“Come on don’t be sad Jasp you’ll love it there, plus you’ve never really left home you should get away from everyone for some time.” “I know, but Lee this isn’t like a two-month trip or even a semester this is the whole shabam the rest of high school and if I do well enough I can stay for college” “Wanna trade?” “yeah like honestly,” the rest of my friends say. SMACK I’ve hit Lee for saying something so stupid “Okay owww.” says Lee. We just laugh after that all of us are happy and content with how the rest of our summer was going before I depart and they spend the rest of high school having fun with all their friends while I stay in and do my work wondering when it’s okay to call or chat because of our time zones.
This memory of being scared of leaving replays in my head hundreds of thousands of times. The sad thought of leaving Lee and my parents and people at school a place I was starting to like after so long made me think, “Was it really worth it to be so awkward for half the year and finally finding friends to be snatched by some creep.”

7:36 am
For one thing, my head is killing me and all I am able to think is he had to hit me with a pipe. Stupid I know but God it hurt like hell and so does my wrist...wait why my wrist? Trying to sit up I realize I’m bound to a table. Silver thin line, like conducting wire. Looks easy enough to break if I pull hard enough.  ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you” he still had that nasty grin on his face I  just wanted away from him, I haven't even been a conscience for 20 minutes and I already hate him all over again. Worse this time because he’s hurt me over some stupid reason or at least that's the only reason I know of. “ You know you make a face when you think? “ I stayed silent  “Aw come on now speak your lips look pretty when you do.” Still, I say nothing but I start to look down at my watch surprised when I don't see it. “ Oh, you must be looking for this.” A little gold antique I had gotten at a store coming from school. I always need the time and for some reason, I was drawn to this one the most. “You're always looking at the time you know that right?” Shocked I answered, “ What do you mean by that?”  He just laughed then got very serious. “Always documenting the time in your head, constantly looking at this watch like you always need to know the time…..”
His voice got quite like what he was going to say next was upsetting to him. “YET YOU NEVER HAVE THE TIME FOR ME.” I jumped hurting my wrist tears now falling from the pain. I had no idea what he was talking about I didn’t even know this kid yet he acted like I owed him something. BOOM he slammed his hand down and screamed. After that had walked out. It was so quiet absolutely no noise which made me wonder where we were. The smallest amount of light shines through a broken window. Why was there a broken window this place looked brand new when I was outside? Doesn’t matter how it’s reflected off something near me, but I'm still tied down until I can get out of this I need to think fast before the psychopath comes back. As I thought of a way out it made me realize my feet were never tied down just my wrist and by all the pulling and moving they had to have gotten loose..right? They had to if I moved too much.
Dear God, please say they got loose. At this point, it didn’t matter I had gotten close enough to the shining object to see what it was. My watch. God thank you, at least now I can see how long I’ve been here. Closer..just a tad bit closer and I’ll see how much longer the oddness of today will last.

8:15 am
Oh no only 8 am. “ So looks like you’ve reached that thing” he sounded disgusted with it. “Chansen please why are you doing this, what have I done if it was about this morning I’m sorry it was early and I didn’t want to disappoint my professor.” I spoke not even knowing what my real motive was, “SHUT UP, just shut up. You always make it about you and your time now listen this is my time and I’ve been waiting so you’re going to sit there and listen to what I say and what you’ve refused to listen to.” So I sat there silent wanting to hear everything I could to understand what’s going on. Chansen started to speak.
At first, it was just him mumbling like he was talking to someone else which made me question his sanity more but the other side of me questioned mine. What if I was the one hearing things or I was the one going crazy. “STOP THINKING” he was yelling again, this is what terrified me the most was when he got loud. I had forgotten he already pointed out some of my traits. “If you’re going to be rude and not listen you won't like what will happen.. Do you understand?” I was getting distracted again the sun was shining through and I  hadn't even noticed how the ceilings leaked and the walls reeked of rotting wood. I caught focus not wanting to be yelled at and noticed that when he spoke he spoke as if he knew me for years.
