Emptiness filled Mona’s heart as she wandered through a pit of darkness. Everywhere she went, she was only met with infinite black. How long was she here? How long was she going to stay here? Mona realized time meant nothing in this void, and resigned to letting herself drift. Letting herself go, Mona began floating downwards. No matter the direction, a sense of peace swept its way all over her body. It was a bliss Mona never experienced before in her life. A tiny smile formed; she felt like she belonged here.
Everything dashed away at once when Mona noticed something tugging on her leg. The only thing this thing compared to was an octopus’s tentacle, but slimier and with a tighter grip. When she looked down to see what was pulling her, a shrill scream escaped her. Mona used her free leg to kick at the tentacle, but to no avail. It’s grip only intensified, cutting off all feeling from the trapped leg. She continued kicking at the tentacle until the creature grew irritated enough that it used another one of its tentacles to wrap itself around Mona’s other leg. She let out a yelp, but she wasn’t giving up yet. She bent over and attempted to pry them off of her, but the monster tightened its hold. A third tentacle suddenly shot up and grabbed Mona’s neck. All she could let out now is a tiny cough as this being was now choking the life out of her.
Mona’s strength drained, and she started to go limp. Mona felt a mixture of things. Anger, fear, and loneliness all came to mind. She looked back at the creature, and noticed a significant change with its shape: a giant eye had formed on its body. It stared at Mona, seemingly into her eyes. Bloodlines stretched out far enough to where some appeared to touch the periwinkle iris. The pupil was shaped as a circle, making it look as if it belonged on a stuffed toy instead of an eldritch monstrosity.
Before she could think of any reason as to why an eye had formed on it, the little strength Mona had left in her suddenly began to feel as if something was absorbing it. Was that it? Was the intention of this thing to feed on her strength? Fewer comprehensible thoughts were forming in her head. Her mind was fading, and she was losing the ability to think for herself. She closed her eyes, and prepared to awake as a new person.
#
A sudden knock on her door bolted Mona awake. She looked outside her bedroom window and saw that it was late in the morning. How long was she asleep for?
Mona asked who was on the other end, and when she realized it was only her sister, she told her she could come in. Practically bursting through the door, Alex exclaimed, “You’ve got to check out this new toy I got!”
She glanced at the object and replied, “This ain’t primary school Alex; why’re you so hyped about a toy?”
“C’mon! If you’re going to judge it, why don’t you look at it first!”
Mona took her eyes off her legs, and began to examine what had her sister so excited. It was a little cat plush colored a blue similar to Mona’s eyes with indigo stripes draped across its back. The head was bulbous and disproportionate, but the massive periwinkle irses and pupils were what unsettled Mona. A sudden nausea filled her stomach and almost made her almost throw up. Sans the bloodlines, this thing’s eyes looked exactly like those on the creature. It had to be a coincidence as the creature was just the product of a nightmare.
“Well, what the heck is it?” Mona asked, the inflections in her voice staying as neutral as possible to mask the discomfort she harbored towards that thing.
“You don’t know what this is?” Alex shoves this thing into her sister’s face. “This is SimulieSpab’s mascot Nozomi!”
“Why would a corporation like that need a mascot?”
“I dunno, but I just had to have its plush!”
Mona opened her mouth to speak, but refrained.
“What were you going to say? That this is just some new stupid thing that I’ll be into for a few weeks before throwing away?”
“No Alex, I…”
Alex stormed out of Mona’s room before she could finish her statement. Baffled by what had just happened, Mona stared at the door for a minute in anticipation for her sister to come back to argue.
The day was rather uneventful for Mona, but she couldn’t get either the toy or that creature out of her head. The name Nozomi repeated in her head over and over again before she eventually couldn’t take it anymore, and got on her computer to post about both the creature and Nozomi on an anonymous forum. She asked if there had been a sudden surge in popularity in the SimulieSapb Corporation’s mascot, and if anybody else had nightmares about a tentacled eldritch monstrosity. When there weren’t any replies for a couple of minutes, she decided to watch the ads Alex had told her about.
It wasn’t hard finding them at all since typing in the company’s name was all that was needed to pull the ads up. Mona clicked on the first link she saw, which was for the latest version of the SimulieSapb Virtual Reality Headset. The first thing to note was the appearance of an animated version of Nozomi taken center stage of the ad, completely overshadowing the product supposedly being advertised. In a cartoon form, Nozomi’s bizarre look is easier to swallow, and the voice actress portraying the mascot gives a good job getting across the message that this is a cutesy mascot the audience is intended to fall in love with. Most of the advertisement is of Nozomi describing the features and specifications of the headset, but the bouncy nature of the cat and the high-pitched voice make it hard for Mona to pay attention to what it’s actually saying. Instead, all of her focus remains on Nozomi. The ad ends and Mona had already forgotten what product she was seeing the ad for, and can only remember Nozomi.
