When I was in my summer school, I sat behind a girl who was always silent and never participates in class activities or recitations. I only heard her say “here” ever so softly when called during class roll call. Nobody ever notices her coming in or going out of class.
At one time I saw her sitting alone under the shade of a tree during a class break. Out of curiousity I approached, introduced my name and ask if I could join her. I could see she was tensed at first then glanced at me and silently allowed me to join her. I offered her a milk box which she reluctantly accepted. I went on talking about the lessons, our teachers and classmates while she just silently listen bowing her head. I was suspecting she might have an extreme social anxiety like a cousin of mine so I didn’t mind the one way interaction. This kept on for a few weeks for the whole summer school.
Then a few weeks before the summer school is about to end, she gave me a small envelope as I was giving her the usual milk box. It was a birthday invitation on the coming weekend with an address presumably to her house. I replied that I accept the invitation and loved to attend. At that monent, our homeroom teacher passed us and stopped a moment to look at us. She kept on bowing her head while I greeted our homeroom teacher. He smiled at us and kept on going his way.
Weekend came and I rode my bicycle to the address. The weather seems cool that day despite being summer. The address was a bit out in the ourskirts of town with lots of fields and far neighboors. At last I came to a wide gate with a mailbox that has the address embossed on it. The gate was opened by a middle aged man then guided me to a golf cart where he mounted my bicycle on.
The court yard has a stunningly beautiful garden with lots of beautiful flowers. I was instructed to go up the steps and was greeted by a respectable looking man who looks like a butler. I seem to be the only guest if it was a birthday party but I was assured that there were others guests but were at the back of the house enjoying the party. I was greeted by my classmate and I was surprised to hear her speak my name and thanked me for coming. She introduced her parents who were a stunningly handsome father and a very beautiful mother. If it were not for the fact that we are on the outskirts of the city I would say they looked like nobles of the 18th century England.
The guests were similarly dressed and were handsome and pretty. Some looked like warriors and some looked like wizards and prince and princesses. Some where even wearing cosplay like beastmen and elves. I was a bit out of place as it was obviously a costume party but I was assured by my classmate that I looked fine as a normal teenager.
When it was time to eat, I was invited by my classmate to eat on the table with her parents. I could not clearly understand what they were saying as though it was another language but I seem to get the context of what was said. I was introduced to everybody as the friend of my classmate at school and I was greeted cheerfully with me feeling embrassed with all the attention. Although I was quite surprised that I was given a separate set of meals that I’m used to eat. My classmate explained that the food they were having may not agree with me. I did not mind it at that time as I was thinking I was a guest after all and they might have their own tradition.
I enjoyed my time being with my classmate and joined in a couple of games which were very interesting. Alas the dusk came and I bid farewell as I don’t want to ride my bike at night going home. The parents offered for me to stay but I explained that my landlord might freak out if I wasn’t able to come home that night and worse that my landlord report me to my parents from out of town. The parents understood and before I went home, my classmate and I had our picture taken on the steps of their magnificent house. Then I was offered a ride home on a pickup truck with my bicycle at the back. I asked to drop off on a gas station near to my boarding house.
The following week was busy doing school projects with my team mates. I haven’t seen my classmate and wondered if she was with her team. After a couple of weeks more it was time for the submission of projects and signing for clearances. I haven’t seen my classmate and wondered that she might have gotten sick or something. I went to our homeroom teacher to ask if he has seen my classmate friend. My homeroom teacher invited me for a private chat and explained I was very lucky to have noticed my classmate friend and if I could recall, nobody seemed to noticed her at all.
My homeroom teacher explained that there are students who were “different” from the normal students who were just content to be with themselves. When I clarified that I had a cousin who has extreme social anxiety that I understood her situation my teacher said it was totally different. Then I mentioned that I wondered about it too since my classmate friend was totally entertaining me during her birthday a few weeks back. My teacher was surprised that I was actually invited to her house then warily asked if I ate anything when I was there. I explained I was given a separate meal to which I thought was unusual. My homeroom teacher relaxed and told me I was fortunate and very lucky in deed.
My homeroom teacher then curiously asked me how do they looked. I was a bit fuzzy on the details but I recall they looked like nobles with everybody going all out on their costumes and cosplay. The teacher said those were probably not costumes or cosplay but in fact that was how they supposed to look. Then my teacher advised that I should not freak out what he was about to say – I was with an “enkanto” – a supernatural being and I had in fact been with the family of the said supernatural beings.
He said that I was fortunate that I did not eat the “enkanto” food since eating their food would bind me to the supernatural world and I wont be able too go home and will be considered missing on the natural world. But not to worry as he he advised as I will soon forget the summer encounter as the memory of it will soon fade slowly. At that moment he excused himself as he has an appointment to attend to.
As I walked towards our school library I remembered the picture I was taken together with my classmate. I took out the envelope that was printed “A Birthday Celebration with Anon”. I took out the picture and was surprised and a bit terrified. Standing beside me was my classmate Anon smiling but behind us was a large banyan tree with fireflies lighting the trunk, branches and leaves. It was a beautifully taken picture if not for the fact that the tree was supposed to be a magnificent house.
Note from contibutor – the orinal content of this story was copied from five pages of notebook paper found in between the pages of an alumni yearbook. And yes there was a placeholder for a student “Anon” with no family name and no picture.