'Mother!!'
'Zephyrrrr, come here, honey.'
'Mother.'
'Where have you been?'
'I just collected the herbs for grandma.'
'Hm..only for grandma?'
'Hehe, and I have flowers for you, Mother!'
'Wow, that's beautiful, Zephyr. You're so precious.'
'Hehe.'
'Let's go back to our village.'
'I'm hungry.'
'Tonight we're having beef stew.'
'Wow, are we going to have dinner with others?'
'Of course, I know why you want to..'
'Hehe.'
'You want to dance around the bonfire, don't you?'
'Hehehe, Yes! Please jump with me, mother.'
'Of course, we're going to jump and jump and..'
'JUMP!!'
...
"I would like some beef stew, too..."
I spoke it out even before my eyes opened.
"...You can have it."
And there was an elderly voice that came up.
"Ha..."
I turned to the voice. I was so confused but had no energy to express my emotions.
"You're awake, finally."
The old lady told me.
"..."
"We are having beef stew tonight."
She continued.
"What a coincidence."
I frankly said it
"What were you dreaming about?"
She asked bluntly.
"...beef stew."
"Heh..."
She chuckled.
"And my mother..."
"..."
"Go wash yourself, they're having dinner right now."
She told me and got up.
"...Jodai?"
"You mean your man?"
She looked at me and asked. I finally saw her eyes. The red that is faded.
"...Where is he?"
I asked.
"He's out getting the firewood."
She gave me folded clothes to me.
"..."
I picked up.
"How long have I been sleeping?"
I asked.
"2 days."
"..."
"How was he doing while I'm..."
"It's not the time for a question. It's time to eat. Go wash yourself and come out."
The old lady bluntly told me again.
"...Yes, thank you. May I ask...another question?"
She was leaving at the door. I stopped her.
"..."
"Where am I? What is this place?"
I asked the question that I should ask since I woke up.
"The north mountain village."
"!!"
"Hurry before all the stew is gone."
She told me and left the room.
'Er... Yes, yes, thank you."
I got up immediately and changed my clothes.
I can change it here, right? Well, no one here.
I took off my old clothes that weren't familiar on the floor and picked up the new ones that the old lady gave me. It was a light blue dress. I wore it, and a ribbon was attached to it behind my waist.
What should I do with this? Tie up.
Then I tied up the ribbon and pulled it tightly, and the waist area became smaller; it tightened my waist perfectly.
And what is that? A coat?
I picked up another piece of soft and thick clothing. I covered my body and put my arms in the long sleeves, then turned my body around to find a belt or a waist robe attached to the cloth.
"..."
And I noticed someone standing there watching me without a blink.
"Who are you?"
I asked.
"..."
I saw the red liquid running from his nose, but he didn't even realize it.
"Your nose.. is bleeding."
I told him.
"!!"
He hurriedly wiped his blood and glanced at me with his red face.
Don't tell me this guy was watching me changing my clothes.
"The…The belt is inside the coat..."
He explained.
"Ah..."
I looked down inside the soft coat, and I found it.
"Strange position."
I frankly spoke to myself. And I tied the robe by putting the steel buckle on the other side and pulled them tight.
"Grandma told me to tell you to come out…"
"..."
"We have special traditional drinks as well..."
He told me and left the room.
"Okay, thank you."
I told him, but he didn't listen.
I eventually left the room, and my eyes were full of orange fire, bright but not too bright that could hurt my sight. The bonfire at the center attracted everyone to gather around. There was music, live music. The traditional song I used to hear. The smell of the stew that I hadn't smelled for decades. Everything was so familiar, nostalgic feelings haunting me and calling me out.
"Zephyra..."
"..."
I was walking to feel the warmth of the bonfire.
"Zephyra!!"
And someone shouted my name.
"!!"
I turned around, and suddenly, that person jumped on me and hugged me.
"Zephyra..."
"Jodai..."
"..."
He hugged me so tight.
"How are you?"
I asked.
"I'm losing my mind."
He told me.
"...I'm sorry. Are you alright? I was afraid that you might..."
I was speaking while my face was in his chest.
"I was the one to say sorry...I thought you were sick like... real bad and never woke up..."
He sounded very worried.
"...And you're still here.. and you got us here."
I changed the tone so he would feel a bit lighter.
"...You were the one who found the place."
He told me.
"Us…thank you, Jodai."
I changed the answer and hugged him even tighter.
"Ahem! Are you making a drama movie?"
"..."
Then I looked around and saw people here watching us. Then my face turned red.
"Go eat."
The old lady ordered me again.
"And where are the firewood?"
The old lady shifted her eyes to Jodai.
"Oh, I saw Zephyra, so I dropped them there..."
He answered and pointed at the woods lying on the ground.
"That wasn't supposed to be in the walking path."
"...I'm sorry, ma'am, I'll take care of them!"
He flinched.
"..."
He glanced at me.
"Goodness, she's not going anywhere."
The old lady told him.
"I'll be right back."
He told me, and I nodded at him.
"Come eat."
The old lady led me to the food area.
I followed her, and all eyes were still on me. It seemed like a festival here in the village—the lanterns, the flowers hanging around, the food, and the music.
I picked up the clean, empty bowl and was about to grab the ladle. The old lady grabbed it first.
"Hold the bowl properly."
"Yes."
Then she scooped the stew into the bowl I was holding.
"Hot..."
"Steady."
She told me.
"Yes."
The old lady seemed scary, but she was kind.
"Grandma."
The man's voice called the old lady. I glanced at him. It was the same man who was watching me in the room.
"Bring the young lady here a special drink."
"Yes."
He answered, and his face was a bit startled while he looked at me.
"I hope you can drink alcohol."
The old lady told me.
"Yes, I can."
"Good, you need it tonight."
"Hm?"
"The drinks were made by the villagers, and tonight is a special day. I made them more special. It also gives you strength."
"..."
"I put the favorite wild herbs and wildflowers in there."
"..."
"It's not poisoned."
Poison.
"I'll go take a seat. My hands are numb right now."
I told the old lady bluntly as well.
"She's quite frank."
The man told the old lady.
"She's changed...Well, she's not a kid anymore."
The old lady told the man.
I headed to the long wooden table, sat on the empty seat, and then put the hot bowl on the table.
Where is the spoon?
"Here."
And then the same man before. He gave me the spoon with a drink.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"..."
I looked up at him and wondered why he didn't leave.
"Do you want to sit?"
I asked.
"..."
He smiled and then sat across from me.
"Your name is Zephyra, right?"
"Yes."
"You don't want to know my name?"
"...Pervert?"
"!!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to watch! It was an accident. I went after you, that was all. Really, I didn't see anything."
"You didn't see anything?"
"Y-Yes."
"How did you know I was trying to find the robe?"
"!!"
"I'm sorry!!!"
"Hehe, I'm just teasing you."
"Ha...Haha."
He was fake laughing.
"So, your name?"
I asked.
"Craitis."
"Unusual name."
"Likewise."
"Craitis, What are we celebrating? What kind of festival do you have today?"
I asked out of curiosity.
"..."
"Celebrating that you're coming back home."
He explained.
"!!!"