Chapter 5: The Child Opens Its Eyes
by fnovelpia
The child, who hadn’t moved until just a moment ago,
Slightly furrowed the child’s brows and began to move the lips ever so slightly.
‘…Is the child trying to wake up?’
I watched closely.
The fine eyelashes quivered gently.
Soon, the child’s pupils slowly revealed themselves.
“……”
The gaze was still blurry.
The child blinked slowly.
It looked like the eyes might close again, or the child might open fully.
Why was that?
Every time the child blinked…
I felt strangely as if time was passing more slowly.
I held my breath and continued to watch the child.
And then─.
The blanket was pulled aside, and the child slowly raised the upper body.
With half-open eyes, the child moved its head very slowly.
Once at the campfire,
Once at the ceiling,
And then…
The child’s gaze stopped, facing me.
The dim green eyes were staring at me.
Eyes that had lost focus.
No understanding, no recognition was reflected in them yet.
But,
The child was definitely looking at me.
For the first time.
The child had captured me in its gaze.
Without realizing, I leaned forward.
“…Are you awake?”
I carefully asked.
Maybe this time, I’d be able to hear the child’s voice.
“……”
The child was still silent.
Their wavering gaze fell downward, and the child quickly curled their body into a ball.
The small body trembled slightly.
“Are you cold?”
The child visibly shuddered, its shoulders trembling.
Curled up into a ball, the child shook uncontrollably, sinking deeper into curled position.
I silently looked down at the scene.
“Hmm…”
“……”
The silence was familiar.
But not now.
I wanted to break this silence, no matter what.
But,
What should I say?
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t come up with the right words.
The silence stretched on.
The only sound was the crackling of the campfire.
It was strange.
The silence and the sound of the fire always used to bring back memories for me, a comforting trigger.
But now,
The silence felt like a trap.
My thoughts kept stopping, and the once-pleasant crackling of the fire began to grate on my nerves.
‘Why is this happening?’
I needed to escape this disturbing silence first.
I slowly closed my eyes.
Then, I quickly tried to recall the memories.
What kind of conversations do humans have?
How do they act when they meet for the first time?
‘…Ah, right.’
Finally, I remembered.
“What’s your name?”
The question I managed to recall was not answered.
What came back was not a response, but…
A small, startled movement.
A sigh escaped me automatically.
Even though I was a dragon,
I didn’t have the ability to know someone’s name without them telling me.
‘What should I do in this situation?’
That’s right.
I had heard somewhere before.
In some countries,
You have to introduce yourself first, before asking someone else’s name.
‘…Name, a name, huh.’
It felt like another obstacle.
What should I say?
My real name was, of course, not an option.
I needed something usable, something appropriate…
Then─.
A very old memory came to mind.
Slowly, my mouth opened.
“…Low. That’s my name.”
A name I had introduced myself with,
A name that had been called by someone, now faint and distant.
Maybe that’s why.
That name felt unfamiliar.
“……”
The child slowly raised the head.
But,
Still no answer.
‘Is this not it?’
I glanced down at the child.
As soon as our eyes met, the child quickly looked down as if trying to escape.
The trembling in my body was still the same.
‘For now…’
I reached out my hand to the child.
“…Ah!”
The child flinched and pulled back.
Both hands clutched the head.
I had heard the voice by accident, but…
‘…Huh?’
Why?
The trembling got even worse.
“Are you cold?”
I took the blanket and draped it over the child’s shoulders.
The small shoulders, which had been pulled up tightly, slowly relaxed.
‘Seems like it’s better now.’
I glanced at the fireplace.
‘The fire is still going, but…’
Since the child is cold, I should add more firewood.
Just in time, the sun was almost fully set.
I slowly got up.
At that moment—.
Something stirred in my arms.
‘Ah, right. The rabbit.’
I guess I had gotten used to it by now.
I hadn’t even noticed that I was holding a rabbit in my arms.
I bent down to the child again.
“Hold this for a second. It might escape.”
I handed the rabbit to the child.
The child’s eyes flickered rapidly.
This time, the child didn’t lower their head.
The child just alternated its gaze between the rabbit and me.
“Here.”
I lifted one of the child’s arms to help them hold the rabbit.
The child, who had been staring blankly, slowly closed their arms around the rabbit.
The motion was awkward to watch.
Moreover, the child was gripping the rabbit too tightly.
“Don’t squeeze too hard. It bites.”
The child blinked in surprise.
Then, very slowly, they loosened their grip.
Fortunately, the rabbit didn’t run away.
Its small front paws gently rested on the child’s arm.
