabbit ears. I was trying really hard not to laugh during it.”
“I don’t understand. Why is that funny?” I keep looking at this image and these ‘bunny ears’ but I cannot see the humor in it.
“It’s just… It’s a classic joke that humans play on eachother. It’s harmless and cute. That’s it.”
Finally, the third photo is him with his arms wrapped around me. My cheeks are a vibrant red as my smile has now shrunk into a nervous smirk. It shows, perfectly, how I felt like I might dissolve in his arms at that moment. His smile has transformed, yet again. It’s neither the large smile from before, nor the strange look. In this third moment, his smile is simple - genuine. It’s smaller but I can feel it conveys much more.
I can feel the swelling inside me. My heart is racing. How can this human cause such a stir in me? I should go. This picture is causing a dangerous reaction. I must be more careful. “I must take my leave for tonight.” He stopped me the moment my feet touched the floor.
“Wait! U-uh, should I give you a hug goodbye or something?” His cheeks are flush again and I’m surprised the bite still itches.
“What is a hug?” His face is lighting up. Why is he moving towards me? Why is he standing up? What is he doing?
“This is a hug.” He’s moving closer. He’s spreading his arms! What is this embrace? His skin is warm. His arms are strong. He smells sweet. I wish he could hold me this way, forever.
Wait! Why is he pulling away? No! Don’t stop… “There ya go! That’s a hug. Well, I suppose I should try and sleep. Good night, Kichi.”
“Ah. Oh, good night.” I feel alone for the first time.
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