[Short] The Secondhand Bookstore That Only Opens at Night

―― short story ―—

It is a place you can only go to at night.
A place you can only stop by in your dreams.
A secondhand bookstore that disappears when you wake up,
where lights shine brightly in the dark of night.

I walk sluggishly through the pitch-black darkness.
There is nothing around, just a single path continuing on.
At the end of the path, a bright light shines,
and I know that is where I should walk to.
I don't know this place.
Even though the situation is clearly strange,

I didn't find it mysterious at all.

I slowly approach.
Then, I saw its shape.

It was a shop.
Peering inside,
many books were lined up.

Looking up at the wooden building,
a sign that read 'Secondhand Bookstore' was hanging there.

I grasp the doorknob and go inside.
The familiar chime sounds,

and the owner sitting at the counter

glances at me once,
then returns his gaze to his hands.
His eyes move as if following text,
and he didn't even say 'Welcome'.
But there was no atmosphere of rejection,
and my feet naturally moved into the shop.
While looking around,
I slowly trace the titles of the books with my eyes.

It seems there are many kinds of books.
Some miscellaneous goods like pens and notebooks are also sold.

I found it more fun to look at the goods than the books.
Suddenly, my eyes stop on a book next to a flower bookmark.
『How to Make Up with a Friend』

I thought it was a title for an elementary school student to read.

But it pierced deeply into my heart right now.

I pick it up and check the front and back.

It wasn't a very thick book,
and the picture on the cover was a common one,
of friends holding hands and smiling.
Then, I open it from the middle and flip through the pages.
……Hmm?

I am wrapped in a strange sensation.
Three years ago,
I had a fight with my mother.

I can see the scene from that time.

The next moment,
“I went too far earlier.
I was irritated by work,
and I was on edge.
I didn't really mean what I said.
I'm sorry.”
That mother of mine apologized.
“It's okay. I'm sorry too. Actually, I didn't do that.
I just said it in an exaggerated way.”
I saw it for the first time in my life.
Myself apologizing honestly.
My mother hugged me.
I catch my breath unexpectedly.

And then, tears came out.

Is it really possible for a relationship to improve this much just by apologizing once?

Suddenly, looking at my hand,
I was opening the final page.

I close the book.

……What was that just now?

As if to hide the traces of tears,
I rubbed my eyes.
When I quietly looked back,
the owner didn't seem to care at all.
Dropping my shoulders, I looked at the book.
When I opened the book again, strangely enough,
I started to miss the mother I had hated so much.

……A mysterious book.

Maybe I should buy it.

But I didn't have anything with me.
I'll ask the shopkeeper if he can hold it for me.
“Excuse me. I would like to have this book……”
When I said that much,
the shopkeeper looked up.
I thought he was an old man, but
he looked younger than I thought.
“Payment here is a price.”
……Huh?
“If you take that book, I will take a part of you.”
……What should I do? What is he saying?
“Um, ……never mind, it's fine.”
I went to return the book, but stopped.
Even if it's not a charm, after all,
I felt like I wanted to keep it.
I look at the shopkeeper again.
“You can take it home as is.
However, only if you are willing to pay with the memory of this place.”
“……Does that mean I will forget about this shop?”
“Well, that is what it means.”
……Wouldn't that be fine?
I can take the book home, after all.
“Then…… I will take it. Thank you.”
I bow my head.
The inside of the shop was deathly silent.
And as I reached for the doorknob to leave, I thought.

Is this shopkeeper forgotten by everyone like this?

I tried to look back, but
the moment I turned the doorknob,
the secondhand bookstore disappeared――.

When I wake up, it is the usual morning.
……So sluggish.
When I yawned and tried to raise my hand,
I was holding a book.
『How to Make Up with a Friend』
“……What is this?”
I'm not an elementary school student.
Thinking that, I gently move away
the hand of my boyfriend who is resting his arm on my stomach.
And strangely, I decided to go see my mother today.

――For the first time in three years.

It is a place you can only go to at night.
A place you can only stop by in your dreams.
A secondhand bookstore that disappears when you wake up,
where lights shine brightly in the dark of night.