Among the supernatural entities who were starting to become forgotten, there was this woman called Siren, a beautiful woman who wore a really elegant, really pink-white, and really frilly nurse outfit that looked like some sort of pimped-out dress. She was a benevolent spirit, and she always liked being nice to people.
After she woke up after a long sleep (spirits like her called it “The Sleep of the Forgotten”), she decided to wait for a call for help. Back when spirits like her were still popular, she was quite busy, tending to wounded people, who wanted physical and/or emotional healing. As long as they called for her help, she would always come to help them. That’s why Siren was called the spirit of healing.
But now, she hasn’t gotten any calls for days. Jester, the spirit of entertainment, had already started receiving calls, and she saw that he was really enjoying himself again.
“Why am I not receiving any calls?” Siren wondered. She then thought that it must be because she just recovers her senses slower than the other spirits. The senses of the spirits weren’t that great after waking up from such a long sleep. Some spirits recovered faster, though, so they immediately went back to trying to do work and exploring the present age.
“Hmmm…I should just go look for someone who wants help.”
And so, Siren decided to look around a random residential district. She then discovered someone who needed help.
“Oh my…I sense very strong negativity from that house,” Siren said to herself. “If my senses still aren’t at its normal performance, then this quite alarming.”
Siren then entered the house where the strong negativity came from. She then discovered a teenage boy seated on his bed. He held a knife on his right hand while staring at his left wrist.
“You look really sad there,” Siren said with a genuinely concerned tone as she appeared in front of the boy. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I want to die…” the teenage boy said with a deep frown. “I’ve been through so much crap in my life. No one cares about me. I hate myself. I suck so much. I’m a freaking piece of crap.”
Siren had already seen such people who have convinced themselves to die. Seeing a television and remote control nearby, she decided to create a time-appropriate version of her remedy for such people. She then created a small white remote control which had a big white button that was adorned with a red cross.
“I’m Siren, the spirit of healing. What’s your name?” Siren gently asked while holding the remote control behind her.
“Snow. Cold and stupid snow. Snow that melts away. Snow that’s bound to be forgotten.”
The boy just continued to stare down at his hands, as he was stuck in the middle of two thoughts: “I want to die,” and “I want to live.” Both thoughts were debating against each other like campaigning politicians with equal power, and whoever would win will be decided by Snow’s choice.
“Well,” Siren replied as she put the remote control on Snow’s open left hand, “Here’s something that’s meant for people like you, Snow. It’s supposed to be a rolled-up scroll, but since I’ve awoken in a different age now, I’ll have to show it to you differently. Do you want to hear more about it, though?”
Snow only responded with one silent nod, giving Siren a sign that he was listening.
“Thank you for giving me a chance to talk to you, Snow. Now, happiness is as easy as opening a rolled-up scroll, or in this case, pushing a button. I won’t mind if you won’t believe me, though. That’s just how I see it. I can try to cheer you up, but in the end, it’s not me that’s making you happy. It’s you. You can choose to be happy, or you can choose not to be happy. And so, about that remote control that I gave you, it’s an object made out of my power that fully heals your physical and emotional wounds once you press that button. Now, I have a question to ask you: Do you want to be happy?”
“…”
Snow answered with silence as he stared at the remote control, and then at the knife, and then at the remote control, and then back at the knife again. He still couldn’t decide.
“Well, I normally go to wounded people when they call for help, but you’re the first wounded person that I went to without being called. I just woke up after a long sleep, you see, and my senses still aren’t functioning fully yet. Anyway, I’ll be leaving you to choose. I’ve met people like you who called for me but were still stuck in indecision, and I usually leave them alone after giving that remedy, because I believe that happiness is a choice that comes from within. See you again, Snow.”
With that, Siren disappeared with a smile and a rain of rose petals.
As for Snow…
“I want to die…” Snow said to himself while looking at the two things that he was holding, “But still, my desire to live won’t give up. When I think about it, there are so many happy things that I fear losing, and then that fear of loss tries to convince me that I should just die…”
Snow looked at the knife.
