He wasn't hungry, yet he felt satisfied. The crunchiness of the snack was pleasant, the small scales on his tongue too. Keith needed to rethink on everything after swallowing.
'First, he appeared to me, that's the moment I began to have headaches, I can feel his presence by the cold temperature under his shape. He is somehow real. But he's not any animal, is he? Domi would know what is it. We eat the same thing, either I'm a monster like him, or either he is nurturing my baby.'
Keith stared at Domi, he was breathing, alive. He wiped the puke on his face. Being tired and perturbed, he did not realise his thinking was inaccurate.
'Domi saw him, and Mister Show gave me a dead animal. It means... Things can see him, he can touch things, and maybe kill them. I still don't know why he's after me. Why does he wants to be my friend.'
"Do you know Ned?"
Mister show closed his gapping mouth and tilted his head then moved it left to right on a single movement. It was hard to watch because it looked like neck being snapped.
"I want him dead. He did horrible things to me and my mother."
The slit of his mouth vanished, his eyes reverted back to blurry-yellow.
"Weak."
The shadow said. But the kid already knew.
"I'll take my revenge when I'll grow up. I have something else to do in mind. Would you help me find my father? I want my family to be whole like Domi's. They are all happy, and work seems easier with this much people."
Mister Show's silhouette undulated like a banner lifted by wind. He nodded.
"Nice. It doesn't seem like mother wants to find him, I'll go by myself then. I was wondering. How did you know I was here"
Mister Show's figure shrank progressively and it entered bit by bit in his shirt, making Keith very uncomfortable and very cold. He grabbed his shirt by reflex and pulled it out.
"You followed me in my shirt?"
Mister Show emerged from the cloth.
"Stink."
"I know it stinks, it's partly because of you."
Keith frowned.
"You don't go in my shirt because of the smell? And yet, you bring me dead lizards? You are definitely weird."
'He wasn't with us at Seoni. This guy can certainly scare anyone out there... I'll end up relying on him for my search.' He thought.
"Don't you sleep at night? I am very tired."
Mister Show vanished in the shirt again and didn't manifest himself anytime after.
'What am I going to do with him now? He was way too scared of Mister Show.'
Keith's perception of the monster wasn't much different from Domi, but he had been traumatized few times on the past few days and began to care less about it.
His head on the pillow, he could finally sleep. He had a full night, finally.
He woke up to Yotoh's voice.
"'Morning boys! Time for breakfast."
Keith slowly emerged, and because he could see clearly, wiped away the vomit traces on Domi's clothes quickly. He patted his friend who woke up straight, with wide eyes. Gaze locked on previous night's event location.
"He came! That! This? It came!"
Domi yelled, trying to shape a spiky mountain with his hands. Keith grabbed his shoulders, that prevented Domi from shouting more.
"You fell asleep while I was speaking. The monster did not came here."
Domi was flabbergasted. He pondered, attempting to remember what he saw. He shivered.
"Right, that can't be. It wasn't exactly how you described it to me."
He was clearly looking for a plausible reasoning. Half-believing Keith.
"Telling such details has got me to have a nightmare, of course. I... I want you to come and sleep with me more it if makes you feel safer from it."
'I'm absolutely not going to let them meet again. I wasn't even sure of him waking up at all. Keeping Mister Show a secret is my only option for now. Maybe Mister Show won't be 'this' kind with Domi next time.'
"I'm fine."
He answered with a smile.
"I feel much better already, your mother was right about me, I overworked, and my lack of sleep made my head sick."
Domi's shoulder's lowered themselves little by little as Keith comforted him with a low voice. The tension he was on since his awakening faded.
They all had breakfast together. The food was definitely blank. Only texture and its temperature remained.
'Is Mister Show the beginning of the changes happening to me?'
Keith had ease to grasp events and nest details to comprehend situations, but he wasn't foolproof. He was a smart kid. He then concluded.
'He came after my first headaches and the sunlight attacking my eyes. Totally sure of it. The monster is another symptom, as Alma calls it.'
Keith was grinding his food in his plate while wondering. Not looking too focused, still listening to their family conversation time to time. Yotoh turned toward him.
"Hey, we'll fetch water tomorrow, would you like to come with your mother? If weather does not allow us to grow plants, we are forced to go and get some. We need to stop by at Seoni's market to sell our crafts. We will all stay together this time."
That was a great proposition. Of course Keith was still afraid.
"I'll ask my mother first, I think we need water too."
He went away, passing by his crops he saw a familiar face. It was very short man, as tall as Domi, but thicker than an old tree. He was carrying a wheelbarrow with two buckets of water and two white bags, a red lace on their top, with unknown content.
This man was Leton's assistant. He had great social skills too and a great behaviour. His achievements had long overstepped his height.
"Picco! What brings you here? It's nice to see you."
Said Keith. Picco could see him arrive from afar. He prepared his reply.
"Good morning little one! I came here today over Leton's orders, I am aware of what happened to you two in the forest and I'm very sorry about it. I brought you food, and water for your field. Do you know by chance what relationship your mother and the village's chief have?"
'Then no trip tomorrow. Mother is too weak to travel anyway.'
"I think they love each other."
Picco wasn't surprised by Keith innocence, but he had deliberated with Leton on that matter, and decided to explain him the situation, to not let any gossip circulating around the population, damaging Leton's reputation.
"Well, with your mother, they agreed on a pact, Leton wants a child, a son to be precise. And your mother wants to have you in good health. That's why she let Leton borrow her womb. In exchange she can feed you better, she may also become the Kodra's village chief wife. It means you could access his house, and fields too."
Keith was surprised by his mother's behaviour.
"But, what if my father comes back?"
Picco bent his knees to equal Keith's size and look at him straight in the eyes. He took a sorry tone.
"Lorbe, was it? He won't come back. He went away because your mother and Leton already tried to have a child. With the incident it unfortunately died . To protect Raima, your father was exiled from the village because he did her great harm due to her liaison."
The short man sighed
"I know it's complex adult affairs and it may be hard to comprehend. But try to understand it as if your mother only wanted you good by improving your lifestyle and giving you a chance in the village's higher activities."
Picco gently patted Keith's head with his thick hand and continued his way, pushing the wheelbarrow. The kid didn't follow him, he just looked at Picco's back getting farther. Tears filled his eyes but did not fell, as his shirt became colder.
"Mother is doing her best for me. But I still want to find my father. You can stay here. I don't know when we'll go look for him. Maybe in a moon, maybe in a year. I'm about to work harder on the field from now on as she needs my full support. I'll be happy to keep this pleasant cool you maintain under my shirt. I promise I'll keep it clean as much as possible."
He saw his shirt undulating slightly. As there was no wind today either he took it as an approving answer. There was something that had surely changed, he couldn't be alone anymore.