She clicked on another ad; this one being for a phone the company produces. Nozomi takes center stage again. The format of this ad is virtually identical to the previous one: Nozomi describes the product’s features and specs while bouncing around and acting cute. By the time the ad was finished, however, Mona had forgotten about the ad.
She decided to check back with the forum to see if anyone had replied to her thread, and much to her surprise, the number of replies on the Nozomi post were overflowing, and had started trending on the site. As she skimmed through them, the replies had started to blur together as they had fallen under one of two camps: those who sing the praises of Nozomi and those who were confused as to how this thing became as popular as it is so quickly.
Arguably more striking were the lack of replies to the post about the creature. A couple of people replied with a simple no, but one asked if Mona could go more in depth about the creature. Seeing the possibility that she could connect with someone, Mona went on to describe every detail about the creature and what it did to her. After a couple of minutes had passed, the poster who asked the question replied again with a simple “ok, thanks”.
Disappointed, Mona closed her computer and decided to call it an early night. She was afraid that she’d dream about the monster again, but there wasn’t much that she could do about it.
Much to Mona’s relief, the nightmare with the monster never happened again. The thought of it lingered in Mona’s mind still, but never encountered it again. A far-fetched conspiracy she thought up of involves some sort of connection between Nozomi and the monster again, but there is no evidence save for them sharing the same color eyes.
#
Some months passed and Nozomi’s influence had only spread. The last time Mona had gone to her sister’s room, she found it to be filled to the brim with Nozomi merchandise. On top of the Nozomi plush that started it all, there were things like Nozomi posters, Nozomi shirts, Nozomi slippers, and Nozomi pins scattered about her room. Mona herself even had some Nozomi merchandise which had been gracefully gifted to her by her sister and parents.
Recently it had been announced that there was going to be a Nozomi animated show coming out that will broadcast on public television. The show will follow Nozomi as it goes around solving the issues of random people in need and before teaching them important life lessons. For something so simple, it was amazing to see just how hyped people from Alex’s school were for it.
“Oh God, doesn’t Nozomi just look so adorable!”
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been as excited for a show as I am for Nozomi’s!”
“Nozomi’s show is seriously going to be the best show to come out in years.”
There’s a good reason why Nozomi is everything anybody talks about now: it brings everyone together.”
It brings everyone together. When Alex told Mona that, the latter couldn’t get it out of her head. It isn’t exactly going to bring about world peace, Mona thought.
To celebrate/market the show coming out, SimulieSpab hosted parades in several cities around the world which included floats and balloons themed after Nozomi, some of the side characters appearing in the show, and the new versions of the flagship SimulieSpab VR headset and phone.
Events like this would be met with at least some level of cynicism given how this was arguably the biggest marketing event in history, but Mona had seen nothing but overwhelming enthusiasm. Whenever something Nozomi related would come onto the TV, Alex would become immediately transfixed on it. She found it to be a bit worrying, but the only thing their parents said was that Alex finally found something was really into. Outside owning everything Nozomi related and watching everything with the mascot, it was the only thing Alex would talk about. According to her, it was all her and her friends talked about also.
At first, Mona tried keep out of both SimulieSpab and Nozomi, but that proved impossible with the arrival of a letter containing the surprise announcement that she had been selected to be a paid intern at the SimulieSpab Corporate headquarters located close to Vienna, Austria. Baffled by the offer, as well as the vague details on why exactly Mona was offered this position or what she’ll be doing, she almost turned it down, but her family pressured her into accepting it.
In the time between her accepting the position and her trip to Vienna, Mona began warming up to Nozomi. Right after accepting the position, she didn’t want to have any conversation related to that cat, so she sent a text to a former high school peer asking how she was doing. She considered ending the conversation when the peer began to go on about how amazing Nozomi was, but something compelled Mona to listen to someone who wasn’t her sister.
Eventually, Mona began using the merchandise given to her by her family. She wore the t-shirts, drank out of the coffee mugs, and browsed fan forums theorizing what issues Nozomi will tackle in its show. A childlike sense of wonder emerged in Mona, and she finally got on board with this whole Nozomi trend.
