Forgotten in the Fog

“I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to leave the Emersons and move overseas to live with you.”Cecil Miller’s aunt, Dianne Miller, was thrilled to hear this. She then thoughtfully advised Cecil.“Alright, Cecil, I'll help you with the immigration immediately. It will take about a month, so you should use this time to get together with your friends since it’s not very likely you’ll see them again once you come to Vinland. Make sure you say your goodbyes.“Don’t forget Cleo, especially. He raised you since you were a kid, so you should thank him for everything he’s done for you.”Cecil gave Dianne her word.After hanging up, she left the balcony. As she was heading to the living room, she caught herself sneaking a glance at the picture set on the table.Inside the picture, the sky as well as the faces of the people were lit auburn from the glow of the sun.It was a picture of seventeen-year-old Cleo Emerson standing under the frame of a swing. He was smiling and pushing Cecil, who wa

Cecil rarely went out on weekdays. Usually, she spent most of her time in her studio, which was why Amelia was intrigued that she was going out on such a snowy day.“Cecil, you don't have a boyfriend, so why are you going out in this weather?”Cecil did not know how to tell them about her plans to leave and ended up saying vaguely, “I… I just need to get something done.”Either way, they would be able to connect the dots when they arrived at the visa office.Amelia did not continue pressing for answers and instead turned to Cleo to ask about their plans for the day.The two were chatting away enthusiastically and seemed to have completely forgotten about the presence of Cecil in the back seat.When they reached a red light, Amelia produced a lipstick and asked Cleo to help her touch up her makeup.Cleo was very receptive. He cupped her face in his palms and was very gentle with her.When it looked like their faces were drawing closer, Cecil quickly turned away to look at the

Cecil was only half asleep and was quickly awakened by the sudden movement.She immediately caught a hint of the familiar scent of cologne, which helped her identify the person.Uncle Cleo?Why had he suddenly charged into the room to kiss her?She was thrown off, and before she could even react, she heard Cleo’s raspy voice followed by the heat of his breath beating on her skin. “Amelia…”She felt herself tense up at the name.The accompanying smell of alcohol helped her decipher the situation swiftly.Cleo was drunk and mistakenly thought she was Amelia.While she was still processing it, she felt Cleo’s hand creeping downward.She started to panic upon realizing what was happening. She reached for his hands to stop him while attempting to push him away.“Uncle Cleo, you’ve got the wrong person! It’s Cecil!” she cried out frantically.Cleo must have been too drunk to understand what she was saying. If anything, he seemed to have become more excited by her actions.He ki

He did not pick up the first time.He did not pick up the second time either.Cecil called again and again, and it was only at the ninth call that Cleo finally picked up.She could hear his heavy, rhythmical breathing from the other end of the phone. She suddenly recalled a similar incident when she was in high school and was also accused of plagiarism. At the time, she felt ostracized and helpless, and that was when she decided to call him for help.He had assured her immediately after picking up the call, “Don’t worry, I have your back.”But now, she was the one who started the dialogue with a swift accusation, “Were you the one who gave Amelia my first draft?”Cleo confessed without a second thought.“I did.”The response from Cecil was a long, heaving sigh.“Why did you do it?”After a brief silence, Cleo answered.“That painting should have never existed in the first place, especially not with your name attached to it. What part of this don’t you understand?”So th

The broadcast system at Augen Airport announced the arrival of a certain passenger flight.From a distance, Cecil could see Aunt Dianne and her family waving fervently in her direction.She went up to them, and when she saw three sets of radiant smiles greeting her, all of the pent-up gloom inside her vanished instantly.“Aunt Dianne, Uncle Jonathan, Reya!”This was the first time ten-year-old Reya Vilberg was meeting her cousin. She had heard Dianne talking about how pleasant Cecil was, so she threw herself into Cecil’s arms the moment they met.“Hello, Cecil! Are you tired from the flight? Let me massage you!”Jonathan went to collect Cecil’s luggage while Reya began to massage Cecil’s legs with her plump, fleshy fingers.Cecil felt like she was going to melt at the sight of her adorable cousin. She hoisted the little girl in her arms in one swift gesture.“It’s fine, I’m not tired. You must be the one tired since you’ve been waiting for two hours!”“I wouldn’t be tired