Part 12. The Summer Afternoon
A gentle breeze brushed against the vibrant sunlight shining down on the beautiful meadow, surrounded by colorful flowers. The scene was blurry, but in the distance, a camera mounted on a tripod could be seen. On either side of his shoulders, Amisa felt the touch of rough and delicate hands. She turned her head and caught a glimpse of her parents' silhouettes, capturing a family portrait.
After taking the photo, Amisa's mother led her to the picnic blanket spread under the giant tree. From the picnic basket, they took out sandwiches, milk tea, bread, and desserts.
Amisa caught a glimpse of her reflection in her mother's compact mirror, reverting back to her appearance with fluffy blonde hair at the age of 3. "Is this... a continuation of that dream?"
"Oh, they're here!" Amisa's father checked the camera and seemed to have noticed something, enthusiastically waving towards a hillside.
In the distance, two families of three could be seen. The two boys in each family behaved differently. The black-haired boy energetically ran up the hill shouting, "I won!" while the brown-haired boy tightly held onto his mother's hand, unwilling to let go.
The three families gathered around the picnic blanket, each taking out their food. The lively black-haired boy was the first to unveil his favorite doughnut, while the brown-haired boy tightly held onto the star-shaped coffee cookie he had obtained. Amisa received the white cream cake from her mother.
"This feeling..." Amisa looked around at the joyous atmosphere and suddenly heard the sound of a guitar and drums. The black-haired boy's father brought out a wooden box drum, the brown-haired boy's father held a guitar, and Amisa's mother began playing the flute. Others also took out tambourines and clapped their hands to create a rhythm. The three children couldn't help but join in, singing joyfully with the adults:
Green grass, giant tree,
I just want to sing.
sun shine, breeze blows.
I just want to praise.
Thanks God for the summer afternoon
and scrumptious lunch
La la la~ I want to thank.
La la la~ I want to praise.
After finishing the song, everyone happily enjoyed their meals. As Amisa picked up the cream cake, she happened to make eye contact with the two boys. They all unknowingly revealed a sense of nostalgia. Curiously, Amisa tried to speak to them, "Jasky? Toosb?"
Toosb quickly finished his doughnut, stood up, and told his parents he wanted to go play before running off. With the other parents urging them, Amisa and Jasky followed suit.
The three children arrived at the foot of a towering tree as if it were a sacred tree. They instinctively started digging in the soil beneath its roots and found a wooden box buried there. They looked at each other, nodded, and opened the box, revealing a silver key inside.
"The key tingles the taste buds—through the familiar desserts, in the dreamlike memories, we search for shared memories. So, the key was in this dream within a dream," Amisa concluded in her heart without knowing why. She noticed a small door hidden beneath the tree roots nearby. She handed the key to Jasky and asked him to open the door. As he did, a flash of light enveloped them, transporting them inside.