With that it made me think of my three years here did I even know anyone like him or someone that hung out with him. With the position of hands tied and useless I had to speak, to ask him this one question. “When have we met?” he looked as if someone told him the worst news possible, it hit him so hard he had sat down right in front of me crossed his legs and put his head into his hands and just kept saying “ What do you mean?” he got louder and louder like he has been doing since he hit me with that stupid pipe. I took the risk and asked him again adding his name thinking it might calm him down “Chansen, where have we met?” he looked up slowly seeming less angry,  I was confused that it had worked but still scared of what he might say. “ Here.” was all he said before getting up and leaving.
Here but I’ve never actually never met anyone here in Shinjuku. It’s only ever been a short walk from the station to the coffee shop. I thought as hard as I could but I couldn't even remember the kids' name who gave me my coffee every day. “ We’re not in Shinjuku Jasp, My lord can you really not remember me *scoffs* you make me feel less of everyone you know.”  I gave up on the game of time and care of what's going, “ Then freaking tell me where we are I’m so tired of this stupid game of everything, you just keep doing a circle around all the questions  and answers TELL ME WHERE WE ARE.” he looked dumbfounded that I had raised my voice at him but he could tell that what I had just said was true. “ So are you going to tell me or look at me like your stupid and don't understand English.” That nasty grin “Key clues Jasp, are you being that oblivious, JESUS WE’RE IN NOKOGIRIYAMA” I sat there thinking of the last time that Nokogiriyama even came across my mind. He was so surprised I still wasn’t understanding the place he was talking about. “You were in your senior year, actually we both were everything  I am saying is the things we have spoken about many times. It's before all this happened.
He pulled me closer and somehow we were outside. Like I was never tied up like everything that happened never happened. He laughed again making me look at him he seemed to get worse by the second, more and more blood showing up his clothes seemed to tear apart more every time I blinked. “The harder you stare maybe you’ll finally realize more about yourself too.” lost for words from looking at him so long I started to feel the worst when I noticed he had tears in his eyes. When I blinked he leaned into me and whispered “please don’t go tomorrow?” but it was just like that a question like he was unsure of it all of what happened, what he did, how he treated me. I simply asked what will happen he handed me a paper.
“TRAGIC ACCIDENT IN NOKOGIRIYAMA NATURAL DISASTER CAUSES  ROPEWAY EXTENSION TO SNAP POWER LINES FALL SETTING WILDLIFE INTO FLAMES WITH JAGGED OVERHANG KNOWN AS “PEEK INTO HELL” SENDING HUNDREDS TO THEIR DEATH.”
The building made sense now it was the inn you were allowed to stay in when visiting the mountain. The double rooms that connected were for friends to stay together. “The building and everything around it makes sense but I’m sorry it isn't making me recognize you.” He stared and laughed one last time and said “You took the wrong train all because you had death on your shoulder” I’ve never heard someone say something so honest to me before. The next thing I knew we were back in that complex his laughing and screaming louder than before only this time it was for me to wake up. I couldn’t understand because I was awake, he should know that he was the one who brought me here, the one who yelled for however long now. “Wait for my watch” he stopped and looked cold. It was all about timing. He knew it, he knew I needed my watch to understand what time it was how important time was to me. “ Doesn’t matter time doesn’t exist here, so don’t worry about that stupid thing.” I started to cry knowing that we were right back to the beginning I lost whatever hold I had on him. I slumped my head down finally giving up. Not knowing what the past I don’t even know the hour, two for God’s sake five hours has even happened. *BEEP*BEEP*BEEP* “OH MY GOD JASP GET UP WE'RE GONNA MISS THE TRAIN GOSH SOMETIMES TIME IS YOUR WORST ENEMY YOU KNOW THAT RIGHT LIKE YOU AND TIME NOT FRIENDS AT ALL” screamed Chansen.

