The Creatures That We Are
Chapter 1294: Light

Chapter 1294: Light

Gregor’s grey, muddled eyes moved slightly, suggesting thoughts. Lifting his shaky hand, he pulled off his oxygen mask and said, “I want... another cigarette...”

“Another?!”

Nana jumped to her feet and turned into a middle-aged woman. With a furious expression, she snapped, “The cigarettes are killing you! Two packs a day? Of course you’ll get cancer!”

Gregor had turned into a middle-aged man, too. He tore off the tubes connected to him. “If I hadn’t broken up with you, I wouldn’t have started smoking to get through the heartbreak!”

“Oh, and you’re blaming me now?!” Nana became twenty years younger, a college student. “Who broke up with whom?!”

“I just didn’t think the long-distance relationship would work!” Gregor matched her age.

“Then why did you seek me out to get back with me?” Nana shouted.

“Ugh, I’m not arguing with you about this! I just mean that it’s all part of my precious memories! There are more than ugly things and darkness in the world. There are also beautiful things and light!”

Gregor jumped off his bed and suddenly became a young man around twenty-seven years old. He wore a patterned shirt and a pair of loose shorts, his hair parted on the side. He was holding a ring box in his hand.

Under the gentle light of the setting sun and amid the whispers of wind from the sea, Gregor got on one knee before Nana, who was also dressed like a tourist. He opened the box and said, “I love you, Nana, like wind moving eight lightyears without asking about the return trip. Would you go on this journey with me for the rest of your life?”

“Say yes!”

“Say yes!”

“Say yes!”

Qing Ling, Wang Zikai, Vermilion Bird, White Dew, Chen Ying, Lovely Lamb, Heavenly Dog, Raven Shark, Zhang Wei, Hong Xiaoxiao, Liao Liao, Adept Horse, and Dr. Jia had all appeared on the beach. Under the beautiful yet melancholy sunlight, they circled Gregor and Nana, cheering around them. Strangely, their heads had all turned into parrots’ heads.

“Say yes!”

“Say yes!”

“Say yes!”

Moved, Nana made up her mind and reached out to Gregor. He put the diamond ring on her finger reverently, with absolute certainty, like the lead engineer of the world completing the last work needed for fate to activate.

She broke into tears of joy, which rolled down her face and morphed into countless white words:

“Peace, abundance, serenity, health, youth, care, harmony, understanding, authenticity, salvation, healing, devotion, liberty, honor, purity, joy, bravery, selflessness, rebirth, creation, meaning...”

The white words expanded across dimensions, becoming the wondrous realities happening in countless parallel worlds, covering up the tragedies that had taken place before.

...

As evening arrived, Chen Ying wandered in a park in her hometown while holding a boy’s hand. They encountered an injured stray dog on a shaded path. The boy gave the dog his food, then couldn’t walk away. The stray dog took an instant liking to him, too, wagging its tail and circling him.

Chen Ying relented. “If you really like it and will take responsibility for it, we’ll go through the adoption process.”

...

On a cold winter night, laughter and happy chatter rang in the confines of a warmly lit room. Lovely Lamb, wearing beautiful clothes with a sparkling birthday hat, made a wish at the cream cake adorned with candles on the table, her head lowered. Her family and friends surrounded her with their company and love.

A few seconds later, she opened her eyes and blew out the candles, brimming with joy.

...

Ring. An alarm dutifully rang with irritating loudness. Qing Ling rolled on the bed, her long leg peaking out from the blanket to turn off the alarm with her toe.

Another sprint race was coming. She had to start training once more. Everyone around her looked forward to her breaking her record once more.

Now, though, she just wanted to stay in bed for another thirty minutes, breaking her record for sleeping in.

...

In a mid-autumn afternoon, Vermilion Bird jogged around an artificial lake in sportswear and running shoes. A middle-aged couple came up to her. She stopped to greet them while wiping her sweat.

The husband was a patient she had saved. Now, he was happily married, and his wife was seven months pregnant. No complication had occurred.

The three of them chatted about the child’s name and future.

...

In the afternoon, Hong Xiaoxiao and a young man and woman talked in a cafe like they had known each other for many years. They were Hong Xiaoxiao’s clients. Having chosen her proposal, they asked to meet her in person. They got on immediately.

