He and the other him were standing, staring at each other.
Both clearly showed signs of unease and suspicion. Akson hurried to switch on the lights, hoping that what he had just seen in the darkness was merely a trick of his own eyes.
But his hope was in vain. The light only made the figure in the mirror more distinct. Akson had no idea how to handle this situation, as he could think of nothing else but the possibility of being haunted.
It was impossible...
"You..."
They both spoke at the same time, as if the sound of their own voices was the only thing they could trust in that moment. The other young man stood to his full height, gazing back at him from the other side of the mirror, their breaths quick and shallow.
"Who are you?"
We are both different...
Akson staggered back slightly after asking, one step causing him to lose his footing as his scattered thoughts slipped further from his grasp. The silence filled the space—a space no farther than a meter away, a space that shouldn’t exist but was undeniably there. He saw himself reflected as something strange, and we were both out of place.
“What is happening?”
The voice of the other person urged Akson to accept the truth. It was the clearest decibel at that moment. The other person sighed heavily when Akson shook his head in response. They both sat down on the floor, facing each other across the mirror.
"I just moved in today. Have you seen anyone else here before?"
"Well..." The other person shook his head in reply, his expression one of quiet contemplation. "Actually, I just moved in today as well."
Akson felt a sense of dizziness. If that’s the case, neither he nor the other person knew anything about this mirror. What are the chances that someone is playing a joke on them? And if that’s the case, what could their motive be?
There was no one else in the room except for the two of them. Akson came to the conclusion after getting up and thoroughly checking the room, making sure there was nothing hidden. What appeared in the mirror, then, was still a mystery.
"You should close the balcony door," said the person sitting across from him in the mirror. Akson turned to look, following the hand pointing to the balcony, and noticed that suddenly, it started raining, even though just moments ago, the sky had been clear enough to see the stars. He walked to close the door, but then hesitated, as if something had just occurred to him.
"Wait, is it raining on your side?"
The person sitting on the floor stood up and walked over to part the dark curtains at the window. Akson followed, seeing the bright moonlight entering within his line of sight.
"There isn’t a drop of rain," the other person replied with a tense voice. Neither spoke for a while, still unsure of what was happening, lost in a vast emptiness as if they were stuck in a separate universe.
"I hope this is just a dream," Akson said in resignation. He then heard a heavy sigh and turned to look at the person cleaning up the glass that had been dropped earlier. The tall figure walked over to the record player, which was silent now.
"Did you just play the music?" Akson asked, his voice curious as he leaned forward to look at the record player on the wooden table. He had never listened to music from a record before.
"You heard it?"
"Mm."
"I left it on before I went to take a shower. Uh... Can I call you 'Phii'?"
"Sure."
"I don’t know what’s going on, but when I came back from the shower, I saw you in the mirror." The other person explained, turning to look at the record player again. Akson let the sound of the record being placed grow louder before he made up his mind.
"Here."
"Huh?" The tall figure asked in response, both hands busy placing the records back in their cases before taking a book in his hands.
"I’m going to tell the landlord."
"Do you think anyone else will believe us?"
"Maybe they already know about this."
"Mm." The young person seemed more serious now as he held up a high school physics book for the other to see. "But I have an exam tomorrow, and I need to study."
Akson nodded in agreement before letting the other continue reading quietly. He, too, didn’t know what to do next. There were no more available rooms for him, and if he left the dorm now, he had no idea where to go.
"Songcham," the person sitting and reading the book said, making Akson look up. The tall figure stood from the desk and sat on his knees in front of him, speaking with a faint smile. "My name is Songcham."
Akson furrowed his brows, looking at the large hand pressed against the mirror for a full minute. He didn’t know why "Songcham" was smiling at him when neither of them truly understood what was going on.
However...
"Akson."
He probably couldn’t avoid getting to know the other person this time.
"Your name is strange."
"Songcham is quite normal, I think."
"That’s true," Songcham chuckled softly. He watched his older brother, the smaller figure, as he lifted his hand to place it over Songcham's.
"I can’t believe it."
"But anyway, it’s nice to meet you, Phii Akson."
They looked at each other before both parted to continue their lives, even though they couldn’t come to any conclusion. Akson stood absent-mindedly in front of the pot of instant noodles boiling with a bubbling sound. The rain continued to pour heavily on the night, with the cold slowly creeping into the air.
Akson sat alone for dinner. He had to adjust to living outside on his own, though there was someone—or something—else here with him during this adjustment period.
The young man returned to the bedroom after finishing his shower. He walked to stand in front of the mirror, looking at Songcham who was still sitting and reading as before. Akson sighed as he saw the figure clearly. Songcham was real.
The novel his mother had given him was what he chose to read that night. They remained silent in their separate worlds, occasionally glancing at each other. And that was the first night Akson spent in the room, knowing someone else was there with him.
"Are you going to sleep now, Phii?" Songcham asked, looking up once more to find the other lying in bed.
"Mm."
"I've turned off the lights."
"You keep reading, don't mind me."
"I've finished reading, actually."
"Is that so..." Akson responded softly before reaching out to turn off the lights as he saw the figure in the mirror doing the same.
In the dim darkness, the other person was settling down to sleep.
"Good night, Phii Akson."
It felt rather odd.
"Good night... Songcham."
But somehow, we both felt at ease...
The rain that had been falling all night made the air drop several degrees. Lazy people became even lazier, and getting out of Akson's thick blanket became a nearly impossible task.
"Did I wake you up?" The voice that broke the silence made him immediately glance toward the mirror. The shadow became clearer when he put on his glasses, sitting up in a drowsy manner. Songcham, who had just finished showering, was only in a towel. The boy was standing and staring from the mirror.