#
Travelling across Europe by train was always a dream Mona had, but never could do as her parents hated to travel outside of the country in any way that wasn’t a plane. As she was going alone, they allowed her to travel however she wanted, and now, more than ever, Mona felt that a train would be the best way to travel.
A feeling of melancholy overwhelmed Mona however, as she thought about her situation and Nozomi. There wasn’t any reason to feel this way, but it was inescapable. Perhaps it was because she just didn’t get what was so amazing about Nozomi that it’s become a world-wide phenomenon, and was thus left out of it. Mona broke into a cold sweat when that thought crossed her mind. How much did they know about her?
Mona dug in her purse and pulled out a Nozomi plush that Alex had given her. She gazed into its periwinkle eyes, and couldn’t help but smile a bit at the sight of this thing. She lifted one of its arms up and made it wave at her. It’s actually kind of cute, she thought.
The monster came to mind, and visually, it took the place of the plush. Mona wanted to think that the monster was how Nozomi appeared in her mind: an indescribable ever growing mass of flesh that grabbed people by the neck with its tentacles and forcibly converted them to the cult of Nozomi. Now, it has grown to the point where it’s inescapable. Even if someone doesn’t own anything Nozomi related or is a fan of Nozomi, the idea of Nozomi still grabbed a part of their mind and occupies itself there. It could be a tiny part of the brain that lingered in the back, but it’s still there. Whether you care or not, Nozomi occupies a bit of your mind now.
The train suddenly screeched to a halt, and jolted Mona out of her trance. The last she checked, she was at least a few hours away from Vienna. She looked outside to see the train station, and then back at the plush.
Upon gathering her things and disembarking the train, Mona was approached by a tall and lanky man who looked more alien than human. Apparently, he was the representative that SimulieSpab had sent to pick up Mona and escort her to the company.
#
On the way to the company, Mona thought that maybe some small talk would reduce the tension she felt. “So, how did you guys get the idea to create Nozomi?” It was a question answered several times by company representatives on television, but maybe she’ll get a different answer from a more private conversation.
“Nozomi brings people together.”
“Do you know exactly what I’ll be doing as an intern? I’m not exactly a tech expert.”
“You’ll find out in due time.” His answer made Mona feel even more uneasy. She began to doubt that this man really was a representative of SimulieSpab and simply took advantage of an opportunity to kidnap a teenage girl who didn’t know a lick of German. If that would be the case then, how would he have known she was the intern? Maybe the internship itself was a trap!
Giant Nozomi balloons hovered across Vienna, their bulbous periwinkle eyes gazing down upon droves of excited fans. Something Mona noticed when looking at the floats is that on the sides of all of them, there were several screens displaying nothing. There was something comforting about having these giant Nozomis looming over everyone. The only thing that came to mind was that it looked like Nozomi watched over them all, like a guardian of sorts.
Not wanting to let the opportunity pass by her, Mona took out her phone and started taking pictures of the parade, any landmarks they were driving by, and even a couple of selfies here and there. As she looked through the pictures to see which ones she liked the best, one of the selfies caught her eye. It wasn’t a particularly great one, but as she looked into her own eyes, she noticed a faintly violet tint in them. She smiled at how pretty they looked.
Mona didn’t speak until they had reached their destination. For as big a corporation SimulieSpab was, their central base of operations was incredibly small, as it consisted of a single three-story building. At least it wasn’t too far away from Vienna, so Mona hoped she would have plenty of opportunities to go into the city. The name of the company was proudly displayed in big hanging letters on top of the building, and overall it appeared kept up and clean, so this had to be the real deal.
As they pulled up to the entrance, the man pointed to the front double-doors and told Mona that someone inside will take her on a tour of the building. She nodded, hurried out of the car, and grabbed her things before going inside and getting away from the creepy man.
#
The first thing Mona noticed when entering the building was the receptionist sitting behind the front desk using a holographic computer. With how new and advanced the tech is, only big tech companies or the extremely rich or the ones who can afford them. The woman must have noticed the shock on Mona’s face, as she called her over, and asked her in English, “Cool, isn’t it?”
“Y-yeah…” Mona stammered through her words as her eyes were transfixed on the holographic display.
“You’re Mona Madison, correct?”
Hearing her name snapped Mona out of her trance as she answered with a quick yes.
“Excellent. I’ll call someone over to give you a tour of the facility.”
Mona nodded and stood close to the desk as she waited for her actual tour guide to show up. In these moments of silence, save for the typing on the woman’s keyboard, Mona noticed something odd about the building. It wasn’t anything she could visibly see or really hear, but it was a feeling. She felt like there was a heartbeat coming from somewhere in the building. It wasn’t her own heartbeat, because the presence felt alien and distant, yet it was uncomfortably close at the same time.