“With this knife, I can lead myself to death. Will I really find happiness in death? If I’m gone, will I really be happy? I want people to care for me, and I think that dying would make people do so, but when they do care for me, how can I come back and feel that care that I want to get from them? Still, this knife tells me that if I keep on living, I’ll still be crushed by suffering…and I don’t want to suffer…”
And then Snow looked at the remote control.
“With this remote control, I will lead myself back to life. Does it really work like that woman told me? I want to be eternally happy…but that seems to be expecting too much. The darkness always chases me, but those little glimmers of warm light…I remember them…those moments when I had fun with my family…when I had fun with my friends. My family is still okay right now, but I’m struggling with school. I’m practically the bullies’ punching bag, my grades are becoming really bad, and then as I hang around the Internet…I’m starting to think that people’s attempts to cheer me up aren’t helping. But with this remote control here…is it really that easy? It’s too good to be true…’Finding happiness is hard,’ is what some people say, but I’m curious. I know that I can’t find eternal happiness in this mortal world, but those little glimmers of warm light…I want to feel them again…Yeah…Maybe I should just go for the happy light within the sad darkness, instead of drowning myself in the sea of sad darkness…I should try…Yes…I should try pressing this button…”
Snow’s hands trembled as he started to make his decision. His focus on his left hand made him drop the knife on his right hand, while the remote control was starting to become gripped more and more firmly by Snow’s left hand. And then…
…He pressed the button.
*click*
Rose petals suddenly rained around Snow as he felt a calming warmth run within him. He felt himself becoming better, and then he realized:
“I feel better already! When I think about it…it’s just simple. I’ve been worrying too much about things that I can’t control, and doing so won’t help me get any better. I haven’t been doing my best in school, and I remember that my parents wanted me to do my best, not jump to some insane height that I can’t reach. I’ve also been letting myself be hurt by the bullies too much, and reporting them won’t hurt me at all, because I’m stopping myself from being hurt and I remember that my teachers at school will be able to help me as long as I let them help me. I haven’t felt this great in a long time!”
And then, Snow had another realization:
“That’s it…I’ve been so focused on myself that I found it hard to see the solutions to my problems, which were right nearby all this time! I can now see my reasons to be happy…my reasons to live…There are so many of them, and they’re quite close by, too!”
A voice suddenly rang in Snow’s mind after he realized that. It was Siren’s voice that spoke to him.
“That’s right, Snow. I’m glad that you chose to be happy and live on. Death is inevitable, but you should still live your life to the fullest. There are so many reasons to be happy, and there are so many reasons to live. Make this world a better place. I’m a forgotten spirit among the many forgotten spirits that just recently woke up from a long sleep recently, forgotten spirits that were meant to help humanity turn the world into a better place. Help us out. Help other people be happy. Influence them to be happy. Don’t force happiness into them, but just influence them. If ever your heart starts to sink into sadness again, remember that happiness is a choice that comes from within. Remember the remote control that I gave you. Consider it a gift from me. Whenever you start to feel sad again, picture the remote control in your hand, and then press the button again. If you’re wounded physically, it can help you, too, because it will heal your physical wounds faster. Actually, the healing power of that remote control starts from your emotions, and once you feel better emotionally, it heals you physically as well. Thank you very much for choosing to be happy, Snow. A job well done for me, and of course, a job well done for you. Thank you very much, Snow.”
After Snow heard that, tears of joy were already falling from his eyes. The remote control had vanished from his hands, as it had already become a part of his heart, ready for materialization when he needed it.
“You’re welcome…Siren…”
Snow smiled. His heart was now renewed, and it was full of happiness. He stood up from his bed, and then he said with a determined smile:
“It’s time to face forward. It’s time to face the burning heat. It may try to melt me away, but I won’t give up. There are so many reasons to live. There are so many reasons to be happy. Let’s do this, Snow! Let’s go!”
And then, he shouted with all his might:
“IT’S TIME TO SPREAD HAPPINESS!”
The Overlord Bear's Den 