Dreaming Butterfly ≈ One ≈
The woman in the picture is turning slowly to face the camera lens, a happy smile illuminating her face. She is soon joined by a short haired woman, giving her back the camera.
“Don’t look at it!”
The same short haired woman jumps to take the melting picture frame from Yuuko. The Witch doesn’t move and lets her grab the object.
“Pictures are representations of one’s past. Unlike drawings or paintings, they depict the truth, what really happened. Even what one doesn’t want to remember...” Yuuko looks intently at the kneeling woman before her. Before her customer can reply, the frame completely melts away and the offending picture is free to fly away from its owner.
The long haired woman is obliviously thanking the short haired woman. But then the short haired woman reaches for her shoulders and pushes her off the cliff.
“This....it’s not what happened!...Please....Please! Make it disappear!!”
The Witch leans over the woman, forcing her to look at her crimson eyes by picking up her chin between her fingers:
“Is that your wish?”
“Yes! Yes! I’ll do anything! Please!”
Yuuko nods and takes the picture. While it slowly turns into dust between her fingers, the figure in it keeps moving.
The short haired woman looks over the cliff. And then she smiles.
“The price you will pay is to never have your picture taken. To never stand in front of a lens ever again. Including video cameras...”
“B-but...that’s....”
“You said you would do anything, didn’t you? If you fail, the picture will come back. Or if you ever are on television, even without knowing it, every spectators will be able to see what happened to that woman....”
The dark haired woman shakes her head sternly when her customer tries to protest again.
“It was your decision...”
Yuuko is now sitting outside and a young man sits by her after serving her sake. She smokes her pipe silently but the boy breaks after a while:
“Why did you destroy the photography? Why didn’t you report her?”
She turns to the child she swore to protect and smile slightly. There is so much that he needs to learn and understand...
“Because it was her wish.”
“But! She could be a murderer!!!” the boy says in high tones, almost flailing.
She draws a long drag from her pipe and exhales the smoke slowly.
“Yes. When one takes a life, one must take responsibility for that act.” She looks sideways at the boy before going on: “Do you really think she will be able to live without being filmed or having her picture taken? Cameras are everywhere nowadays. Live news report, shopping centre security camera...She will never be able to escape that....”
Another drag she takes.
“The only solution left is to stay in her house for the rest of her life. To never meet anyone, ever. To never make new relationships. I have told you before, Watanuki-kun. Taking a human life is very costly burden....One that can truly crush you down...”
[wakes up, sits up and looks at the moon from her window]
“Don’t look at it!”
The same short haired woman jumps to take the melting picture frame from Yuuko. The Witch doesn’t move and lets her grab the object.
“Pictures are representations of one’s past. Unlike drawings or paintings, they depict the truth, what really happened. Even what one doesn’t want to remember...” Yuuko looks intently at the kneeling woman before her. Before her customer can reply, the frame completely melts away and the offending picture is free to fly away from its owner.
The long haired woman is obliviously thanking the short haired woman. But then the short haired woman reaches for her shoulders and pushes her off the cliff.
“This....it’s not what happened!...Please....Please! Make it disappear!!”
The Witch leans over the woman, forcing her to look at her crimson eyes by picking up her chin between her fingers:
“Is that your wish?”
“Yes! Yes! I’ll do anything! Please!”
Yuuko nods and takes the picture. While it slowly turns into dust between her fingers, the figure in it keeps moving.
The short haired woman looks over the cliff. And then she smiles.
“The price you will pay is to never have your picture taken. To never stand in front of a lens ever again. Including video cameras...”
“B-but...that’s....”
“You said you would do anything, didn’t you? If you fail, the picture will come back. Or if you ever are on television, even without knowing it, every spectators will be able to see what happened to that woman....”
The dark haired woman shakes her head sternly when her customer tries to protest again.
“It was your decision...”
Yuuko is now sitting outside and a young man sits by her after serving her sake. She smokes her pipe silently but the boy breaks after a while:
“Why did you destroy the photography? Why didn’t you report her?”
She turns to the child she swore to protect and smile slightly. There is so much that he needs to learn and understand...
“Because it was her wish.”
“But! She could be a murderer!!!” the boy says in high tones, almost flailing.
She draws a long drag from her pipe and exhales the smoke slowly.
“Yes. When one takes a life, one must take responsibility for that act.” She looks sideways at the boy before going on: “Do you really think she will be able to live without being filmed or having her picture taken? Cameras are everywhere nowadays. Live news report, shopping centre security camera...She will never be able to escape that....”
Another drag she takes.
“The only solution left is to stay in her house for the rest of her life. To never meet anyone, ever. To never make new relationships. I have told you before, Watanuki-kun. Taking a human life is very costly burden....One that can truly crush you down...”
[wakes up, sits up and looks at the moon from her window]