To rid her mind of this heartbeat, Mona asks the receptionist if she knew how the idea of Nozomi came about, and she simply replied, “Why, Nozomi is supposed to bring people together!”
The same answer given to her by the creepy driver and one of the things said by Alex’s classmate. Mona wants to chalk this up to being a coincidence, but something in the back of her mind is telling her it isn’t.
Eventually, the tour guide showed up and introduced himself as Mr. Heilig and offered his hand to shake. Mona obliged and her hand was almost crushed by his grip. The two were locked in eye contact when his grip softened, and he commented in an almost affectionate way, “Your eyes are just like Nozomi’s.”
Flattered by the compliment, Mona grinned and gave a quick thank you.
The tour on the main three levels of the building went as Mona expected it to with most of the rooms being dedicated to executive offices of varying types. One of the first things Mr. Heilig addressed was why the building was so small. Compared with other corporations, SimulieSpab was rather small, and the executives just didn’t see the point in expanding the central office.
As soon as they reached the basement, which was where some of the more secretive products were tested, another question of Mona’s was answered quickly in the form of exactly was she going to do as an intern. As it turned out, she was to help the marketing team come up with ideas as to furthering the popularity of Nozomi. A moment of silence followed before Mr. Heilig asked, “You are a fan of Nozomi, correct?”
“Of course I’m a fan of it!”
He appeared pleased by her answer. As she was supposed to aid in Nozomi’s marketing, Mona decided to repeat the question she seems to be asking everyone that day. “How did you guys get the idea to make Nozomi?”
Mr. Heilig smiled, and answered, “Nozomi is supposed to bring everything together.”
Mona was about to say something but she forgot what it was as soon as she realized that the intensity of the heartbeat was increasing.
“What is that?” Mona could hardly hear her own voice.
“What is what?” Mr. Heilig was even harder to hear.
“Don’t tell me you don’t feel it also.”
“Feel what?”
“The heartbeat!”
“Ah yes! I apologize, but after spending so much time here, it just sort of sinks into the background. Its source is actually what I was going to show you next!”
“What is it exactly?”
Surprised by her question, he asked in return, “You mean you don’t know?”
“No, I don’t. Is it well known?”
“Why, of course! It’s what brings everything to Nozomi!”
Mona was getting about as scared as she was curious. What had everyone seen that she hadn’t?
As the two of them walked through the basement, the feeling of the heartbeat only grew more intense. Mona’s thoughts and feelings were eventually consumed by this feeling, and her body seemed to shift to autopilot with its only goal being to find out what the source of this heartbeat was.
It was only a minute or so before they reached the room where the source was, but that minute was simply pure anguish for Mona. It took every ounce of her willpower not burst through that door like a wild animal and see what was generating this feeling. For a moment, she glanced at Mr. Heilig, who seemed to mouth the words, “Well, what are you waiting for?”
What was Mona waiting for? She held her breath in and opened the door. There she saw it: Nozomi. A giant room-sized periwinkle eye focused its attention on her, and a single tentacle placed itself on her shoulder. This was what Nozomi really was. The heartbeat faded away into the back of Mona’s mind as she collapsed in a fit of intense catharsis. Her strength and willpower sapped, Mona closed her eyes and was ready to awaken to her new self. Nozomi wasn’t something only to be seen or heard, but it is something to be felt. Nozomi is the mascot. Nozomi is the product. Nozomi is the feeling. Nozomi is and will always be everything.
#
Throughout the world, millions of Nozomi fans cheered as their favorite mascot paraded around almost every major city. The laughs and screams of all its fans could be heard around the world. One of these fans, Alex Madison, suddenly fell silent as a deep pain filled her chest. She thought about her sister. Even though she had only been gone for a day, Alex felt as if she would never see Mona again. With her getting so caught up in the universal hype of Nozomi’s expansion, she forgot to even give her sister a proper goodbye. She was alone in the crowd of people, despite the fact that everyone was there to celebrate the same thing.
It took Alex to notice that others were falling silent as well. Curious, her attention returned to the parade where she noticed the screens on the sides of all of the floats had turned on with a message telling the crowd to stand by. After a moment, the message disappeared, and it cut to a young woman with striking periwinkle eyes standing in a room surrounded by Nozomi merchandise.
“Hello, I am the creator of Nozomi.”
The crowd exploded into a deafening cheer. Alex collapsed to her knees and let out a quiet sob.
Eva Gonzalez
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