Morning Call

這是一個關於，現實與夢境錯綜，與不可及的愛人，的故事。

Nisroeld made one more cup of coffee for herself. It is 11 p.m. now, but she is still wearing her suit and cosmetics, her hair worn in a bun.

She is an attorney assistant in a law firm, having a pile of files to read and some legal document to draft. Recently her boss is in charge of a case concerning a person who is legally incapable of handling his own affair yet has conducted something illegal. It is not really pressured for her. In fact, she is accustomed to the heavy work as an attorney assistant. She took a sip of coffee, reseated at the desk.

Four hours later, Nisroeld can finally take a rest. She lay on the bed staring at the celling. Then she grasp over her cellphone, typing a text message.

“Wake-me-up-at-6-”sent and tossed the cellphone aside.

Hearing the clop, the woman with ponytail in a white coat placed the tube and dropper on the rack and turned around to greet the comer.

“Here you come! Dear!” She embraced the comer and gave a kiss on her cheek.

“I'm sorry to be late, I--”

“No problem, Dear.” She smiled warmly. “Now is the time for afternoon tea!”

Take me away from time and season.

Far far away we'll—

Nisroeld immediately sat up and pressed the answering button. “Thank you.” She said. Then she hung off the phone and get down from the bed.

Nisroeld always gets to firm early, preparing for all day's work. She placed a note on her boss' desk to remind him of today's schedule. Today her boss has a meeting with the client. She is also required to be present as a reporter and detail-reminder if necessary.

The client, she recalled the document she read last night, is a mentally-disabled man named Chou Mo-Ku. He is accused of stealing. What he has stolen was quite peculiar: women's clothes and drugs. It seems that there is no link between the two kinds of objects he constantly steals. But who knows? The available document for now doesn't mention the purpose he steals the objects.

Mo-Ku was accompanied by his father. Both of them were in a suit. Mo-Ku appeared unsuitable in his neat suit; his serious-looking father was wearing an old and wrinkle one.

Nisroeld guided them to the meeting room and made tea for them. Her boss was already there waiting.

“I…I'm sor…sorry f…for what my dull son d..did….”as soon as Nisroeld locked up the door, the old man uttered words of apology with trembling voice. His hair and beard is totally gray. “Wi..will my son be p..put into ja..jail?”

The attorney calmed him down, explaining the criminal-responsibility-free condition of a mentally-disabled person yet civil compensation of torts.

Naïve Mo-Ku didnt participate in his father and the attorney. He put his finger into the cup of tea. Fortunately, it is made of warm rather than hot water. His hand cannot hold the cup well and overthrew the tea. His father nervously scolded him and apologized again. Nisroeld pacified the old man and wiped the splash with tissue. The talk continued.

No longer than a moment, Mo-Ku started grabbing Nisroeld's clothes. He grasped her collar and pulled her sleeve. Nisroeld inhaled and exhaled deeply. Her discipline doesn't allow her to show negative attitude toward clients. Seconds later, she felt her clothes are going to be ruined by the man. “No. Please stop, Sir.” She claimed moderately yet firmly.

“Oh, I almost forgot something important.” The attorney turned to Mo-Ku. “Mr. Chou, could you please tell us why do you steal women's clothes?”

Nisroeld lay on the bed. Today, she thought, was normal. Although the small amount of sleep made her exhausted, at least she didn't overslept and missed the work. Her vigor remained lifted by only two cups of coffee, less than average amount of three cups. The efficiency and quality of work was not discounted. “What's a great day!” She whispered. “Thanks to my morning-caller.” A good day depends on a good morning.

In fact, she had a bad habit. After entered the college and moved out of home, without Mother waking her up every day, she often overslept and missed class. She tried to use alarm clock but gave up after breaking the ninth one without consciousness. She felt really frustrated.

The turning point was a workshop in which she had a chance to finish a task with a senior who she admired very much. The senior was a self-disciplined student, always having positive attitude toward schoolwork and performing excellently in almost every realm. Most important of all, she had a very good interaction basis. She could seek him for consolation whenever she confronted difficulty. He also shared with her things that would interest her quite often.

The day before the very day, she was excited yet nervous, frightened to oversleep again. She expressed her worry to him.

“How can I help you, Nisroeld?”

“Well, Helios, I'm afraid to trouble you. But if you don't mind, could you please wake me up tomorrow?”

“With the phone?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

Nisroeld smiled upon the recollection of the good old memory. Since that day, the senior, Helios, has become her morning-caller.

However deep she sleeps, as soon as Helios calls her, the penetrating ring is always able to retrieve her consciousness from chaos, or the dream forgotten at the moment she opens eyes.

Just like a ritual, she was waked up by, and later, she knows, will work with the one she admires.

“Wake-me-up-at-6-”she recited out loud the words the typed, as if making a conjuration. Sent and tossed the cellphone aside.

When she arrived, she saw the ponytailed woman cleaning up the table in the lawn, where they were supposed to have afternoon tea. A sense of regret rose in her mind. “Ku--” She tried to call her name.

“Oh, Dear! It's great for you to come. But I have an experiment to conduct and a meeting concerning about the effect of the new kind of drug.” She went into the house without one more glance at her. “What a pity that we still can't have afternoon tea today. By the way, your shirt looks nice.”

Nisroeld sat up. It is almost the first time, if she doesn't have a poor memory, to wake up without Helios' morning-call. Six minutes to seven, the supposed time she gets up. She lay back down, yet couldn't fall asleep anymore.

Take me a—

She pressed the answering button. “I've woke up.”

“Isn't that great for you?”

“I don't know.”

“Because of a bad dream?”

“I can't even remember what I dreamed.”

“It is not that important. Don't be obsessed.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

Somehow Nisroeld knows that today's circumstance is an exception. Without his morning-call, she still affirms, she herself cannot get up at will.

A new kind of drug, which will be a milestone of psychiatry, has been developed and the concerning press conference has been held. Walking outside the conference room, the chief of the research project found someone waiting for her.

“Congrats, Kumochou. You really did an awesome job!”

“Thanks, Dear. Okay, don't talk about job. Let's enjoy ourselves! I've ordered a fancy restaurant!”

…Shield and sword will guide our battle--

“How come you were absent from the court!”

Nisroeld was shocked awake by both her boss' raging utterance and the sun brightening in the sky. She recalled that she forgot to ask Helios to wake her up at 6. Now is eleven o'clock, over the time for Mr. Chou's trial.

“Did you enjoy the meal, Dear?”

“...Oh Yes I did.”

“Well, Dear, you look absent-minded. Don't you enjoy the time of only you and me?”

Answer our call in desperate hours

Shelter our fall from earthly powers

“Hey! Where are you going, Dear? Delorsin? Wait! What's wrong?”

Temper our souls with flame and furnace

Bear us toward a noble purpose—

“Good morning, Helios. Thank you very much.”