Chapter 24: Missing children (Part 1)
1771 Words
Taki followed the sweet smell floating in the air as we followed her it brings us to a popular stall located near the flower patch garden.
“This is the sweet smell… I knew it’s sweets!”
Taki delightedly said and pointed out the sweets with an excited expression on her face.
Looking at the sweets made me drool a bit. They look so precious and sparkling like gems.
Such cute-looking sweets exist in this world. Eating it is such a waste. I want to adore its magnificent look.
Beside me, Yumi is drooling with me while staring at the sweets.
“Oh, I didn’t know that I will come to see you so soon Laura.”
The owner of the stall talked with me and I recognized her immediately.
“Kaoru.”
Then I remember the time Kaoru told me before. She left her previous town to open a pastry business. That’s why this city name is familiar to me. That means the small town said on the map is Everfloria city. That means the next city was the central city.
“You made new friends.”
“Yup, this girl is named Taki and this pink-haired girl is Yumi.”
“So nice to be young… Looks like your friend Taki wants to eat sweets so much.”
Taki turned her glance toward Kaoru. And pointed out the strawberry cake behind the glass.
“How much is this?”
“That will be 50 mels.”
“50 mels?”
Taki became dejected and turn her face around. She looks at her wallet and opens it. A butterfly flies away from her wallet.
I wonder how the butterfly survives inside her wallet?
Taki with tear eye’s turn her glance on me. She started to look like a crying dog begging for food. So is quite cute but I also don’t have enough money. If I spend too much I’ll be on red. The hospital bills all go in my pocket.
Yumi also doesn’t have money and started begging me like Taki.
What is this feeling? I feel like I became a mother to irresponsible kids.
My wallet is also near empty. I can’t afford to buy them, sweets, with the little money I had left. I heard that the expenses in the capital city are quite higher than the average city and town. I should be cautious in using my money.
Yumi and Taki continue to look at me with their cute teary eyes.
“Well…”
“You two seem to be good girls… I guess I’ll give both of you free sweets for today.”
Kaoru said and then give Yumi and Taki the sweets they wanted.
Seems like Kaoru felt that I’m broke and I had no money to spare. Kaoru sure is a nice girl. But I felt a little guilty about it.
“Kaoru…”
“Don’t worry about it, I’m also in debt with you.”
“But you paid me that time.”
“Just don’t think too much about it and have this sweet. I’m still starting in making sweets. I need some comments from my friends. Letting you and your friend have a try is part of my experience to become a great patissier.”
Kaoru said a cheerful tone and briefly grinned. She then get’s the same strawberry cupcake she gives to Yumi and Taki to my hand.
The strawberry cupcakes look so good. It’s so wasteful to destroy such art in front of me.
I want to adore this sweets cuteness… Never mind that I better had to know its taste.
I took a bite of the cupcake.
After taking one bite, I was brought into paradise. It's so fluffy and the sweets are just right. It’s not that creamy. The cream is in the right texture.
I turned my glance toward Kaoru with glimmering eyes.
I started to admire her more.
“You seem like a patissier.”
“Because I am a patessier… Laura, I am a patessier.”
Taki and Yumi had the same reaction and admire the taste given toward them. They both wanted more and with Kaoru’s kindness they take another one for free, but that was the last.
I was a bit jealous looking at them eating. And then, Kaoru pokes my cheeks and gives me my second cupcake. I was so happy and eat the cupcake to satisfied myself.
“That was so good.”
“Yeah.”
“Looks you two are on the same page in this one.”
I said toward Taki and Yumi.
…
After eating, we decided to take a rest and look toward the flower patch garden. Yumi looks at the insects eating each other. Meanwhile, Taki is joining the musicians playing their instrument with her bell.
They look so lively and it made me very happy.
I walked around the flower patch and look toward the many different flowers. Different lower with each different colors and scent. The flower looks different to each other but they are all pretty on my eye’s.
I wonder why is that? Maybe beauty goes in many forms. Everyone is unique and has its own advantage.
“This blue flower looks like Mayu’s hair. It also had its star shape.”
Seems like the leave of that tree we saw that day.
“That’s a starlight flower… That flower is said to be found beyond the human empire.”
“Whoah! You startled me, Belle.”
Appearing beside me is Belle the little sister of Kaoru. She coached and look toward the star-like flower.
“Beyond the human empire? That means the dark territory.”
Belle nodded.
“That’s right, the dark territory is called dark territory because it’s was shaded black on the map. In this world, no one knows how big the world really was. People is been living in this world for many years in the human empire. Only a few people dared to go beyond the border. It said that beyond the border is either hell or paradise.”
“You do know a lot about the dark territory.”
I said.
“Well, I’m currently reading some books about it and I got hooked. If no one knows how vast the world was. Then no one has ever traveled the whole world alone. I wonder when I read those in the books.”
Belle said and then look toward the vast blue sky. Looking in the unknown with curiosity in her eyes.
Her doing that make me remember Mayu who also look at the sky the same way.
Mayu dreams of traveling the world and exploring the unknown. She is that kind of girl. Our thirst for adventure then leads us to the border.
Accidentally crossing the border. We met grave punishment. Everyone suffered in the town. Mayu was taken by the knight and I was left alone.
Even still, that my life is ruined because of that place. I still don’t know why I don’t hate it. Instead, I wanted to go toward the dark territory and explore it. Like in the “Adventures of Emily”.
That’s right that book. Emily in the book explores the world already.
“There is an adventurer that traveled on around the world.”
I said.
Belle turns her glance toward me.
“What?! Who was it?”
“It’s a traveler named Emily… She traveled the world beyond the dark territory. We saw it, we go to the border before with my friend. We go to confirm if the book was telling the truth. Upon arriving at the dark territory. We saw it, the tree with star-shaped leaves. Its leaves are glowing majestic blue and everything in that forest looks magical. It feels like a fairy tale.”
“You go to the border?”
“Yup, well many things happened after that.”
“I know Laura was brave but you are very brave.”
Belle started to respect Laura more. After that moment.
Kaoru then walked in our direction and take Belle's hands.
“Huh, you closed the shop already?”
“I already lost all my ingredients. I need to close the shop early today. Also, it’s better this way. Because there is a news that some kids are being kidnapped in the city these past days. I was worried about Belle. I don’t want her to go so far away from me.”
I was kidnaped before too. That was the time Koyuki saved me. If I didn’t stumble upon Koyuki I wonder where I am now.
“Kidnaped kids… That’s scary.”
“You three better watch out and go to the Inn before the sun sets.”
“Roger that… Thank you for warning me.”
Kaoru and Belle leave waving their hands at me. I wave my hand back on them. Looking at their back. Until their shadows faded on the road.
I then go back on looking at the flowers.
“Laura look the musician give me some part of their earnings. Now I have some money o buy more food for dinner and to stay at the Inn.”
Taki walked toward me and presented her hat full of money.
“That’s great… It’s already afternoon. We better find and reserve an Inn to stay in tonight. Adventurers are going back to their city after the sunsets. We might lose someplace to stay.”
“Then we should go now.”
“That’s right.”
Looking around the flower patch garden. We both started looking for Yumi.
“Where is Yumi?”
“Yumi is on the corner of the garden earlier… Did she run away or maybe she in the restroom.”
Taki and I walked toward the last place Yumi was staying. We then found out a hairpin laying on the ground.
We both recognized the hairpin easily.
“This gold star hairpin. It’s Yumi’s hairpin.”
I said and then remember the words Kaoru told me earlier.
Don’t tell me Yumi was kidnapped?!
- Writer
