The neighbouring village that Lev visited was located in a valley too. Except, that valley was a U-shaped, and the valley of Fories was a V-shaped. In the country of Zurland, villages could be commonly found on valleys, the base of the mountains, lakeside, or riverside. In that way, they had easy access to water and the Vale of Före had a river running in the middle of the village. It took Lev an hour to reach that place, and luckily for Lev, he hitched a ride on a passing two-wheeled carriage that was pulled by a horse.
"Thank you," Lev hopped down and bowed his head.
"I'll be returning to Fories at 4 p.m., I could give you another ride but this time it won't be for free," the man that was sitting on the front of the carriage said.
"Ah— Yes," Lev took out the last piece of bread that he was reserving for later and asked, "Will this be enough?"
The man smiled, revealing his teeth, and answered, "I guess that's enough."
Lev gave his lunch to the driver and continued to the village. Före was bigger than Fories. It was like a village of fifty brick houses, built on a crystal clear river that ran along with a river-formed stone, which made it more beautiful. While Fories was peaceful and serene, Före was more jolly and vibrant. Lev could taste the bread and the meat in the air, which made him hungry.
"Where should we go first?" Lev asked the cat.
The cat directed his gaze on the open food-stall that was barbecuing some meat on a stick.
Lev followed his gaze and said in a depressed voice, "Yeah, I wish I could have some of that too. But we don't have any money so we can't buy it. How about we visit the Library where Lola works?"
The cat looked back at Lev and gave him an unsure look.
Lev explained, "We're not going to visit her, just the books. I don't want to be scolded later for visiting her."
Lev looked around and saw a huge building that was towering in the middle of the village. He walked the footpath and decided to take a peek inside.
Inside was spacious. He saw that the bookshelves were made of wood, the chairs were made of plastic-like material, and the table had wooden legs but the top surface of the table was made of glass. There was a spiralling stair that led to the second floor. Lev was overcome by vellichor when the smell of old books hit his nostrils. He felt melancholic and nostalgic at the same time. He missed reading books and diving in the world where reality was nothing but a myth.
On the other corner of the library, Lola was sitting alone, reading.
"That's her," Lev whispered. He gently placed the cat on the wooden floor and walked towards the staircase. As a reader, Lev was curious about what Lola was reading. He climbed the stairs as quiet as possible and stood on the edge, looking downwards where Lola was sitting.
The cat silently followed and looked over too. Lev squinted his eyes, trying to see what was written inside the book and what he saw made him shocked. He hurriedly carried the cat and went outside.
The weather was cold, but cold-sweat could be seen dripping down on Lev's face. What he saw in that book made him dumbfounded. He sat beside the riverbank and silently stared at the running water. The cat was looking at Lev the whole time. He hasn't seen the book because the moment he peeped, Lev carried him and left. So he was really confused and curious about what Lev saw.
After some few minutes, Lev mumbled:
"Let's find some food."
They went around the village to look for something to eat. Every time he passed through a bakery or a restaurant, it made his stomach growled even more. While he was walking, Lev saw a ginger head lady walking towards his direction. She was surprisingly beautiful and she was wearing a coat and pants that did not hide her alluring figure. Men and women were looking at her, the former was charmed and the latter was jealous.
But what Lev saw was different from the others: Dark aura was encircling around her, not just superficially on her skin but it was a sphere-like shape that almost covered the whole street. Men and women that were engulfed in her aura were either feeling attracted or hatred towards the lady.
The cat felt the threat of that aura. He wiggled vigorously, forcing itself free, and ran down to an alley.
"Hey!" Lev shouted and sprinted to the alley where the cat went.
The lady ignored her surroundings and continued to walk east, to the direction of Fories. The sky was getting dark and thunder could be heard above the clouds, indicating that rain will soon pour its might on the village.
"The sun has fallen asleep, and now the reign of the moon has begun. The wheel of Fate has stopped spinning, everything will soon be a living hell," She whispered.
.....
Raindrops started to fall from the sky, gradually becoming stronger. The road trail started to become muddy and small puddles of water could be seen everywhere. Lev was running around the village, making his boots and pants full of mud splatters. He went into a café to take cover from the ferocious rain.
People inside were drinking coffee and enjoying the view of the rain. Lev's jacket was dripping wet and he was shivering from the coldness that it brought. He sat on a corner and waited for the rain to weaken. The sweet aroma of coffee with a mixture of cake and bread was filled around the room.
Lev was clasping his hand on the front of his mouth and he was exhaling warm breath to his stiffened hands.
"I wish I had something warm to drink too," Lev softly whispered, making it almost impossible to hear. He closed his eyes, his mind cleared, and he thought of something: someone would kindly offer him a cup of warm coffee. It was as though he was wishing for a miracle.
Seconds later, a voice that was over the counter was shouting his name, "Lev? Lev?!"
"Yes?" Lev quickly replied in a fluster. He stood up and nervously walked toward the counter, thinking that he was going to be reprimanded for entering the café without ordering something.
"A hot chocolate and a slice of chocolate cake?" The man with broad shoulders placed the cup and plate over the tray on the counter.
"What? I didn't order it. I-I have no money too," Lev nervously replied.
"Oh? But the name written in here is 'Lev', and I think there's no one here that has the same name as Lev," The man looked around. "By the way, it's already written on the receipt that it is already paid. So can you please hurry up and get your order? There are still customers waiting."
There was no one. No customers were waiting nor ordering over the counter. Everyone was busy talking and drinking their share.
"Sir," The man insisted.
"Yes. Sorry," Lev hurriedly took the tray and went back to his corner.
"I think my prayer has been answered," Lev said with astonishment.
He took a sip from the dark chocolate in his cup and he felt the warmth it brought in his body. The mouth-watering cake that has chocolate icing above and filled with chocolate filling inside was waiting to be eaten. He lifted the dessert fork and took a slice off the cake then ate it. It was so sweet that it made him forget all the problems and stress that he had.
Lev looked over the window and felt that he was in a melancholic trance in which he became completely absorbed in vivid sensory details— raindrops skittering down a window, tall trees leaning in the wind, clouds of cream swirling in the hot chocolate.
Lev looked down at the cake and noticed that the dessert fork was on the opposite side of him. Not just that, there was also a huge slice that was gone.
"I do not remember eating such a big slice," He folded his arms and looked around if there was someone sitting around near him. He ducked his head under the table and found nothing. He sat up straight and the hot chocolate that was in his cup was already half empty!
"Okay. Now that's... weird," Lev quickly finished his cake and the hot chocolate before leaving the café. He thanked the man that was on the counter and noticed the clock behind him. It was already 3:50 p.m. The rain gradually weakened and Lev exited the door and sprinted toward the rendezvous.
"Thank me for what? Letting you stay in the café without buying something?" The man had no memory of the boy buying something. He looked at the corner where the kid sat and he saw a tray with an empty cup and a plate above it. "Did he ordered something?"