Plague Doctor

The symbol clarified but not enough for Gu Jun to get a concrete sense of it. The pain dulled but only slightly.

“Dirty-minded Jun?” Wu Siyu spotted this and she immediately sat up. Her brows wrinkled, “You’re not really suffering from a haemorrhage, are you…”

“No… it’s not that serious.” The feeling disappeared. Gu Jun shook his head and looked at the watercolor he was holding with confusion. He asked. “Dirty-minded Yu, what is this painting about? Is there any symbolic meaning behind it?”

“Huh?” Wu Siyu turned to look at the painting, “No, I was merely painting the sky. The colors and lines represent the ever-changing clouds and refraction of light. There’s no symbolic meaning.” With her explanation, Gu Jun achieved a deeper appreciation of the artistic vibrancy of the painting but the strange feeling did not return. Was the strange feeling triggered by this specific painting? It did not appear so. After all, when he was selecting the calligraphy this morning and even days before, the feeling also came to visit him. This was unlike the normal illusions, it was more like a temporary faze to his perception. The medical team diagnosed it as a side effect of his cerebral damage or part of the mental disorder due to PTSD. Gu Jun wiped the sweat from his forehead and shared with Wu Siyu what he just experienced. He said self-mockingly, “It’s just a new side-effect, I’m not used to it. To be honest, I quite miss the illusions.”

“Well, that’s not a problem. I can see them all the time, I’ll just share them with you.” Wu Siyu looked around and rattled out what she saw. There was a piano, some flowers, snacks and a bag of chips… Suddenly her eyes widened, “Oh wait, that bag of chips is real. Help me get it please.”

Gu Jun let out a laugh as he got up to help her grab the chip left on the dresser. After staying in her bedroom for a while, Wu Siyu led him to visit her family’s gallery and studio. The gallery had some rare collections but none of them were too expensive. They were more of the sentimental kinds. The calligraphy that he bought over was already hung on the wall. The strange feeling no longer reappeared so he tossed it out of his mind.

The night arrived and dinner started. Father Wu and Mother Wu had prepared days for this meal. There were 6 dishes on the table. There was steamed chicken, braised ribs, fish-head noodles and so on. There were even deserts. It was by all definition, a feast. The atmosphere was joyful and laughter echoed throughout the dinner. Mother Wu and Father Wu were satisfied with their daughter’s boyfriend. His superhero image was a plus but the real Gu Jun was down to earth and seemed to match Wu Siyu well so her parents took an immediate liking to him. But because of that, they felt real regret with regards to what happened to Gu Jun. Knowing that it was a taboo topic, all they could do was to shovel more food onto his plate. Gu Jun felt enveloped by their warmth and he enjoyed the meal greatly. After dinner, he insisted on helping with the dishes so Wu Siyu had no choice but to help out as well.

Then the four of them returned to the living room. They watched television and chatted about nothing of import. Gu Jun announced his intention to leave when it was around 10 pm. He needed to sleep early for that was part of his treatment process. Mother Wu and Father Wu walked Gu Jun to the door. They told him repeatedly to come visit again. Gu Jun naturally gave them his promise. He was not just being perfunctory. Wu Siyu walked down with him. When the door of the elevator closed, with just the two of them in it, while Gu Jun sighed surreptitiously in relief, suddenly Wu Siyu punched the air and announced, “SSS Grade mission completed!”

“How do you think I did?” He asked.

“I felt like I was more like the guest.” She said, “They already treat you like a son.”

The two shared a look and laughed. They were both glad that everything went so smoothly. A crescent moon hung brilliantly in the night sky. After leaving the building, the two sauntered down the pebbled path down into the nearby garden. They talked about going to the beach and the theme park. Love was a kind of supernatural energy too because whenever he was around Siyu, Gu Jun felt time slipping away from his fingers. Without even realizing it, it was already 10 pm. But the couple did not want the date to end. However, out of concern for Gu Jun’s health, Wu Siyu pushed him towards the gate. “Go on, bye, see you tomorrow.” She waved before turning back.

“Okay, see you tomorrow.” Gu Jun waved back. He too turned to walk towards the gates. But before he reached it, he turned to look back. In that instant, he saw Wu Siyu also turn back to look at him. The moonlight caused her figure to shimmer.

“What are you doing?” She asked.

“I’ll have to ensure you return to your home safely before I go.” He explained.

“O well, if that’s what you wish.” Wu Siyu nodded. She waved wider this time. “Good night.” But she walked for a distance before she turned back again. She smiled and so did Gu Jun. “Good night!” There was no reason for their smiles other than the sight of the other. They already spent a whole day together and they would spend another full day together tomorrow but they were still so unwilling to part.

“Good night, sweet dreams!” Wu Siyu waved again. She turned back and pranced away like a doe. Gu Jun watched her bounce off and disappear around a corner. Then he turned back and started his journey home. But as he moved towards the gate, a bad omen rose in his heart…

His feet were about to cross over the gate when a scary image rose in his heart. He saw Siyu trap inside the elevator as the building crumbled around her. Gu Jun whipped his body around and raced back towards the garden. He chased after the slender figure. “Dirty-minded Yu! Wu Siyu!”

“Hmm?” By then Wu Siyu had reached a stop under a streetlamp installed in the neighbourhood. The faded light enhanced her facial features. Seeing the urgency on his face, she immediately asked with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” Seeing the worry on her face, Gu Jun could not help but laugh at himself. He slowed down and scratched his head. “Perhaps I really do suffer from PTSD… I had so much fun today, Dirty-minded Yu, I’m afraid… that once I wake up tomorrow, you’ll be gone.” He sighed as he confessed, “I’m afraid to wake up to find out this has all been an illusion, none of this is real. I’m afraid that this is just a hypnotic scenario created to fool me by the bastards… and I’m afraid something bad might happen to you.”

“Dirty-minded Jun, you know what, I’m afraid too.” Wu Siyu chuckled and said, “But fear shall never stop in the way of having fun. We should know better than to succumb to fear.” She suddenly raced over to pull him into a hug and stood on tiptoe to plant a wet one on his lips. Gu Jun stopped talking and got drawn into the kiss instead.

The night breeze made the fallen leaves dance in the air. The streetlight casted a halo on this lovely couple.

Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.