“It’s not an adventure, nor is it a distant journey riding a carriage. It’s quite peculiar that I’m going to Sherry’s house in the same village. Everything should be there at Sherry’s house.”
I untied the straps of my backpack, leisurely observing Debra, who was watching us pack, as she set down her teacup and reprimanded me.
“Don’t mess it up for no reason and leave it be. You might hear something.”
“Debra, isn’t this going a bit too far? Why are you packing scented candles? What’s this… Why is my pillowcase in here? And what’s with the bandages? Oh my, this child must be insane. Why are my undergarments here?”
There were various ointments and herbs as well. Kamian’s once plump bag had spilled over on the table, with more than half of its contents scattered about.
“You just have to make a fuss, don’t you?”
Kamian, who had come downstairs from the second floor, draped a coat over my shoulders. I casually slipped my arms into it and glanced at him with an annoyed expression.
“Why are you taking novels? Planning to read romance novels to Sherry instead of fairy tales?”
I pulled out the novel that had been lying at the bottom of the bag and shook it in front of him. Kamian snatched it away nonchalantly.
“You want it tied up or something?”
“Someone might think we’re evacuating.”
Kamian turned the bag upside down in a mess. I divided the jumbled contents into piles, arranging them neatly in order of size. Standing next to him, engrossed in organizing the bag, I didn’t forget to tease him with a word or two.
“You worry too much about everything. They say worries increase as you grow older. What will you do if it gets worse than it is now? Are you afraid to even step outside your house because you fear being struck by lightning on a clear day?”
Kamian retorted with indifference, not bothering to look at me.
“I won’t die just because I get struck by lightning. If my worries increase, it’s you who won’t be able to step outside the house.”
He dismissed the looming threat nonchalantly. However, suddenly, the thought crossed my mind that he might actually lock me up. Perhaps when I reach the age of seventy, I will become a decrepit prisoner. Demons don’t age, they say… Youngsters these days have no respect for the elderly. They already have thoughts of mistreatment in mind.
After shooting him a disapproving glance, I mindlessly admired the cookies Debra had made for us. No matter how I thought about it, there were simply too many of them. Even just estimating by eye, the cookies individually wrapped in pairs seemed to exceed a hundred. How could Kamian, Sherry, and I possibly eat them all during the two or three days?
…Because his hands are so big.
Every time Debra cooked, I asked her to make an appropriate amount, but she always nodded her head and ended up making an excessive amount of food. Once, Jex jokingly said, “Are you secretly raising elephants or something?” and got whacked with a ladle. Since then, Kamian and Jex took over the cooking duties.
Kamian finished packing his hefty baggage and carried it all. Sensing his eyes also coveting my backpack, I quickly slung it over my shoulders. He approached me from behind and tried to take my bag, but he said nothing and put it back down.
“I will return.”
“Very well. Since the weather is cold, do not spend all your time outside. Even if Sherry insists on playing outside, calm her down and bring her inside.”
“Don’t worry about Sherry. We have Kamian.”
It was a well-known fact among the townspeople that Sherry listened to Kamian more than her own parents. To the twelve-year-old girl who had fallen in love, Kamian was everything, exerting an influence akin to that of a deity.
Gradually, a sense of relief washed over Debra’s face, despite the faint trace of worry. It wasn’t just Sherry; our town’s residents had a tendency to place excessive trust in Kamian. This scoundrel appeared trustworthy and kind, but the reality was far from it. If only one thread were to unravel…
Suddenly, a heat rose in my throat. I tried to quell the rising fever with a dry swallow, but my heart began to race uncontrollably. Just the mere imagination that Kamian would annihilate not only Debra, Jex, but all the people in this town sent my heart plummeting to the soles of my feet.
“Liv?”
I grasped hold of my faltering spirit. I forced a smile, pulling up my lips. Deliberately trying to appear cheerful, for it bothered me to see Debra’s eyebrows furrowed.
“I’m afraid Sherry might curse. It’s obvious she will ask why Kamian came along.”
“Use this opportunity to become even closer than Kamian.”
“Is that even possible?”
“If it’s you, Liv, it’s more than possible.”
I embraced Debra tightly, planting a kiss on her cheek. After embracing Jex as well, we left home a little later than planned.
On the way to Sherry’s house, if we spotted another neighbouring house, we wouldn’t pass it by without stopping and paying a visit, sharing cookies. It was indeed an act of kindness to not let Debra’s meticulously crafted cookies go to waste. When the neighbours asked what kind of cookies they were, with just one word, we replied:
“Debra had been clutching her pan since dawn.”
