Chapter 137: Children Who Had to Grow Up (3)

[137] 22. Children Who Had to Grow Up (3)

If you walk along the road of a forgotten kingdom, past the western plains of Axolotl, you’ll come across a small village.

It’s a village where the wind that blows from the distant sea comes to rest. The southeast wind, born in the warm seas of the north, ends its journey here after encountering the mountains.

Here, their damp corpses become thick fog, and their longing for the sea transforms into lush forests. But, perhaps by some divine trickery, this place remains untouched by the footsteps of beasts.

In this village, there exists a legend of the fog fairy.

They say that whenever the morning fog settles, the fog fairy comes to these woods to play.

A strange legend with a surprising number of witnesses.

Even now, some children still leave their homes in the early morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of the fairy.

However, the truth behind legends is often rather disappointing.

As the thick morning fog lifts, a small cabin comes into view. It’s far too shabby to be called a fairy’s dwelling.

In truth, it’s an abandoned house, barely patched over with rags. Inside, piles of what you could hardly call junk, more like trash. And under a roof that wouldn’t keep out even the dew, buckets filled with stagnant water are lined up.

And there, amidst the buckets, two children, also too dirty to be called fairies, were fast asleep.

They were shabby, yet sleeping as soundly as if they had nothing to envy in the world.

The boy and Amy.

“Mmnya…”

“Uuuh… Sister…”

The boy pushes away Amy’s foot from his chest and barely manages to sit up. Noticing the fog outside has cleared, he shakes Amy’s shoulder.

“Sister… Sister Amy…”

“Hehe… Apple pie sounds delicious… Apple pie…”

“Sister… Get up, it’s morning. We have to work.”

But no matter how hard he shakes her, Amy shows no sign of waking up. In the end, the boy furrows his brow and takes a drastic measure.

“…Apple pie… Hurry up and give it to Rem… Hieeek!”

The cold water sprinkled on her neck startles Amy awake. The boy flicks the water from his hand, grumbling all the while.

“It’s a real pain waking you up like this every day, you know that. Sis?”

“…They say beautiful women need plenty of sleep”

“Knock it off and wash up, Sister. They said there’s a market in the village today.”

“Rem, you’re being too cold to your older sister lately… I might really get hurt…”

Saying that, Amy cleverly pretends to cry. But the boy had known Amy for too long to fall for that.

“Hieek! Hiyaak! Hayaat!”

Each time morning dew from the buckets splashes over her, Amy’s body bounces up with a thud, thud. Eventually, she looks at Rem with a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Rem, you little…!”

When kids are young, it’s common for girls to be stronger than boys. And Amy was the strongest among them. It took less than a few seconds for the tables to turn.

“W-Wait! Sis! Sister! I was wrong! It’s still March! March…!”

“Let me massage your neck with these nice, cold, wet hands!”

“YAAAAAAAHHH!!”

Once again, the shrill screams of the two children echo through the forest. Though the sounds are packed so heavily with laughter, it’s questionable whether ‘screams’ is the right word.

And then, if by chance a distant hunter happens to hear that sound, they might come to this conclusion.

*Ah, so the fog fairies are laughing* as they return to their home.

***

It was a year ago that the boy and Amy had arrived at this village. It was the day of their escape, where they sometimes had to beg and sometimes had to fill their bellies with tree bark, finally came to an end.

Amy, seeing the thick fog and lush forest, thought it was the perfect place to hide. And as if God themselves was helping, there was even a dilapidated cottage in the center of the forest.

Abandoned by the world, the two children naturally made that place their home.

You might be feeling sorry for them right about now. Two children, only 8 and 10 years old, living alone in a forest. Those with a sensitive heart might even be tearing up a bit.

However, rest assured, the boy and Amy were happier in that little cottage than anywhere else in the world.

There was no orphanage director beating children out of frustration, nor residents glaring at them with eyes filled with contempt.

Nights were cold, but that only made the starlight shine brighter.

The floor was uneven, but that only made the sunlight feel warmer.

Looking back, it was likely the first haven they’d ever had. The first place they could call home.

