The sun rose and emitted rays of light on everything it saw. The morning dew reflected on the grasses' surface, as though they were crystals that were stuck on the ground. Birds started chirping, waking Lev up, and the village started to become busy.
Lev was sad when he woke up. He knew that starting this day, his life would be a nightmare. He stood up and stretched his aching body. He entered the unlocked door and was dejected when he saw all the garbage that was lying around. He started picking up the garbage and threw it in the trash.
"Why is everything a mess? Can't she see the havoc that she has caused?" Lev complained. But he was in no position to argue with her because, first of all, he didn't have the courage. Second, he was scared that he might be kicked out if he started disobeying her orders. So he did what he was told and started cleaning.
I really regretted agreeing to stay with this witch... How stupid of me... So stupid... Lev was embarrassed by the things that he said as he recalled the fresh memories that just happened yesterday.
Lev started cleaning the house. The plates that were in the sink were covered in yellow stains and moss started forming beneath the plates. Lev was disgusted and the stench that it gave off was so bad that he wanted to puke.
"I'll do this last," Lev said to himself. He picked some chunk of woods that was beside the fireplace and lit them in the firepit. Smoke rose to the chimney and the house slowly became warm. He took off his jacket and the knitted winter hat and hung it on the wall. He left the scarf wrapped on his neck to keep him cozy.
He continued on where he left, wiping the table with a rug which he found on the sink. He found a feather duster on the top of the cabinet. He took it and started dusting the top surface of the cabinet and the shelves. He covered his mouth and nose using his scarf while doing the job. He also cleaned the cobwebs that were hanging on the edges of the house. After all the wiping and dusting, he started sweeping the floor.
And lastly, he took on the last task. He turned the faucet on and started scrubbing the plates with a sponge.
"What is wrong with your hair?" A voice asked behind him.
Lev shuddered and paused on what he was doing. He recognized that shriek-like voice. He slowly turned around with his head down.
Lev noticed that the black smoke which he saw last night was no more there. This made him feel a little bit at ease.
"Did something scary happen in your childhood that scared the pigment out of your hair?" She cocked her head on one side and blankly stared at Lev.
"Uh... No. I was born with it," Lev said honestly. He didn't want to lie to Lola because he believed in what Honey said: that she doesn't believe in superstitions.
"I'll be back by 6," Lola grumped. She turned and walked toward the door. She left and went to work. Lola was working as a librarian in the next village and because of her job, she obtained her lack-of-presence aura.
Lev's stomach growled. All the cleaning that he did made him so hungry. At that moment, he realized that Lola hadn't eaten anything, meaning that there was no food for him either.
He quickly finished the dishes and tried to search for something to eat. He searched the top shelves and the cabinets that were under the sink.
"Why are there no foods? Not even canned food or fruit," Lev scowled. He went into the bathroom and noticed that it was clean.
"At least she maintained the bathroom clean," Lev said.
The shower had a heater and Lev was no stranger to this because back in the mansion there was also a heater that was used when winter swooped in that country.
After taking a good warm shower, he decided to look for something to eat outside. He wore the winter hat and coated himself with the jacket.
"Oh right, Lola didn't tell me where the keys are for the front door and for the screened door outside," Lev turned his head around, searching for something that resembles anything like a key.
"Oh well, I guess no one would dare try stealing in the mid day, and even if they do, there won't be much that they would steal in this house," Lev humoured but his face showed no sign of laughing nor smiling, not even a smirk.
He left the house, closed the doors, and surveyed the surroundings. The village had no more than 10 buildings, including cafés, houses, motel, and other properties. What made the village beautiful was that there was a huge lake on the northern side and across the lake were humongous alps, covered in dark clouds. In the east was a dense forest, leading deeper to the land of Fories. It remained unknown because people believed that 'harmful creatures' lived in it. In the west was where the neighbouring village was located. It was about 10 miles away and the road going there was full of hills, sloping up and down. The south was just some more plains and hills.
Lev walked the trail leading to the center of the village while he was marvelling the view. His stomach growled again, this time louder.
"I really need to find something to eat," Lev mumbled. He looked around and saw an old lady carrying a basket full of fruits. The fruits glimmered and it tempted Lev to take one when suddenly a random thought appeared in his mind: He went near to the lady and then a few seconds passed, the lady smiled and handed him a fruit.
Lev followed the random thought that popped on his mind and quickly walked closer to the old lady that was slowly walking.
He couldn't contain his hunger and asked her, "Could you please spare me a fruit?"
The old lady smiled the same smile that was previously in his mind and handed him one. Lev reached and received the fruit with both hands and thanked her. He quickly munched on the fruit and enjoyed every taste.
Lev ignored the fact that a random thought popped out of his mind and just brushed it off, thinking that it was just nothing but a mere coincidence. He even didn't know where he got the courage to speak to a complete stranger, because as far as he remembered, his low self-esteem made it difficult for him to interact with others. But he paid no mind to it and continued on devouring the food that was on his hands.
He noticed a cat on the corner of his eyes, just sitting there as if waiting for him to give it food.
.....
The white cat slept outside the porch that night. Its fur was mixed with dirt and soil, leaving it looking like a stray cat.
Its dark blue eyes, that were filled with white tiny dots which looked like a starry night that was shining deep in the night, quickly opened and looked at the thin lady that walked out from the house. It hid behind the flower pot that has no flower in it, but just a dry soil that was left unwatered. Inside, it heard the sound of running water.
"I want to take a bath too," its tiny mouth trembled involuntarily and its eyes started to become wet.
And after a few minutes, it saw a boy leaving the house that was about 5 feet and was just standing there, looking around. He started walking and the cat followed behind. The creature just felt following him. Maybe it's Fate, it thought.
After reaching the center part of the village, the creature heard a low growl that was emitted on the boy's stomach. He let out a small laugh and quickly covered its mouth with its small paw, which was quite unusual for a normal cat to do, except that this cat wasn't normal.
That boy is just as hungry as I am... The creature thought, amused at the boy.
When suddenly it witnessed the boy walking towards the direction of the old lady. He overheard what the boy said and he was shocked that the lady freely handed him a fruit.
"Was it that easy?" The creature was flabbergasted. He saw the boy eating the fruit and he could see that he was enjoying it.
Maybe he would give me some of that fruit too... The creature boldly thought. He hadn't eaten for a few days now and he was also desperate for food.