“It’s not an adventure, nor is it a distant journey riding a carriage. It’s quite peculiar that I’m going to Sherry’s house in the same village. Everything should be there at Sherry’s house.”
I untied the straps of my backpack, leisurely observing Debra, who was watching us pack, as she set down her teacup and reprimanded me.
“Don’t mess it up for no reason and leave it be. You might hear something.”
“Debra, isn’t this going a bit too far? Why are you packing scented candles? What’s this… Why is my pillowcase in here? And what’s with the bandages? Oh my, this child must be insane. Why are my undergarments here?”
There were various ointments and herbs as well. Kamian’s once plump bag had spilled over on the table, with more than half of its contents scattered about.
“You just have to make a fuss, don’t you?”
Kamian, who had come downstairs from the second floor, draped a coat over my shoulders. I casually slipped my arms into it and glanced at him with an annoyed expression.
“Why are you taking novels? Planning to read romance novels to Sherry instead of fairy tales?”
I pulled out the novel that had been lying at the bottom of the bag and shook it in front of him. Kamian snatched it away nonchalantly.
“You want it tied up or something?”
“Someone might think we’re evacuating.”
Kamian turned the bag upside down in a mess. I divided the jumbled contents into piles, arranging them neatly in order of size. Standing next to him, engrossed in organizing the bag, I didn’t forget to tease him with a word or two.
“You worry too much about everything. They say worries increase as you grow older. What will you do if it gets worse than it is now? Are you afraid to even step outside your house because you fear being struck by lightning on a clear day?”
Kamian retorted with indifference, not bothering to look at me.
“I won’t die just because I get struck by lightning. If my worries increase, it’s you who won’t be able to step outside the house.”
He dismissed the looming threat nonchalantly. However, suddenly, the thought crossed my mind that he might actually lock me up. Perhaps when I reach the age of seventy, I will become a decrepit prisoner. Demons don’t age, they say… Youngsters these days have no respect for the elderly. They already have thoughts of mistreatment in mind.
After shooting him a disapproving glance, I mindlessly admired the cookies Debra had made for us. No matter how I thought about it, there were simply too many of them. Even just estimating by eye, the cookies individually wrapped in pairs seemed to exceed a hundred. How could Kamian, Sherry, and I possibly eat them all during the two or three days?
…Because his hands are so big.
Every time Debra cooked, I asked her to make an appropriate amount, but she always nodded her head and ended up making an excessive amount of food. Once, Jex jokingly said, “Are you secretly raising elephants or something?” and got whacked with a ladle. Since then, Kamian and Jex took over the cooking duties.
Kamian finished packing his hefty baggage and carried it all. Sensing his eyes also coveting my backpack, I quickly slung it over my shoulders. He approached me from behind and tried to take my bag, but he said nothing and put it back down.
“I will return.”
“Very well. Since the weather is cold, do not spend all your time outside. Even if Sherry insists on playing outside, calm her down and bring her inside.”
“Don’t worry about Sherry. We have Kamian.”
It was a well-known fact among the townspeople that Sherry listened to Kamian more than her own parents. To the twelve-year-old girl who had fallen in love, Kamian was everything, exerting an influence akin to that of a deity.
Gradually, a sense of relief washed over Debra’s face, despite the faint trace of worry. It wasn’t just Sherry; our town’s residents had a tendency to place excessive trust in Kamian. This scoundrel appeared trustworthy and kind, but the reality was far from it. If only one thread were to unravel…
Suddenly, a heat rose in my throat. I tried to quell the rising fever with a dry swallow, but my heart began to race uncontrollably. Just the mere imagination that Kamian would annihilate not only Debra, Jex, but all the people in this town sent my heart plummeting to the soles of my feet.
“Liv?”
I grasped hold of my faltering spirit. I forced a smile, pulling up my lips. Deliberately trying to appear cheerful, for it bothered me to see Debra’s eyebrows furrowed.
“I’m afraid Sherry might curse. It’s obvious she will ask why Kamian came along.”
“Use this opportunity to become even closer than Kamian.”
“Is that even possible?”
“If it’s you, Liv, it’s more than possible.”
I embraced Debra tightly, planting a kiss on her cheek. After embracing Jex as well, we left home a little later than planned.
On the way to Sherry’s house, if we spotted another neighbouring house, we wouldn’t pass it by without stopping and paying a visit, sharing cookies. It was indeed an act of kindness to not let Debra’s meticulously crafted cookies go to waste. When the neighbours asked what kind of cookies they were, with just one word, we replied:
“Debra had been clutching her pan since dawn.”
