Pollensbee. Where is Pollensbee?
No matter how far I walk or run, there are those who are me. Their faces, their voices, perhaps even their personalities, surely they are no different from me. And those who are me are trying to kill me. I just woke up and this is how things are, so I'm wondering if I'm still dreaming.
Since it is cold outside, I try to enter a building that is still in shape for warmth, but it is full of messed up, hairy versions of me. I fear that I will end up like that if I stay there.
Pollensbee, I want to know something about my hometown, but the network seems to be dead. My mobile phone was stolen by one of me. First of all, what country am I in? Can I get back to Pollensbee just by walking?
I keep walking and then see someone who is not me, who is not Thomas Hoang. I try to approach him for help, but he runs away as soon as he spots me. In such a world, it's not surprising. But he is headed toward the forest of those who were me.
"You shouldn't go that way!"
He ignores my warning and goes inside, but returns immediately. He comes back toward me as if he has given up. Then he proceeds to talk to me.
"Oh well, It seems I'm done for. Let's talk together."
"But you… No, no problem."
"Oh, well, that's good to know. Really good."
I look closely at the man's face. Somehow, I think I've seen him before.
"Have we met somewhere before?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, I've seen your face more times than I care to remember."
"Um, no, I think you and I were fairly close once, somewhere."
"What? Tell me about it, my life as me is getting pretty short anyway."
"S- sure. Your name is… I believe, ████?"
"Well, yes."
"I think we worked in the same place. Sort of a laboratory, as I recall… yes, we were doing research on some kind of fungus."
"Ha, I see what you mean. Holy crap."
"I guess I was right. …Oh, and I remember calling you by your nickname. Yes, ███…"
"Wait a sec, in that case, didn't I call you █████, probably?"
"Uh… yeah, I think so."
"Th- then have you ever visited my house? Have you?"
"Let me recall for a moment. I don't remember clearly but…"
"We drank liquor that night, I mean wine. Colton, or something like that. Very expensive liquor. But I hardly drank any of it. I just pretended to do it. And we were watching a movie. Notting Hill. I wanted to have that kind of a relationship with you, and, no, what I was considering was a piece of shit. And then…"
"Hey, are you all right?"
"Yeah, absolutely."
"So, do you happen to know where Pollensbee is?"
"If…"
"Eh?"
"If I ever become Thomas Hoang, let's go to that hometown together."
"……"
I am at a loss for an answer, as he hugs me passionately.