Lisa left with Theo's uncle and aunt. Luckily for both of them, the elders had not entered the room while they were giving each other pleasure.
Theo finished putting everything in the backpack and left the room. Currently, in the house were only Theo's grandmother, mother, and sister. The last one was in her room resting while the first two were in the living room waiting for Theo.
"Mom, Grandma." Theo greeted them at the sight of the two women.
"Little Theo, come here." Grandma gestured as she patted the seat next to her.
"Hmm," Theo nodded.
Theo sat next to the grandmother. His mother was sitting in front of him with her head bent.
"Is something wrong, Mother?" Theo asked at the sight of his mother's suspicious attitude.
"No," Sylvia's voice was low, almost inaudible. She kept her head down, not daring to look at Theo.
Theo heard a sigh beside him. Grandmother's hand rested on his head and caressed him lovingly.
"Your grandfather is very cruel, exiling you from the village... I can't believe he's really going to do it."
"But those are the rules the ancestor erected, aren't they? Grandpa says something terrible will happen if we break the rules." Theo said.
"The rules this, the rules that. Your grandfather always says the same thing. I would never believe an ancestor's shit if it wasn't for your family really having that inner energy."
"But still, grandpa is very cruel." Grandma sighed again.
Theo was confused; his grandmother kept saying that his grandfather was very cruel, and he didn't understand why. Outside the village, there was a forest, but after the forest, there would have to be more civilization. He would just have to start a new life outdoors.
"Why do you say that grandfather is cruel? Once I leave the forest, I will start a new life, and soon I will find a way to break that blood oath that prevents me from seeing my family." Theo seriously said.
*Sob* *Sob*
"Mother?"
Sylvia started crying when she heard Theo. She couldn't take it anymore, so she ran and hugged Theo. Tears wet Theo's chest.
"Silly girl." Grandmother sighed once more. She seemed to grow old with every sigh she gave.
"I don't want Theo to leave the village. He is my child, my precious child. What right has my father to send him to his death? He is of his own blood, why does he have to exile him?"
Theo didn't understand what was happening. Why was his mother talking about sending him to die?
Seeing that his mother was not in a position to respond, Theo turned to his grandmother. "What's up, Grandma?"
"Sigh" Once again, grandmother sighed. She then explained to Theo, "Theo, your mother says that for one simple reason. Every person who has left the village has never returned to it. As such, we have assumed that they die in the forest."
Theo felt her hair stand on end. No one who had left the village had returned, that was a 100 percent disappearance rate.
Theo could not really consider these people as dead, as there was no evidence that these people actually died. But something must be happening in the forest so that these people who left their families in the village would never return.
"Don't worry, Mom. Just because people didn't come back doesn't mean they're dead. Maybe they've found a better place when they go out of the forest, so they don't see that it's worth going back to this village." Theo tried to comfort his mother.
This did not achieve the expected result. He only got Sylvia's crying to increase. The situation was a bit regrettable and uncomfortable. Theo separated from Sylvia and got up from the sofa.
"Grandma, mom, I'm going to check on Alice."
"All right, let me calm your mother." Grandma smiled at Theo.
Before leaving the living room, Theo turned to ask his grandmother. "Grandma, do you have silver needles?"
"Yes," Although confused by Theo's question, Theo's grandmother answered sincerely.
"How many?" "I don't know; I have a lot." "Could you give me eleven?"
"Sure, no problem."
Grandma opened a drawer and took out a bag. Inside there was a set of needles. There were more than ten, so there was no problem with the number of needles.
Theo took the bag and went into Alice's room. Sylvia continued to cry in her mother's arms while she only patted her on the back in silence.
As he entered the room, a floral perfume assaulted Theo's nose. It was a pleasant, soothing smell that comforted Theo.
Such an exquisite fragrance could only belong to a few flowers. In fact, Theo had only smelled a similar scent once before.
Soon Theo found the source of this fragrance. A bouquet of pink flowers was placed in a jar next to Alice's bed. These flowers, along with the sleeping beauty by her side, created a scene in keeping with the beautiful fragrance that invaded Theo's nostrils. Theo sat on the edge of Alice's bed and stroked the girl's beautiful face as she watched the bouquet of flowers.
"What beautiful flowers and what a smell they give off are on a par with their beauty," Theo complimented.
"Even so, the beauty of a flower has no comparison with the sweetness of your face and the beauty of your heart." Theo turned his attention to his sister.
The sleeping beauty's eyes shook, her face blushed, and a sweet smile appeared. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Theo.
"Do you really think that?"