Howl Your Appellations

The Day After

BOEN OPEOR

    It was wrong for me to sleep in the conversation pit. I always end up sleeping in weird positions because, for some reason, I tend to hug the closest thing in my reach. And the conversation pit has many a-things within it so my body gets confused and tries to hug everything. Well, this is what the house keeper told me at least. After all these years, I can't say she's wrong, almost all my plushie's melded into one big plushie chimera. I'm terribly sorry guys. Let me fix you all up.

    First, Plexy the giant one-eyed starfish, then Rigara my favorite cotton candy lady, Mello the white flat axolotl, Aesoup the soupman of stories, my little bean dogs: Tack, Mulch and Fertilizer, Long Worm pillow, the most adorable Ribbon rabbit, my dear B. B. Batter and last but not least---Huh? Where's Kira? Did Soft take them again?

    "Soft? Where are you?" I scoured the living room in the search for my missing plushie and (probably) culprit cat. I take one of Soft's toys from her tower and start to shake it. Little bells reminiscent of glass wind chimes escape from the soft belly of the stuffed toy." Soft! I got your little Twinkly here so you better give me back Kira. You know you're not allowed to drag them around the house! I keep forgetting to buy batteries for our little romb vacuum!"

    I jingle Twinkly again, this time more aggressively, and lo and behold, Soft emerges from the dark ceiling holes of the cabin, with her and Kira covered with dust and shiny cobwebs.

    "You dirty cat! You know you're not allowed up there! What if you hit the hanging decor! Or get stuck! How am I supposed to get you out!?" She takes my nagging, quietly and almost seemingly with remorse. She jumps up for me to catch her and places Kira on my right shoulder. I playfully blow and brush all of the dust and cobwebs from her body. She purrs a "sorry mommy" and I forgive her like always.

    It always bothered me how, the people of Abalone likes to hang the things they think are of value to them. But they're never really dangerous items, just, for example books, tea kettles, or old robes. They're completely harmless and yet it comes off to me as something unnecessarily dramatic, to dearly value something so that you can place it dangling above yourself. But who am I to criticize people of their beliefs. To my grandpa, what he values would be dead trees, or chunks of them anyway. Every time I look up they dangle from the ceiling indifferently. It's as if they're tethered against their will and now have lost all hopes of escape.

    I walk to the kitchen to prepare breakfast food for me and my little black fluff. She jumps off just as I was about to place her on the counter. Cats, am I right? I take Kira my crochet black and pink wolf doll and wipe the cobwebs, dust and drool off of them. The drool made a bit of dirt stick into the fabric....

    Yesterday, I saw a wolf girl and met a very strange lady. Her thick messy hair and broad physique still invades my whole memory of her, that and she also licked my moon ring, which is unsurprisingly unchanged, despite what my dream suggested. I think I may have overreacted. I don't dream a lot but stress always causes me to have mild nightmares related to my stressor. My encounters were not as I expected but now that I've slept and thought about it for a bit, I don't think it was a bad experience. In fact, it was fantastically exhilarating.

    She told me to meet her at the tree but I'm not sure which one she means. Her instructions are always confusing and unclear. But, in any case, she licked my ring so she owes me info and possibly her cooperation about finding the wolf girl... which she’s probably acquainted with. So many mysteries.

    "BZZZT BZZZT LALA~" Says my phone as it vibrates. I am stuck in place as I remember all the work and deadlines I need to make. I have to finish crocheting the new season designs for the crop tops and deliver them at the airport. Tomorrow, I’ll have to go to the café again and update Isa on the coasters. But what about Lissana? How do I tell her I won’t be able to meet up the next few days? Hmm, oh! I’ll write her a letter! And tape it on the fork tree! She’ll probably wonder why I can’t come and look for me. She doesn’t know where the cabin is so this is the best solution.

