Nancy looked around the living room. The chenille sofas were organized around a mahogany coffee table, and one cherry red recliner appeared to be in the limelight as its color and overall East Asian design were too vibrant for sore eyes. Antiques were scattered everywhere that looked obscure for being put proudly in such a time period. Instead of a fancy chandelier, an LED ceiling lamp that reminded Nancy of the moon was rooted onto the middle of the ceiling. It was a ceiling lamp. Where else would it be?

Two nails were sticking out of the wall opposite to the furniture, which she assumed were for the television and clock. How wrong was she; Nathan immediately took out an old fashioned calendar from one of the traveling bags and hung it on the right hook while the mother produced a painting and hung it on the other. Although the romanticist and finely stroked painting was the apt one anyone would stare at, Nancy's eyes resorted to the calendar. A red circle was drawn around a cell that marked the second of August and above in bold numbers was the year 1990. She furrowed her brows.

The walls were not repainted as a new tenant would have ordered. She assumed that her father, being in charge of vacating the house and renting a room in a faraway condo, was allergic to new paint. Just then, he let out a gruff sneeze. Wiping his snot with a handkerchief, he told Nancy, "Why are you just standing there? The ground glued your feet to it?" Nancy laughed sheepishly- not humorously- as her eyes were still darting around the living room.

"Just go upstairs with your sister and unpack everything." The father ordered while taking off his fedora hat and unpacking the largest luggage bag out of the six. As if Nancy did not hear anything, she stood there stone faced, staring blankly at the calendar. Something was not right...Nancy's hazy mind was trying to retrieve one of the fleeting moments when she caught a glimpse of something that did not match the year, but she ended up being lost in the fog.

"Nancy, come on!" Natalia nudged Nancy urgently as she was carrying a barely zipped bag on the verge of puking out clothes and other things out. Nancy snapped out of her trance and with a bag in her hands, she ascended the wooden staircase with her sister in the lead.

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Natalia strode up to a door to their supposed room in the end of the dingy corridor. As soon as she let the door slide open, Nancy-in her wobbly state- walked into the room and plucked the bag down, which made a muffled thud. The room was a lot cozier than she anticipated given that the living room looked like a peasant's lair; instead of a ceiling lamp, two sparkly beige pendant lights were dangling from the ceiling. A white neatly reconstructed bunk bed stood on all its fours in the corner, which added a stark yet refreshing contrast to the dark royal purple walls. Similarly, two purple egg chairs were adjacent to the window which was perfect for stargazing.

"Isn't this a breath of fresh air?" Natalia breezily said and hummed off-tune as she started decorating the room with cheap yet lavish looking things like snow globes, trinkets, vases, and luminescent string lights. Nancy noticed that there was one vanity mirror mounted on the wall instead of two. She thought it would be rude to ask Natalia who it belonged to, but she figured that her sister preferred the bookshelf.

"I guess I got off the wrong foot with the living room, no pun intended." Nancy thought aloud as Natalia began aligning books onto a light brown bookshelf. Natalia responded by chuckling, not at Nancy's expense but at the thought of her older sister being put out by the living room. Drowsily, Nancy slouched into one of the egg chairs, too drained to even move a limb to start unpacking her own bag. The lackadaisical girl took off her paper boat hat and took out a dip pen from the pocket of the bag beside her. She unfolded it and started writing on it in a sleepy stupor even after her beauty sleep in the car.

Still lethargic, Nancy rose from the comfortable egg chair and walked towards the window. She ogled at the colossal curved tree with bleary eyes. She blinked to exert some tears in order to have a more lucid view of the sight being outlooked by the wide translucent window. She could see the details now; the dull bark peeling off little by little, the tree vines with eclectic lengths, the green leaves, and the stratified soil.

Natalia, who seemingly finished her part in putting everything in order, walked over to Nancy who still had her head buried in the window. She tapped on her shoulder and said, "Doting on that tree over there?"

Nancy's head snapped to Natalia and she said with a reminiscent smile, "I am just imagining how peaceful it would be sitting under that tree."

Natalia hummed in agreement with Nancy's heartfelt sentiment and turned her gaze to the lone tree. "It really is the oasis of calm." She whispered dreamily, to which Nancy did not pay attention. Her breath hitched as something crossed her mind. Her face lit up. She leaned over so she could meet Natalia's gaze.

"Natalia, I feel like I saw this tree before. Like, I used to sit under it and bond with someone under it or something along those lines."

Natalia turned to Nancy slowly, looking more concerned than stunned. Her incredulous face gave Nancy the impression that they were both in a tumbleweed moment. As if she had said spilled a lie. Nancy furrowed her brows in a recumbent manner. Natalia shook her head while a contempt smile formed on her lips. "That is one of those false memories caused by your condition. There was never a moment where you sat by that tree."

Nancy's embarrassed smile is replaced with a determined smile and she stands straight as if trying to exude confidence. "I am not asking. I am stating. I know that I did-"

"I hate to burst your bubble, but it is in your fantasy, Nancy." Natalia chuckled while downplaying Nancy's inkling as if she was a lunatic fearmongering about an alien invasion. 

Nancy's confidence was unrelenting. It felt oddly familiar. "Very odd," she thought. "I was bonding with someone under that tree. But with who?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and cast the trees a sideways glance before looking at Natalia dead in the eye. "It can't be one of my false memories or a figment of my fantasy. I know I somehow encountered the tree. The slant can only belong to the tree in my mind. The tree that I remember. The supple branches ring a bell. I can feel the connection just by-"

"Will you shut up. I am trying to relax here." Natalia crossly interrupted the rambling girl, her eyes trained on the scenery in front of them; despite the neighborhood being derelict, the faraway alpenglow was a sight for sore eyes. The blooming beauty of the spruce trees was breathtaking. To top the nature off, different remnants of different vibrant flowers were dancing in the wind here and there. The silhouettes of the cottages looked like paintings in a luscious looking landscape painting. An archipelago jutted out of the Okhotsk sea far away but also within reach. 

Dusk rolled in as the sun began to sink to the sea. The sky was painted with hues of orange, pink, and red, conventionally matching the tone of their silent conversation. In the blaze of the sunset light, Nancy's face became sober and devoid of any emotion. Not even wistful by the tree or irritated by Natalia's last comment. Very few thoughts swam in her head. 

Silence rang, and Nancy could not bear it. She let out a puff and muttered while gazing out the window, "If you are studying to become a journalist, how does this much talk pester you?"

Natalia did not reply. She simply patted Nancy's back and withdrew herself from the window. Nancy heard her tumble over to the bookshelf as the rustling of books were heard. The sound was followed by Natalia's voice saying, "The view is cathartic, is it not?"

Nancy agreed silently. Natalia chuckled and said, "You know what would be more cathartic?"

Nancy finally turned to look at Natalia curiously. "What is it?"

One of Natalia's rigid hands were holding a book while the other one was tucked into the her trousers pocket. Her face suggested that she had something in her backpocket for Nancy. She lifted her hand to reveal the item; a container of pills.

"I tell you what; taking your medications." With a hospitable smile, Natalia stepped to Nancy and took her hand. She placed the medication atop Nancy's palm before pressing her fingers around it. She gave Nancy a wink before heading outside the room. Nancy was left with the container of meds and Natalia's words swimming in her head. It was quiet in the room yet unbearably loud at the same time.