"Huh?"
"I have to wake up early to prepare for school. I was worried it might get too noisy, so I played music to cover it up." The other person gestured toward the record player, which was still running. Before Songcham could walk over to turn it off, Akson stopped him.
"No need to turn it off. It's fine to listen to music to welcome the new day." The person, who had not yet fully woken up, yawned and spoke, before getting up to sit in front of the mirror, still looking drowsy. Songcham observed him for a while before walking off to put on his school uniform. Once he finished dressing, he returned to stand in front of the mirror. The disheveled-haired person was still sitting in the same spot.
"Are you sleep-talking?"
"I'm awake."
"You've been sitting there for ten minutes now."
"Huh..."
"Should I let you sleep more?"
Akson looked up at the person standing tall. The high school uniform the other person was wearing made the boy he met last night look noticeably different.
"Are you going to school?"
"Yes, what about you?" Songcham raised an eyebrow and asked. The music that had been playing all morning stopped when the tall figure walked over to store his record in a large sleeve.
"I don't have school today."
"In that case, you should rest."
"Which grade are you in?" The person who had been watching asked, stretching with a loud yawn. The sound of the answer came from the other side, though he was busy organizing the records.
"Grade 5."
"Grade 5... So you're 17, right?"
"Seventeen and a bit more."
"A bit more, what does that mean?"
"Seventeen plus a little."
"I saw you reading physics last night. Are you in the science stream?"
"Yes," Songcham replied, turning to look at the person who had sprawled on the floor, letting out a heavy sigh. "Why don't you sleep properly?"
"I remember when I was in high school, I hated physics like crazy." Akson didn't pay much attention to the complaint. He lay there staring at the ceiling, as if talking to himself, before turning back to Songcham. "You have an exam today, right?"
"Yes."
"Good luck."
Songcham nodded slightly. By the time he pulled his gaze away from the other's smile, Akson waved his hand to shoo him out of the room.
"Go on, or you'll be late."
"Yes, you should eat something too."
Akson lay on his back, watching the figure walk out of sight from the mirror's view. The sound of the door closing signaled that he was truly alone now.
If he told anyone, no one would believe him. The young man continued staring at the ceiling, lost in thought, before whispering softly to himself.
"I didn't just dream this, did I?"
He rubbed his cheeks to shake off the lingering grogginess and quickly got up to prepare himself before time passed by wasted, even though he hadn't done anything yet. Today, he had no classes, so he planned to return the car and maybe spend the day outside until it was over.
The landlady, who was watering the plants, waved at him as soon as she saw him. He waved back slightly before driving off in a good mood. The factor influencing his mood today might be the weather, or maybe the toast and hot Americano, but believe him, it had nothing to do with that oddly-named kid.
Before long, Akson arrived at the small bookstore where he would work part-time during his holidays. It was quiet now since it was still early, and people weren't keen on buying books right after it had rained.
Ding!
The sound of the bell at the shop door rang as soon as he walked in. Phii Nai, the middle-aged owner of the shop, was checking the stock. He looked up immediately and smiled when he saw who had arrived.
"How was it? Was everything packed up well?"
"Yes, everything's fine, Phii. But I had to move stuff several times, so now my body aches all over." Akson placed the car key on the counter and slumped into a tall chair, exhausted. "Thanks for lending me the car."
"No problem, no problem. But you don't have class today?" Phii Nai asked without looking up from the list of books. The one who was sitting lazily at the table replied in a sluggish, half-awake voice.
"No, I don't. I can stay and help at the shop."
"No need for that. It's quiet today. But you're free right now, right?"
"Yeah, I'm free."
"Great, please keep an eye on the shop for a moment." With that, Phii Nai disappeared into the back to check the stock of books. Akson rested his chin on his hand while his eyes wandered past the shop's window. Yet his thoughts drifted far away, very far. He still didn't understand the situation with Songcham and didn't even know what to do next.
Ding!
"Hello." Out of habit, the young man spoke immediately upon hearing the bell. Heavy footsteps were heard approaching the store, then fading toward the bookshelf. "Please, take your time."
Akson shifted his gaze to the new customer. The man was focused on the books neatly arranged on the shelves. Seeing this, Akson decided to let the young man continue browsing quietly. It was quite a while before the customer walked up to the counter with a book in hand. Akson quickly stood to handle the transaction, and as he was wrapping the book, the customer asked.
"Do you have any book recommendations?"
"What genre do you like?" Akson asked in return, smiling. His hands never left the plastic wrap as his eyes stayed on the customer's sharp features.
"I don't really have a preferred genre."
"In that case, how about this one?" He picked up a piece of literature he had finished reading just a few days ago and handed it over. The man flipped through the pages thoughtfully before nodding in approval.
"I'll take this one too."
"You're quick to trust, aren't you?"
A small chuckle escaped the customer, and Akson turned his attention to the two books in front of him. The young man took the book bag the moment Akson handed it over.
"Thank you."
Then he slowly stepped out.
"Thank you!" Akson called after him, until the first and only customer of the day disappeared from his line of sight.
He spent the morning idly keeping Phii Nai company and subtly enjoying a free lunch before heading out to stroll through the bustling commercial district. He intended to buy some food to store in his refrigerator, but on the way back, something caught his attention.
The sound of music coming from a record store he had passed countless times. But this time, it felt different... Akson chose to quietly walk into the store selling records.
Like a stranger in an unfamiliar place, the music enveloped him as if offering a welcome. The vinyl records were stacked all around him, countless in number. Akson stood, observing each record as though time had stopped, holding still just for him.
And for reasons unknown, Akson decided to buy a record, even though he knew well that it could not play any music without a turntable...
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