Dear Ms. Lissana,

I’ll be busy for a couple of days, at least two, so I will not be able to meet you. My work schedule’s a bit all over the place since I just up and left the dorm. Anyway~ I hope you’ll wait for me (please).

-Boen (the girl with the moon ring)

P.S. You didn’t tell me which tree you meant so that makes it even harder for me to meet you!

    Okay~ this is probably enough. But did I really need to mention that I left my boarding school just so I could live here? Probably not. But miss Boen Opeor does not like to waste paper so this letter shall be sent. I’ll just do what I need to do first then tape it to the fork tree.

    I’m a designer for my family’s clothing brand “Alpas” where we make clothes, shoes, bags and the like. I’m in charge of coming up with designs for the crocheted clothes department. I’ve honestly come up with pretty simple designs but I hope everyone will like it. My favorite so far is my crown-neck crop top with orchid sleeves design, “Eria”.It looks a little messy but I’m sure they can balance my design when they receive it. My older sister has the last say on the designs though, if she doesn’t like it then I’ll have to make new ones. If it was up to me, I’d make a whole clothing line dedicated to the beauty of orchids! But right now, it’s a good thing I started designing early, I need to finish knitting two more designs so I can deliver it to them late this afternoon.

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    I can’t be bothered to dress properly so I’ll wear my jacket dress. It’s apparently a dress worn by a video game character I don’t know about so that explains why the design is so creative and out there. The side pockets exceed the length of the dress and flops around like bunny ears, chiffon is used for the shoulder fabric and whoever decided that black, blue and brown as its color palettes just yes.

    Soft would like to accompany me this time so she relaxes on my shoulders again. The beams of sunlight piercing the trees always give off a sort of lucky tranquility.I breathe it in. I tape the letter near the mushrooms at the side of the fork tree so Lissana can see it right away. I give the little letter a kiss for good luck. Soft also gets a kiss since she’s a little jealous baby.

    As we’re walking towards the shed I hear rustling from the thick forest bushes, there’re layers upon layers of shrubbery so I could not see what was behind them. It continues to rattle and I hasten my steps out of fear. And through one of the bushes near the shed, I hear, “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.” The bushes rustle one more time and back again to the silence of the forest. I could have sworn I saw a wolf’s tail rush out of the shrubberies but I’m not entirely sure. What was not my fault? And why were they sorry? Hopefully these are questions I don’t need to think about much.

    When I faced to open the shed door, the words “Forest Witch” was spray painted on the door. I actually think it looks kind of neat? I know it’s those high school kids that did this. Why would they build a High School near the forest? Beats me.But then again, why am I living alone in the forest? Maybe I am becoming a Forest Witch. In any case, this is probably what the voice was telling me about. It’s okay, I forgive them.

    I left for the airport which is an hour and 30 minute drive. The road isn’t messing with me as much as it used to. Maybe I’m finally welcomed by the island. I tell my phone to play A Box of Penumbras Podcast but a call interrupted my command. It’s Moze.

“Bo! Are you okay? I told you to keep me updated.” Her voice is as strong and bubbly as ever, Soft recognizes it and inspects my phone. I carefully stroke her away.

“Didn’t I? Oh right I forgot to send you the picture. Yeah no I’m actually having so much fun. So what did they want you to tell me?”

    “Haha! You always know when it’s the s**t call. Well, your sister told me to tell you that you’ll be attending a party with them, there in Abalone. Something about business? I don’t know. You know? It’s a month from now though so have some more fun I guess!”

“Huh. We’ll okay. Thanks for filling me in. You’re my favorite cousin!”

“Ha! Just remember to keep me updated on you, Bo. Okay?”

“Yeah. I promise.”

    I didn’t think I’d hear her voice so soon. My only friend who’s just as impulsive as me. She’s the only thing keeping me from completely disappearing; and the only person keeping me from severing my ties with my family. There’s still a long way to go before I reach the airport but I don’t feel like listening to anything anymore. I open my window and let the cool air in.