On that morning, a faint trace of rain still lingered in the garden. It was a perfect example of an exotic scene, where plants, flowers, and trees of all shapes and colors were positioned harmoniously, showcasing the meticulous and perfect planning of the gardener.
Upon entering the garden, anyone who entered could feel as if they had stepped through a portal into an enchanted forest from their childhood fairy tales. The sensation would only increase if the owner of the garden were there, lovingly tending to each of his plants.
His hands were delicate, almost like porcelain, his long hair often intertwined with beautiful flowers, and his beautiful face resembling a work of art would surely enchant many people, perhaps even causing some to faint.
Well, at least that's what normal people would think, but our lazy lady Mahal is certainly not ordinary, is she?
For our lovely Mahal, it was all a headache; the colors made her eyes hurt, the fresh scent mixed with the various plant odors made her want to sneeze. To make matters worse, the three suns shining above her head made her feel increasingly like a fragile glass doll about to break, and the three flies certainly made her more and more irritated.
But where was this place? What was she doing there?
Ah, yes, she remembered... After refusing food and being watched by the three flies, who seemed to be her servants, for a while, they prevented her from sleeping, saying that Mr. Mahal had ordered them not to let her sleep for at least 8 hours after waking up.
This was certainly a headache for the white-haired woman who hated with every fiber of her lazy being to be under the suns. And with this angry, too so did the desire to commit murder against this Mr. Mahal grow at an alarming rate (she ironically started calling him a cockroach).
In the end, after five minutes, she managed to escape her servants by running among the trees and plants but now she was tired; anyways, the garden was immense! She would never admit she was lost... She was just... exploring new paths...
And here she was, lying on the grass, catching her breath; she could barely run for five minutes. She just hoped the flies wouldn't find her quickly. After some minutes she got up and continued walking along the path she had chosen to "explore."
Walking for ten minutes through a dense forest, following only a stone path, and constantly being surprised by carnivorous plants burping or some singing-dancing flower, she began to doubt if the garden was actually a forest from some fairy tale. Finally, after crossing a long wooden bridge, the woman arrived at a place resembling a square, which made her feel as if she were in the heart of the immense garden.
It seemed like all the stone paths converged around an imposing tree that seemed to have grown in the same spot where a big fountain should be. The tree trunk was so much wider than the fountain's length that it greatly surpassed its perimeter, partially destroying it. What remained of the fountain was only its front half, where huge cracks flourished with a strange combination of flowers: red spider lilies, marigolds, black and white lilies, poppies, chrysanthemums, carnations, asphodels, orchids, pomegranate flowers, anemones, daffodils, black, white, and red tulips...
Each of the flowers shimmered as if they were filled with magic, their roots emerging from cracks at the base of the fountain and intertwining with the tree's large roots, climbing its trunk and surrounding it as if they were firmly holding the tree, as if any looseness would allow it to move from its place. The only thing seemingly untouched by time and nature in the fountain were two sculptures at its top, a beautiful sleeping dragon with scales that seemed to be made of crystals and an angelic elf reclined on the dragon's belly, immersed in reading a book.
'...Maybe they could be of some legend or farytale?...'
Lady Mahal was hypnotized by this scene, giving her a strange deja-vu sensation; the flowers shimmered hypnotically under the light of the three suns as if trying to convey something... she could hear a distant, familiar sound of wings, getting closer and closer...
"Lady Mahal?" A familiar voice snapped her out of her reverie; it was the six-eyed fly, it seemed she had found her.
"Lady Mahal, you've been staring at the fountain for 30 minutes..." The pointed ears said as she approached, followed by the red-eyed one who was as quiet as ever.
The woman with white hair just huffed in irritation and sat on the ground feeling tired. When she realized the annoying women wouldn't let her rest in peace, she stood up and followed another stone path, growing increasingly annoyed with the three chatty mosquitoes.
Too bad she didn't look at the tree branches; if only she had looked... But it doesn't matter anymore, they're already gone, leaving only a few black feathers behind; they were disappointed they couldn't greet her.
......
[A few hours later]
"Lady Mahal!" The poor six-eyed maid exclaimed exasperatedly; she and her colleagues were desperately trying to convince their lady not to leave the castle (which her lord insisted on calling a humble mansion) without at least changing her clothes; Lady Mahal was still in her sleepwear! The master had already instructed them beforehand to do everything possible to prevent this from happening with her lady, no matter how angry or sleepy she was.