2017 April, Tokyo, Japan, 5:09 am
“What even is going on,” I say rolling out of bed. “You have your transfer meeting today with Yoza, he’ll give a write up if your late again and you can’t risk it this time so let's get you up and going. Your uniform and bags are right there to fix your face.” Chansen says while I burst out in tears of stress. Chansen Elli, sophomore in TCU, 20 years old, I call him Chan or Channy for short,  the only person I was able to speak to given our language barrier, he was also the only person that would take an hour and 14 minutes trip while walking to meet me.
He was the one who pushed the idea of getting a watch because time was never in our hands, it was always us against the clocks. Chansen thought it would be a good idea to make it a tradition to keep going back to Nokogiriyama as a remembrance of how we met. Two stubborn people of different countries to meet by chance and stay together. It made me realize that we planned to go today after my meeting. “Um can we not go today I don’t think it’s a good idea” trying to sound as convincing but he usually wins “ No don't be like that please just this one time lets do what I want today please, your always busy and never have time anymore and I don’t want this to sound selfish but please this one time?” he had gotten sad.
  I didn't know how I was supposed to tell my friend the crazy dream I had, like “Oh yeah I had a dream you hit me,  tortured me with questions while screaming sometimes then basically blamed me for a natural disaster, yep let's go” I was shocked with how I thought that. “ Chan please we can literally do anything else just can we hold off on that please I know how bad you wanna go but just please?” I pleaded he just seemed to get upset and a little angry so I said the one thing I know he wouldn't go against, me telling him the truth of why I didn’t want to go. “I know this is a tradition for us but I had a dream and I think it’s best for us not to go.” He stood there stunned at what I said. So I hurried and actually called Yoza this time around and he said it was okay because someone called in sick and we needed that person for this meeting so we will just reschedule. We got dressed normally and walked to the coffee shop because we needed the “exercise”. When we arrived I sat close to a television just to see what would happen with the news.
I explained my dream to him and after explaining the T.V announced the Honshu area was having an earthquake. Chansen seemed shocked that it was all happening. He said he was shocked that he was the one asking me to go. I just told him it didn't matter who said what that I’m glad we didn’t go. Later we went home not knowing what would happen next we just went to our rooms to sleep.
I woke up in the middle of the night to Chan laughing. It was dark so I  didn't see much but naturally, I knew the way to his room. When I entered he was just sitting there laughing, but not his normal laugh the laugh from my dream the one where Chansen wasn’t himself. “So I see you’ve wrapped him around that pretty little finger once again, gosh that boy I wish he was like me.” “ What do you mean by that?” and that quick it felt like my question hadn’t even come out fully he had me pinned to the floor. Blood dripping over me, on me. I was scared of what he was going to do, he had already hurt and tricked me once before what could he do now. “ Don’t be stupid this time around and maybe you’ll understand why that really happened.” Every time he spoke he confused me more and more. “Everything you think I will now hear, so do it carefully because you thought this was a dream you thought wrong for all you know if you fell asleep in one place and woke up in another twice now be careful how you perceive things for they might now be what you think they are “ he kept rambling on and on until he left like always just to come back and badger me some more.
With him gone it made me think of what actually happened with the mountain. The “peek into hell” what if this has happened before a place like that just doesn't get its name from anywhere, something had to of happened. “ Ahh see I knew you weren’t stupid” he mocked my intelligence with everything else that had to do with me but can I really be surprised at this point. “ Anything and everything that has ever happened here will repeat over and over and there is so way to stop it, so while your still here before the good Chan takes you back I wanna have some fun with you.
He had better ties this time and seemed to know what he was doing, unlike last time. I was bound by my hands, feet, and waist. Chansen had moved me from one room to another. I smelled something odd, like something that shouldn’t be set on fire. “What's that smell?” I ask. He just laughs it off and says “soon it will be you.”
The smell got worse the closer I got. He just kept moving like nothing was happening, just him walking down the street.