Ah, but how did these little kids find food to eat in the forest, you may ask? Just wait a moment. I’m just about to get to that part.

In March’s chilly sunlight, which hovers over the fevered heads of the crowd, the wind carried the shouts of merchants, and the energy of the crowded people shatters in the air, turning into sparkling noise.

From nearby villagers to wandering drifters, devout pilgrims, pickpockets with complicated stories, and swindlers with dazzling smiles – this was the day when all sorts of faces roamed the village, each harboring their own joys and sorrows

It was the typical chaotic scene of market day, like an abstract painting where colors have been randomly splashed here and there.

And on such an abstract painting, it’s hard to notice when a couple of tiny ants cling to the canvas.

Past a worn-out cloak, thick wool, and a basket of rotting apples, two children sneak about and arrive in front of a certain building.

They crouch under the window, exchange a quick look, and then, at the same time, peek inside.

In the store crowded with people, a plump woman bustles around the kitchen.

She kneads dough, fills it with apple jam, puts it into the oven, and after a little while…

“Wow…”

“Gulp…”

…she takes out that beautiful apple pie from the oven.

From the moment the apple pies came out of the oven, the two children couldn’t take their eyes off them. When the apple pies were finally placed in someone else’s hands, they even let out a sigh of regret.

It was a typical reaction of children who have witnessed Mrs. Flan’s famous pies.

However, unlike other children, they didn’t just stop at looking.

Amy wipes her drool and looks at Rem.

“Ready? Rem?”

“Yes, sister.”

Their roles were always fixed.

The one to actually steal is Amy,

And the one to keep watch is Rem.

To be precisely, it wasn’t that they were unchangeably fixed, but Amy had put her foot down about it. After all, how could she possibly put her little brother in danger.

“Shhh- Wait for my signal…”

Amy, now quite skilled at this, stealthily slips through the back door. Avoiding Mrs. Flan’s eyes, she approaches the oven.

She already knew how long it took for the pies to bake. Taking out the thick cloth she had prepared, she wraps it around her hands

And then…

*THUD-!*

A wooden bowl strikes the floor with a dull sound.

Amy and Mrs. Flan’s eyes meet in midair.

And there in Amy’s hands is a large, mouthwatering apple pie.

“You…! You little…!”

“Ah, shoot.”

“You darned thief, again!!”

“Rem, ruuun!!”

Amy, having wrapped the apple pie in the cloth, dashes out of the store. The flustered boy follows her in confusion and asks.

“S-sister! What happened!”

“Sorry!! I messed up!!”

“Sis, what did you…”

“You rotten little brats!! Stop right there!! This time I’ll break those legs for sure!!”

Some sights require no explanation. Seeing Mrs. Flan’s reddened eyes, the boy immediately understood the situation.

“S-Sister! Hand me the pie quick! I’ll run with it.”

“N-No, I’m fine! Don’t worry about me, just shut your mouth and run!”

“But Sister…”

“Stop right there!! Everyone, catch those brats!!”

However, no one actually tried to stop the two children as they ran. After all, to the pedestrians, it was quite an entertaining sight.

Two children bursting with excitement, grinning from ear to ear, pursued by a fuming woman, who would dare spoil such a comical moment, rarer than any you’d see in a theater?

“Bleeeh- Catch us if you can!”

Before long, Amy, leading the way, glances back. She sticks out her tongue at Mrs. Flan, then beams brightly at Rem.

“But hey, Rem, this looks really delicious, right?”

The cool March sunlight, all the more transparent because of its chill.

The sweet smell of apple pie that makes your nose tingle,

The noise of bustling people that makes your head spin,

And the girl’s smile, all the more dazzling because of the sunlight.

At that moment, the boy’s heart goes astray all over again. Enchanted, it thumps against his rib cage with an audible sound.

Heat rushes to his face, and his mind drifts as if he’s intoxicated.

We already know the name of these symptoms.

But the boy insists it’s merely because he started running so suddenly, calling it just a simple physical reaction.

