Green Eyes of the Suburb

S1E7

"Oh..." Tama got mesmerized by the sightings of his surroundings, his eyes widened.

Previously, there were no animals beyond the small insects or rats that came from the gutter. But this time, he witnessed various kinds of animals, which he was only able to see through the photos.

A white horse, a tree leopard, a pangolin, a mountain goat, a swallow.

One thing that made it different is how every animal there has green colored pupils.

At first he was a bit freaked out because those animals are deemed dangerous, and the distance between him and them was at least two meters. But quickly he switched his mood into astonishment, as it answered the question he always wondered.

A confirmation that what he experienced was a hundred percent real.

That boy noticed something else. None of those creatures ever glanced at him, as if he never really looked at them.

Well that's a relief, Tama thought. It means i am safe going around, and nobody sees me as a threat, so they would chase me.

The relief soon broke into a panic when the pangolin stared quite a few seconds onto him. That made Tama swiftly spin his finger the way he did before.

A light breeze produced by a spinning finger knocked to his whole body.

And then, in a few seconds, it stopped.

No more wild animals around you, or even a light pink sky.

Upon returning into a world with a dark blue sky in the evening, he sighed.

"That was wild. Literally, i guess," Tama said.

Tama might be scared and sweated in panic before, but after being back to the human world, he no longer feels it. It doesn't mean it came from a relief, but literally, as if he never sweated before. His energy felt like it was being boosted up, even though the effort to eat and drink was minimal that day. All the wasted energy due work before he entered that place, no longer existed.

"Whatever, I just want a confirmation anyways," he continued the walk to the house. "The rest doesn't really matter."

***

Next day, with no intention of buying anything, Tama approached to convinience store Janie worked. As usual, he dress casually, just a plain t-shirt and knee length shorts.

"Janie, could you tell me more about the myth?" Tama asked.

"Oh... Sorry, Tama. I dont know much about it," she replied, cold as always. "Previous talk was all i know. What makes you think i know that all?"

Her tone changed into a slightly more sarcastic tone. "I am literally the same age as you, for not paying attention towards it."

It was a pretty awkward situation for Tama. He wouldn't bother saying stuff about it any longer. 

"Do your store... perhaps need someone to lift stocks or stuffs here?" Now that's his true intent. "Or if the store owner needs more employees in their store?"

"No," she responded. "Not yet for now."

"Hm..."

No opportunity for full time work. Now, its time for the next resort since that failed to give answers.

"Uhm well, i want you to give me news or a call if you need something to lift, daily is okay. Will you?"

The ponytailed girl sighed. "Okay, I'll inform you if there's any."

That's all the thing he was able to gain there, then left the store without buying anything.

Tama was walking to his home in leisure, despite the heat of the sun brazed his skin. 

Ting tong! 

His phone rang. 

Ando.

Tama had no choice but to respond. He took out the phone from his shorts pocket.

"Tama, thank goodness you are safe!" he shouted in relief. "Are you okay!?"

Tama chuckled while he was walking. "It was way better than it is!"

"Now how are you going to navigate the town with no motorbike, Tama?" Ando concerned. "Take a credit if you can. It's crucial to be mobile there to fulfill your needs, there's no option other than the personal vehicle! Public transport there sucks!"

"Too bad I couldn't, brother. I am still fairly unemployed with no steady income."

"Then how? You walk!?" Ando's voice tried to make a sarcasm under his younger brother's ironic situation. 

"Yes, I am fine by walking or running around the suburb."

"You can't even walk past four kilometers in daylight. Go buy a bicycle from your savings if a motorbike is too expensive for you."

"Then that's no different from walking, same amount of exhaustion," Tama said. "Better saving for a motorbike over a bipedal bike. I can use it everyday and it will last longer if I don't get an accident that will crush it into pieces."

"Well... you are right. I appreciate that argument."

Whoosh! 

Bunch of riders consisted of four motorbikes, recognizable from its modified pipe sound, bypassed next to him at high speed. Except it's not a regular bypass, its a few centimeters away kind of bypassing. 

With a strong grip on the hand where the phone wasn't being held, Tama shouted: "Watch your way! Hey!" 

None of the riders responded. They just get away as if pedestrian safety is not concerning to them.

Just like that morning when they crashed Tama until he was thrown to the woods. No human came to help, except the giant owl.

 Ando screamed from the phone. "Tama, what's going on!?"