Tick-tock.Tick-tock.Tick-tock.
The sound of the clock echoed in the four corners of the room. It has been an hour since I healed Max's mother. Max fell asleep after crying so hard, well I expected that to happen. He was laying on the lap of his mother, sleeping soundly.
"Your name is Brielle, right?" Max's mother asked.
I nodded my head.
"I'm Fiorenzia, Max's mother. Oh, you can just call me Aunt Fio," she suggested.
"Au-Aunt F-Fio," I stuttered, blushing.
"Oh, my you are so cute!" Aunt Fio complimented.
"Brielle," she called, "Thank you for healing me and being friends with Max. You know, I thought I would die, leaving Max and Albert behind. Every day it was painful, not because of my sickness but every time I saw my two loved ones grieve. So, I told myself that I need to survive this, to not lose hope. Still, there were times when I felt exhausted and weak. By the time I accepted my fate, you came like a heavenly miracle. You gave me a chance to be with my family. Thank you so much." Aunt Fio's words were sincere. Her warm thanks reached my heart, and it felt good.
"You're welcome, Aunt Fio," I replied, smiling. I don't know what kind of smile I'm wearing but one thing is for sure- it was genuine, rooted deep within my heart.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
A loud knocking on the door disturbed us. It was so loud that even Max, who was sleeping, woke up.
"Come here, Max and Brielle. I will open the door, stay behind me," Aunt Fio whispered. She took a knife and hid it behind her back.
"Who is it? What do you need," she shouted.
"...Open the door, right now!" the man grumbled. Uh oh! I know that voice. Undoubtedly, it was Papa.
"Aunt Fio, please open the door," I begged, "That's my Papa behind the door."
"No, we are not sure if that is truly your father," she objected.
"Mother, listen to Brielle. That grumpy voice is Mister," Max said. Aunt Fio slowly opened the door. When the door was fully opened, I saw Papa, in human form, standing with a scowl expression. Upon seeing me, he immediately took me away from Max and Aunt Fio.
"How dare you use Brielle!" Papa's eyes were glaring with anger.
"Papa, I'm the one who insisted on healing Aunt Fio!" I explained.
"Papa, don't be angry," I added while holding Papa's hand.
"Let's go home," said Papa, with a stern look. He held my hand, preparing to leave the place.
"Wait," Aunt Fio interrupted, "Do you want to have tea? I didn't yet thank Brielle for treating me. I would like to give my thanks."
"No need. If you are thankful, don't blab around about Brielle's power," Papa firmly said.
Following that, Papa and I continued moving away from Max's house. It was regrettable that I couldn't bid my goodbye to Max and Aunt Fio. For sure, Papa was angry at what I did. I had nothing to say because I had done something wrong that made Papa worried.
We were almost at the entrance of the alley when I heard Max shout, "Brielle! Thank you, I'll visit and play with you again soon."
I turned around and saw Max and Aunt Fio waving their hands. Seriously, humans were adorable. I waved back at them and replied, "Yes, I'll be waiting!"
***
It was early afternoon when we got out of the alley. The wind breeze was cooler than before, and my feet started to hurt. Ouch! I think I had a wound on my left foot.
"Let me see your feet. You walked barefoot for hours so no wonder you got hurt," Papa noticed. He kneeled and checked my feet. "Look at your feet. There are wounds everywhere. Take care of yourself first before helping others. You remember that you can't heal yourself, right?" Papa reminded me.
"I'm sorry, Papa," I apologized, "But I didn't regret healing his mother."
"Sigh, just don't decide alone. I don't want you to be in danger," Papa said while tending my feet with a cloth. Unlike me, Papa didn't possess healing powers.
"It's done. Come here, Brielle, I'll carry you. The ground is cold," Papa added. I lifted my hands then Papa carried me in his arms. Papa fixed my clothes and placed the hood on my head. Then, he continued to walk on the busy street.
On our way, something cold fell in my hand. I held out my hands to catch the icy white flakes dancing in the air.
It's snowing.
The sound of falling snow, the quivering wind;
Children enjoying the snow, adults warming their hands with their heated breath.
The beautiful snow filling the sky and land,
My first snowfall of the year.
The humans in the town became busy as they warmed up their stores with magical stones. Unexpectedly, the wind blew so hard that my hood flew off my head, leaving my face exposed.
"We meet again, little lady." I looked in front to see who was speaking. That face was somewhat familiar…I remembered!
"Kind Mister!" I blurted.
"Yes, it's me," he confirmed, smiling. In the middle of cold winter, Mister's smile was like a soothing blanket.
Warm. Nostalgic.
In the very first snowfall of the year, I met him again.