It’s frustrating for us, but what can we do. The boy is still a child, after all.

For now, at least.

***

That day, the boy and Amy had a feast.

They hadn’t just stolen the apple pie. They took advantage of the market day commotion to steal other things too.

Apples, bread, even a little bit of wine.

Even after stashing away about half in storage, they still enjoyed a hearty meal.

“Ugh… Sleepy…”

“Sister, you can’t sleep now… If you sleep right after eating…”

“Zzzzz…”

Moreover, they could even indulge in the luxury of taking a nap in broad daylight. Truth be told, they were a bit too tired to run around and play anyway.

The boy and Amy fell into sleep as if passing out.

“Mmm…”

When the boy awoke from his nap, it was already late into the night. A sky full of stars stretched overhead, and a cold breeze cut across it.

“Sister Amy…?”

The boy shivered as he called for Amy. When the cold set in, the only way to sleep was to cling to each other for warmth.

Thankfully, Amy wasn’t far.

Wrapped in a blanket, she sat quietly, looking up at the night sky through the gaps in the broken roof.

“What are you doing…?”

The boy sits beside her, resting his cheek on her shoulder. Only then does Amy realize he’s awake, turning to him with a gentle smile.

“Nothing much. Just watching the stars.”

The boy didn’t believe her. Amy’s ‘nothing’ had never actually meant nothing at all.

“…I see.”

But the boy didn’t ask any more questions. He already knew she’d only dodge the question if he asked.

The boy just silently looked down at the floor.

“Hey, Rem. Do you have a wish or anything like that?”

“A wish?”

“Yeah, something you’d like to do, or something you’d like to have.”

Of course, the boy had plenty of wishes. He had as many as the stars in the night sky.

The boy’s life was like bread gnawed on by mice, so full of holes. Filling them all, one by one, would have taken a lifetime.

“Nah, I’m happy just the way things are.”

But the boy shook his head.

Because he had learned to be content with what he already has, rather than yearn for what he lacks. In that regard, the boy was already more mature than Amy.

“Really? You’re a bit different from me…”

But to put it another way, Amy was still a child in this aspect.

“I want to earn a lot of money.”

The night sky, visible through the hole in the roof, looked like a gap in a box full of starlight. It felt as though if she slipped in her hand, she might scoop up a handful of stars.

“I want to make a lot of money, so much money, absolutely tons of it. I want to live in a house that doesn’t leak when it rains, where I can eat my fill every day, with three apple pies a day too.”

At last, the boy lifts his gaze to look at Amy.

People who dream while looking at the night sky always wear a wistful expression.

As if this place isn’t really where they belong.

As if one day soon, they’ll drift up into that sky.

Without realizing, the boy clutched the collar of Amy’s clothes

“…What about me?”

Amy looked down at the boy with a puzzled expression. A sorrow beyond his years adorned the boy’s face.

“Am I also in it? In that house of yours, Sister?”

“Of course you are. You’re my little brother.”

Amy smiles sweetly and pulls Rem into her arms. Rubbing her cheek against his, she speaks in a soothing tone.

“Obviously, you’ll be in there, too. Right by my side. And you’ll eat five apple pies a day.”

Then, all of a sudden, Amy shudders.

“Brrrr…! It’s getting really cold now. Let’s sleep soon. It’s market day until tomorrow, so we should gather up whatever we can.”

“…Okay.”

Amy pulled the ragged blanket over them and hugged the boy. It doesn’t take long for him to hear her gentle breathing as she drifts off to sleep.

But even then, the boy’s sadness refused to vanish.

Was it because of the painful memory of being abandoned by his parents. Or maybe it was due to a sad premonition of what may lay ahead?

We’ll never know the answer. Perhaps even the boy himself didn’t know at the time.

Still, the boy wrapped his arms around Amy just as tightly, closing his eyes. Among his countless buried wishes, there was one he whispered most earnestly in his heart.

‘Please, God, let me stay by my sister’s side. Just let me have at least that.’

And so, beneath those two children’s wishes, the moon slowly set.

Slowly, yet coldly.