Marine Snow's

Ep. 9: Role Sharing

Dr. Hawkins has all his needs to deduce my condition. Now, the grizzled man was writing down a recipe on a piece of paper. Shofia observed closely behind him. While I tidied up the arm of my shirt that I had rolled for the smooth blood pressure examination.

“Bring this recipe to pharmacy asap, Mistress.” Dr. Hawkins handed the recipe to Shofia's hand. After that, he faced me. “You need a lot of rest, Young Master. Try not to think about anything heavy. That will help reduce your depression.”

My eyelids are wide open. “Depression?!”

The old man nodded. “At first you were just exhausted. But with all these sudden events, you don't get enough rest and instead do the opposite. That's why you feel depressed and frustrated.”

“Aiden will be fine, no, Dr. Hawkins?” Anxious tone was clearly heard from Shofia's question.

“Sure, Mistress. I think Victoria's departure has a pretty heavy impact here.” Dr. Hawkins pointed at his head while looking at me. I know, he wanted to say that my brain had a problem. “For now, sleep while waiting for the medicine to be redeemed. I suggest that you take a leave of absence for at least 1 week.”

There's nothing I can do after that. I've been lying down since Dr. Hawkins in my old room. And now, I was declared to still need pillows and all other sleeping gear for a longer period of time. The decision was based on one unreasonable reason.

Depression caused by Victoria's death.

“I'm fine,” my mummy after Dr. Hawkins and Shofia came out of my room. “I'm fine.”

Saying that sentence many times is fruitless. I didn't feel better, and instead got upset half to death. It caused me to be aware of some issues, Dr. Diagnosis. Hawkins and one of Hamlet's scenes. The two are almost similar, but I dare to guarantee, the topics discussed are different.

Hamlet has changed since the death of his father. The marriage of Gertrude, her mother, to her uncle, Claudius, aggravated this. Claudius blatantly said that Hamlet had lost his sanity. After Ophelia's complaint to Polonius in Scene I in Act II, Polonius considered Hamlet's change to be due to his love for Ophelia. The man told Claudius and Gertrude, making the two men forget the main reason for Hamlet's madness.

What happened to me in broad outline, the same. I was diagnosed with depression because of Victoria, at a time when the big thing that was haunting me was this place. Memphis and everything in it. Shofia and David must know the main reason for the chaos inside me. If it's their nature, I'm sure, they'll choose to trust Dr.'s diagnosis. Hawkins and forget their important role in my mess.

Life is not always going well. If I were to face the gambling table now, I would risk all my coins to support that opinion. For 28 years I breathed the air of nature, I saw enough, heard enough, felt enough, and partook enough of what they called error.

And for me, returning home was a new mistake. Starting from Victoria's departure, I can't be sure if my presence here will have a good or bad impact. All I know is that I was wrong in starting it. Dominic dragged me to Memphis.

“What should I do?”

My eyes cannot be closed. Victoria's funeral will begin in 1 hour. I remember when David tried to whisper to Shofia about his relatives from Mississippi who were delayed. It makes a neatly arranged schedule suddenly backwards. I don't like the schedule changes. Supposedly, if they care about Victoria, they've been in Memphis since yesterday.

“Aiden, are you asleep? If not, can I come in?”

Dominic's voice behind the door made me snort. I thought the man had come back or at least visited his house two blocks from here. He still had a whole family and he shouldn't have abandoned them.

“Come in,” I said in the end.

Dominic opened the door slowly and closed it the same way. He took out a chair from my old study table and sat on it. “I know you should need a break. But I'm sure you can't do it because your brain is so full. And I'm here so you can get your whole brain out.”

I just took a quick look at it, then tidied up my pillow. “You know better how I am, Dominic. What's inside my brain won't come out easily.”

“But you always do it in front of Victoria,”.

Dominic got all my attention, now. There's something wrong in him. Dominic is not usually calm and a little quiet. Even though those two hazel irises were combing through every single thing in my room that had not changed, there was still a void there. I breathed heavily after reaching a conclusion.