I watched the scene for a while, then nodded in satisfaction.
“You did well.”
The child’s shoulders relaxed even more.
The light from the fire began to dim.
It was almost time to add more firewood.
I carefully turned my body.
I squatted in front of the fireplace and slowly pushed the firewood into the flames.
After stirring the fire a few times with my hands, the dying flames blazed back to life.
Crackling, crackling.
The pleasant sound once again filled the cabin.
I glanced at the child.
The child was still sitting there.
Holding the rabbit tightly.
But—
The small, thin shoulders were no longer trembling.
That was enough for me.
I stared blankly at the fire.
Before long, a soft growling sound echoed in my ears.
“Ah, right.”
I must have gotten too used to doing nothing.
Habitually.
Without realizing it.
I had pushed aside the things I needed to do right now.
The child must be hungry.
If I’m going to make stew, I need to heat up the water.
I checked the pot next to the fireplace.
It was late autumn.
The water had naturally cooled down.
“I’ll have to heat it again.”
I took the pot in both hands and placed it back into the depths of the fire.
“……!”
I sensed a presence behind me.
Something started tugging at the hem of my clothes.
I slowly turned my head.
It was the child.
Still holding the rabbit tightly,
The child was looking at me with trembling eyes.
I tilted my head.
“You can’t put the rabbit in yet. The water isn’t boiling.”
The child’s eyes widened.
The child shook head vigorously.
But the child kept pulling at my clothes.
‘What is going on?’
I stood there, holding the pot, thinking blankly.
Then, as I gazed at the still-cold water, I muttered.
“…You want me to prepare the rabbit first?”
The child startled and shook their head quickly.
This time, it was even more vigorous.
I furrowed my brows.
Why not just say it?
Why make everything so complicated with head shakes?
I started feeling a little tired.
“Ah, no way.”
I realized it too late.
The meaning that this small creature was trying to convey.
“You don’t want me to put it in, huh?”
The child nodded.
With one arm, the child held the rabbit even tighter.
Right.
Now I understand.
‘This child, just like me, doesn’t like meat.’
My efforts might be a bit wasted, but I couldn’t force someone to eat something they didn’t like.
Also, I wasn’t sure how to handle the rabbit anyway.
“Alright. I won’t put it in.”
The child let out a small sigh, seemingly relieved.
But it was only for a moment.
The small, thin hand once again grabbed my clothes more tightly.
I felt my clothes shaking again, and I sighed.
“I told you, I won’t put it in.”
“…”
The child crawled over to me.
The child, who had been behind me, was now next to me.
Then, carefully, the child grabbed my arm and started pulling at it urgently.
‘What now?’
I furrowed my brows.
I was starting to feel tired again.
I’m not a fan of solving puzzles or codes.
“What’s wrong?”
“…”
The child didn’t stop.
The child just kept pulling with its small hand.
I glanced at the pot.
The water was calm, without any ripples.
After all, there was no way a human like me would be moved by a little child pulling with all their might.
But…
The small hand didn’t stop.
It kept pulling my arm with persistence.
With a short sigh, I asked.
“Are you hungry?”
“…”
“Not that?”
Then, the child reached toward the fire.
“Wait.”
Humans, unlike me, are weak to fire.
I quickly pulled back and placed the pot next to the stove.
At that moment, the child let out a sigh of relief.
‘…Huh?’
The child no longer reached for the fire.
Instead, with small, fragile arms, the child tightly wrapped around my arm.
“…”
I bit my lips.
The child was gripping so hard that my whole body was trembling.
Still, the child held on.
As if the child would never let go.
Why are they so…
Desperate?
‘…Wait.’
Is the child worried that I might get hurt by the fire?
I slowly turned my head.
Sweat was trickling down the child’s forehead.
I stared at the child for a moment and then spoke.
“It’s okay. I’m a dragon.”
“…”
The child still didn’t let go of my arm.
In fact, the child shrank further into my arm, resting its forehead against it.
‘…Maybe they don’t know what a dragon is?’
Explaining it would be too bothersome.
Another long sigh escaped me.
The child flinched, trembling slightly.
Yet, the child still didn’t let go.
Neither my arm, nor the rabbit I was holding in my arms.
Not knowing what to do, I reached out and gently placed my hand on the child’s head.
“Alright. I won’t put it in.”
It was probably less troublesome than explaining what a dragon is.
“So, let go now.”
I muttered softly while patting their head.
A little while later─
The child slowly pulled its face away from my arm.
‘Why not just speak up?’
I thought that to myself, yet my hand continued to gently pat the child’s head.
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