Having finished their talk, the three of them stood up.

Hong Xiaoxiao reached out a hand in gratitude. “Thank you for giving me the chance!”

“We didn’t give you anything.” They took her hand. “You won the chance yourself. We look forward to working with you.”

...

“Thank you! Thank you... Thank you so much...”

Adept Horse sobbed in the police station, shaking the officer’s hand gratefully.

Since he had turned to the police immediately for help, he managed to recover most of the money he lost to the fraud, and he received a charity donation to make up for the rest.

...

White Dew walked out of the grocery store with bags of groceries she had bought at sales. A call came. She struggled to pick up. Thirty seconds later, she calmly thanked the caller before hanging up.

“Gya!”

She tossed away the bags and cried out in excitement. She had finally passed an audition. She secured the role of a side character with quite a lot of screentime.

She got it out of her system and calmed down. Quietly, she picked up the bags on the ground, ignoring the passersby’s surprised looks as she elegantly headed back to her flat.

...

“Zhang Wei, can you please write the project report for me? Please, you’re the best.” A young woman stood by Zhang Wei’s desk and batted her eyes at him.

“I can teach you,” he said.

“But that’s too much trouble. Why don’t you just do it for me? I have things to do tonight.”

“Why don’t I take your paycheck for you, too?”

Her smile dropped. “Why are you being so mean? If you don’t want to do it, just say it. Stingy.”

He stood up and started sorting out his cubicle.

“What are you doing? It’s not yet time to get off work.”

“I quit.” Zhang Wei smiled confidently. “I’ve been thinking about changing my job for a while. Thank you for helping me make up my mind. You’re right. I was stingy. I was too strict with myself. I’ll change my way. Bye.”

...

An interview was playing on the television screen. A reporter was interviewing Dr. Jia:

“The plagiarism of your paper has been exposed. Do you have any comments?”

“The paper wasn’t fully fleshed out and contained mistakes,” Dr. Jia said humbly. “That was why I was so anxious. Now that I am able to publish the revised version, I can finally get a good night’s sleep.”

“Goodnight! Goodnight! Goodnight!” The parrot on his shoulder chirped happily.

“Shut it, you damn bird! Stop embarrassing me!”

...

Under the warm April sun, Heavenly Dog sat on a bench by the river, wearing headphones.

His stomach grumbled. Taking off the headphones, he considered seriously what he was getting for dinner.

The anticipation of the simple joy made him happy.

...

Schools of tropical fish weaved through the beautiful coral reefs. A young man in a diving suit led another tourist in the same outfit across shallow waters. They gestured at each other, communicating smoothly.

Raven Shark loved being a diving coach. He could earn money and placate his parents, and he could make many friends. Some were humans, others were friends living underwater.

He still preferred his underwater friends, but it was a secret he kept from others.

...

In an old flat, Wang Zikai watched the television from the couch. His mother had gotten off work early and had been busying about in the kitchen.

The front door opened. His father came home with a boxed cake. “Happy birthday, Little Kai!”

“Told you I don’t like cakes. Why would you get one?” Wang Zikai grumbled, but he was quick to get to his feet. He grabbed slippers for his father and took the cake from him.

His father changed out of his shoes with a laugh. “Don’t take things for granted, brat. When I was young, I couldn’t get cake even when I wanted.”

Wang Zikai lowered the cake on the table, about to open the box.

“Little Kai, leave it for now. Let’s have dinner first.” His mother emerged from the kitchen with two of his favorite dishes.

“I just wanna check how ugly the cake Dad picked is,” he said. “You know how bad his taste is.”

“Dinner first,” his mother repeated with a long face. “Don’t make me say it a third time.”

“Alright, alright.” Wang Zikai went to the dining table and set down the utensils.

What cake would it be? He couldn’t help but wonder.

...

“I do!”

On the beach, Nana gave a teary response.

“Yay!” Gregor picked her up and spun her around, overjoyed. “I’m the happiest man on Earth!”

“Haha, stop it...hahaha...” she laughed brightly.

Suddenly, Gregor’s hands slipped, and she flew into the sea.