Victoria's death also affected her.

“Do you think he did it on purpose? I mean, his death.” Dominic then raised his face, staring at the ceiling of my room. “He is not a typical person who will end his life for no apparent reason. What do you think, Aiden?”

The man looked at me, leaned against the back of the chair, and played his knuckles. “In your book, Hamlet, there's a character named Ophelia, right?”

Although a little surprised, I still responded well to his question. “Yes. She is the daughter of Polonius, also the sister of Laertes.”

“In that story, he died from drowning in the river. Why do I think Victoria did the same? Of course, except for the location. Then why would I think that he was trying to become one of your favorite drama characters, Aiden? Can you tell me that all my questions are wrong?”

“Your mind is too much.”

That's the only word I can say. Dominic's thinking I've known all along almost never misses. And that's what scared me all of a sudden. It is time to think rationally. No time to play around.

Well, I'd say Dominic's whole question is the right one to describe Victoria's situation. Now, I have to find the location of his mistake.

“Before death, Ophelia went crazy.” Brain cheering. I found the important point. “He went mad because Polonius was killed. And if you think Victoria's trying to be Ophelia, then David should have been killed first

“Really?” Dominic looked surprised. He was silent for a moment. “What if she tries to be another Ophelia? I mean, he kept the whole thing alone so there were no other victims. That statement makes little sense with the course of the story in Hamlet.”

My head is shaking strongly. “Ophelia's death was followed by another death. Laertes, seeking revenge against Hamlet, teams up with Claudius. Laertes' sword had been covered in poison before his match with Hamlet began. From that sword, Laertes, Hamlet, and Claudius were killed. While Gertrude drank a poisonous drink.”

I'm trying to analyze Dominic's facial features. There was no meaningful difference, even when I fished it further. “If Victoria really wants to be Ophelia, maybe soon David and Shofia will be killed.”

“No way, Aiden. That way.. Have you ever wondered why Shakespeare wrote Hamlet?” Dominic brushed his reddish hair back. “For no human race to fall into worldly nature. Just like Victoria said when we went to dinner together.”

My forehead is getting wrinkled. “Then?”

“Mr Black only says a small chunk of her memory before Victoria was found floating in the pool a few hours later. Victoria's hiding something, Aiden. He leaves while saying that he will protect and change the fate of some figures in Hamlet.”

Dominic stood up from the chair, walked up to my old study desk, and took a picture of me with Dad framed with a blue frame. A smile on his lips. But the next second, the smile disappeared without a trace. Leaving a face filled with tension and anger. In an instant, I felt like I didn't recognize Dominic.

“I did not find a suitable position for Mr. Black, nor Mr. and Mrs Johnson in Hamlet, although in reality they appear to be in harmony with the story of Claudius, the Old King, and Gertrude,” Dominic murmured. “But the funny thing is, in Victoria's glasses as Ophelia, you got a double role.”

I'm getting less and less clueless. “What do you mean, Dominic?”

I saw him put my picture back in place before turning around to look at me. “Victoria gives you the freedom to choose. To be Laertes or Hamlet. The two had the same ending and concern for Ophelia. So, which one will you choose?”

What kind of statement is that? I'm forever just Aiden Johnson. I never considered Victoria to be in a family relationship and it was impossible to make her a part of my heart. Even if measured by my attitude towards him, I would never be among Hamlet or Laertes.

“Sleep, Aiden. You can't attend his funeral if your health is very dubious,” Dominic said as he walked slowly to the door and opened it. “Sorry to bother you.”

“Wait, Dominic!” I didn't mean to prevent it. But this scream is really my reflex.

“Ya?”

“If all your words are true, do you get a role in it?”

Dominic arranged his smile, looked up for a moment, then looked at me. “Hamlets. He gave me that role, Aiden. Man crazy about Ophelia.”