Ever since the light bulb in the bedroom had burned out, it had never been replaced.
Naturally, there were no windows here either, leaving the room pitch-black.
Only a radio on the bedside table gave off the faint glow of an orange indicator light.
When the button on the radio was pressed, the indicator turned green.
As luck would have it, the station was playing a lilting piece of music just then.
Herta reached out and turned the volume knob all the way up.
Chu Mu understood what Herta wanted and went along with her.
Herta pushed Chu Mu to the edge of the bed, making him sit down. Then she leaned forward, slipping one hand around his neck and resting the other on his hand.
She rested her head on Chu Mu's shoulder and whispered into his ear:
"Hold my hand. I'll ask you questions. Squeeze once for yes, and loosen your grip a little for no."
Her warm breath tickled Chu Mu's ear.
He took Herta's hand.
Herta instinctively pulled her hand back a little, but remembering that she had asked for this herself, she put it back.
"Are you Chu Mu? The one I've met before?" Herta began her questions.
Chu Mu squeezed her hand. Herta's little hand was very soft.
The woman carried a faint floral scent mingled with the smell of fresh grass. It seemed to be a carefully blended perfume.
"One squeeze is enough," Herta complained softly. "Another question: are you really an Aeon?"
Chu Mu squeezed her hand again.
He felt Herta's heart suddenly start racing at that moment.
It took a while before Herta recovered and asked:
"Is this place a memory from your past?"
Chu Mu thought for a moment, decided that was probably close enough, and squeezed Herta's hand.
Herta