"So, I guess you died, huh."

 

Surrounded him was an endless expanse of white. They spread and stretched until his whole vision was filled with nothing but the color of untainted snow.

 

Yet, before him, among that word of white nothingness, floated a small dot of black. Its size was insignificant, compared to the surrounding space. Still, there was something odd, as the white space around it was twisted and bent as if the black dot had some kind of pulling force.

 

"Hey, don't you know it's rude to ignore the person talking to you?"

 

The air pattern around the black dot lightly vibrated. At the same time, a voice, high-pitched as a treble instrument resounded through the white nothingness.

 

He tried to look around and find the source of the sound, but behind, and his left, his right, everywhere the color of pure white snow dominated, left for the buzzing black dot in front of him.

 

"You are talking to ... me?"

 

The air around the black dot changed to a wavy pattern.

 

"Yes, of course. There is only you here, after all. Whom would I be talking to, if it was not you?"

 

Seeing that the dot was a bit distant from him, he tried to come closer to get a look. But as soon as his legs moved, an uncomfortable feeling washed through him. Even though he could feel that his position was changing in space as he could visibly see the black dot get bigger and bigger, his body did not have the feeling of motion at all.

 

"Ah, don't move around too much. It's hard to control your ethereal body."

 

The air around the black dot changed once again. This time it was a sea breeze pattern.

 

I must be dreaming, he thought.

 

"No, you are not."

 

"!"

 

"It might come as quite a shock to you, but you died, apparently. That's why you are here."

 

"I ... died?"

 

"Yes, the reason for your death is ... let me see..."

 

The black dot twirled in circles. The white wave around it changed to mimic its circular pattern.

 

"The report said you died of food poisoning."

 

"Food poisoning?"

 

As soon as he heard that word, his lungs felt empty, while his stomach felt like it was being bitten inside out by a swarm of fire ants. Beads of sweat started accumulating on his forehead, even though there was supposed to be nothing left of his body.

 

"More accurately, you died from hemlock poisoning. Why would a lethal and rare poison like hemlock get into your food anyway?"

 

He remembered the food he had last night. It was extravagant. Hamburger steak and deep-fried pork with curry rice, a big bowl of salad with mayonnaise, it was much more sumptuous than his usual meal. His uncle said it was his treat while delivering the dishes through the small gap in the cell bar.

 

Usually, he would leave immediately after getting him food and let their housemaid handle the rest. But last night, his uncle was watching him eat behind the iron cell, from his first spoon of rice to his final sip of tea, then brought the leftover utensils out himself.

 

Before he closed the basement door, his uncle smiled at him and wished him goodnight. It was the first time he ever saw his uncle smile to him, and naturally, he smiled back, albeit a bit stiffly.

 

"I don't know."

 

He answered, the pain in his body calming down.

 

The air around the black dot stopped distorting for a moment. Then it resumed its pattern, this time it looked like a paper folding itself.

 

"Well, it did not matter anyway. As I said, you have died, so it's my task to reincarnate your soul."

 

He nodded.

 

"Since you acquired no negative karma in your last life, you could have one wish for your next life."

 

"What would you choose?"

 

 

 

~~~

 

 

 

"This white animal is called a 'cat'. Remember its pointy ears and wavy tail. They have different colors for their furs too, so white is not the only color. You would see a yellow cat, a black cat, or even a cat with two or three colors for its fur."

 

Said a woman as she pointed to a drawing in a picture book.

 

"Mom, what's this thing called?"

 

A boy, five or six years of age, was pointing to the picture of an animal similar to the cat above.

 

"That thing is called a 'fox'. They have bushier tails than cats, and their ears are longer. They are rumored to be intelligent and could understand human speech."

 

The boy's eyes sparkled with delight.

 

"Does that mean if I talk to a fox, she could understand me?"

 

She let out a stifled laugh and stroked his head.

 

"Yes, unfortunately, foxes do not live here, in our region. So you would have to travel pretty far to meet one."

 

The softness from his mother's fingers made the boy loosen his facial muscles in relaxation. He thought about what his mother just told him about foxes, and there was one little thing that made him puzzled.

 

"What do you mean by 'travel', Mom? If I do that, could I meet the foxes?"

 

Upon hearing his question, the woman's face stiffened.

 

They were in a room about the size of four tatami mats, surrounded by iron bars. A wooden bed without any furnish was pushed against the left corner, while at the right corner a worn-out back-to-wall toilet was placed. The floor they were sitting on was filled with cracks and broken brick pieces.

 

She stared at the picture book. She had previously leaned it on the bed's side which was laden with wood mites and mold. A small woodworm, perhaps collided with another woodworm, fell on the crumpled color page and tried to wriggle its way back to the bed, leaving behind a small trail of yellowish liquid on the paper.

 

Hearing none of his mother's voice replied to him, fear crossed the boy's face, and he threw his entire body weight on her arm.

 

"Mom, your face is scary. I'm scared."

 

The frozen expression on the woman's face was washed away, replaced by guilt and sadness. She tightly embraced her son, and whispered into his ears.

 

"Don't worry, dear. Someday I will bring you outside to travel with me, and we will watch a lot of beautiful things together."

 

 

 

~~~

 

 

 

"Well, it has been quite long. Tell me, what would you wish for your next life?"

 

The boy stared at the black dot in front of him with its rhythmic pattern of moving. It appeared to be in no hurry, playing with the surrounding white air, while its 'eyes' were focusing on him.

 

"I wish ..."

 

The boy stopped and began mulling over his wish. After some deliberation, he let out his thought.

 

"I want to see all beautiful things in the world, with my own eyes, forever and forever."