Ifrailian Tales

Day at the park

"Be careful sweetie," Naomi Haruka said, ignoring all the maternal instincts which were desperately trying to convince her that this was a bad idea. Jasmine, Naomi's six year old daughter, skipped down the dirt path, connected to a small playground, holding a gray wolf plushie on top of her head. Jasmine spun back around, her eyes gleaming with an excitement and wonder, only found in children.

"Mhmm! Okay mommy," Jasmine replied, twisting back around to trot down the path again. Her mother sighed, smiling weakly as the little ball of chaotic energy she called a daughter ran out of eyesight. If she hurried, Jasmine would only be alone for a few minutes, Naomi nodded to herself after having successfully calmed her anxiety. She checked the bag, which hung off her right shoulder, making sure it was secure before walking down the sidewalk. 

As Naomi made her way towards her destination, she felt the leering eyes of those she passed by. She came to a stop in front of a shop. Observing the reflection in the window, using it as a makeshift mirror. Crimson hair flowing down past the shoulders, a burgundy dress that clung to her body, and finishing off the outfit was a white rose hair clip, tucked above her left ear. Admittedly, it was more flashy then Naomi's normal attire, a bit too flashy for her liking,

"Maybe I should have waited till tonight to get dressed up..." Naomi sighed just as a heavy set man strode past, whistling at the sight of her. With a snap of her fingers a perfect recreation of a bird materialized atop Naomi's shoulder. But instead of feathers or flesh, it's body was made up of a crystal clear, glass like substance. As if it was already aware of it's creator's will, the creature spread out it's wings and cut through the air as it charged the stranger, clawing and pecking at the man's face. Naomi smirked, ignoring the commotion her familiar was causing and continued down the road to her friends place.

She took a left turn, exchanging shops and businesses for suburban housing. Every house in the neighborhood was two stories tall, with only a select few exceeding that limit. Three, or even four levels to a single building... seemed silly to her. Two homes down the street, Naomi spotted the faint silhouette of a slender figure, posted up on a house's wall.

"Well, well, well," a deep voiced woman spoke, leaning against the wall of her house, arms folded.

"Guess the married life isn't working out as well as you expected?"

"Ahaha, no it's quite nice actually," Naomi replied with a smile, with her hand on her hip. The woman chuckled and motioned for Naomi to follow, she opened up the door and entered the house. Naomi was the last on inside, therefore it was her responsibility to close the thick wooden door behind them. Naomi's friend lived in a modest home, with a single bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom and in between them all, the living room. Naomi took a seat on the couch, setting the bag she had been carrying next to her.

"So what brings you here," the woman asked, as she left the kitchen, two small cups in hand. She took a seat next to Naomi, passing her a cup. Naomi swirled the blue liquid around inside the glass, wafting the distinct fragrance of alcohol into her nostrils. Begrudgingly, Naomi set the glass down on the coffee table, letting out a small groan. "Alexis, am I not allowed to visit a friend?"

"No, but I know you better than that," Alexis countered, downing her drink.

"So, what're you really here for?" her cheeks became a soft, rosy shade of pink. Naomi took a moment to gather up the correct words, but Alexis leaned over the bag, staring directly into Naomi's eyes. 

...

...

Naomi cracked.

"Alright I'll tell you, god," Naomi giggled and reached into the bag, plucking a small, round candy out. Alexis's eyes widened, her entire demeanor changed at the sight of the marble sized sweet. Going from an assertive, confident drunk to an awestruck and overall much more friendly persona. Naomi couldn't help but notice the way Alexis gawked at her, eyes gleaming with the same excitement Jasmine had shown when she ran off to the park.

"Are those what I think they are?"

"Yep," Naomi flicked the morsel in Alexis's direction, miraculously landing it inside her mouth. Alexis squealed and swirled her tongue around the candy, savoring the complex flavor. Allowing it to coat the entirety of her tongue. It was always a treat to see Alexis like this, a huge departure from the stern woman she usually was.

"And there's more where that comes from," Naomi placed the bag onto the table, pulling the edges apart, which revealed it's contents. Inside the plastic bag, was an abundance of chewy sweets. Hundreds of all nine different colored variations of the candy known as 'Dew Drops' all toppled over one another like a series of tiny boulders. They were quite good, 'a taste of a foreign land!' or at least that's what the packaging stated. Maybe the alcohol was to blame, but whatever the reason Alexis wrapped her arms around Naomi, hiccupping while she nuzzled up against her right cheek.

"Thaaaaaank you," she said, tears of joy welling up inside her eyes. Although wary, Naomi patted her intoxicated friend on the back.

"I knew you liked them, and it was your birthday so I figured-"

"You are an angel," Alexis said, snuggling into Naomi's shoulder. Talk about a light weight-- Naomi would've needed an entire bottle before she could even hope to feel tipsy. That wasn't Alexis's fault though, only her genetics. In the end, Naomi sighed and let her drunken friend enjoy the moment. 

Eventually, Alexis pulled away, her gaze locked on Naomi, looking her up and down.

"What's with the outfit?" Alexis hiccupped again.

Naomi let out a nervous laugh. 

"It's our anniversary," she admitted, "Time sure flies bye, doesn't it?" 

Alexis rolled her eyes, stuffing her face with the dew drops.

"You can say that again... so, where's the loving husband at?" Alexis questioned whilst loudly munching on the chewy candies.

Naomi ignored her friend's piggish behavior, "Not sure, he said he'd meet Jasmine and I at the playground down the road."

"Huh, wait Jasmine's here?"

"Yes, she's already at the park. You know her, always on the move"

Alexis puffed her cheeks out, tugging on Naomi's nose.

"What're you doing here then dum duuum," Alexis spouted out, Naomi winced, swatting at her friend's sides until she eventually released her grip.

Alexis's gaze burned a hole right through Naomi's soul. These mood swings were without a doubt, the scariest part of a drunk friend. In an instant, they'd go from a playful, happy go lucky baby, to an angry, bad mouthed nuisance. But Alexis did have a point, even though it had only been a few minutes, it was far too long for a child to be left alone. Especially in a public park, where any number of life threatening situations could occur. Naomi knew this, and even so she still allowed herself to be swayed by Jasmine's reassuring smile. Now that Alexis had brought these worries back to the surface, there was no chance in hell that she'd stick around any longer. After saying her goodbyes to Alexis, thanking her for the drink, she bolted out the door.

The world around her seemed to stop, the only thing she could think about was her daughter. Concrete streets turned into a rugged dirt path as she retraced her steps. Once she reached the playground, her heart sank. It was empty, no parents, no children horsing around, and most importantly, no Jasmine.

"Huh, this isn't the playground..." Jasmine tilted her head to the side, she could have sworn this was the right way. Every other time she visited this park, she'd go down this exact path and yet nothing was there. Jasmine turned to the right, no slide, not even the swing set was where it was supposed to be. It wasn't just the lack of equipment that was strange, it was the area itself. Long, thin blades of grass poked through the ground, some even surpassing her own height. It was as if this piece of land hadn't been touched by humans in centuries, allowing nature to run a muck. 

Jasmine's young mind was not developed nearly enough to comprehend this abstract situation.

Without warning she was struck with the throbbing pain of a migraine. Jasmine dropped her stuffed animal into the overgrown bush that covered the ground as she brought both hands up to her head, gripping her hair tightly, hoping the pain would fade.

Eventually, the throbbing pain diminished. Becoming nothing more than a distant memory, Jasmine reached down, picking up her stuffed animal. A chill wind swept across the clearing, rustling through the vegetation. Jasmine shivered, hugging the plushie, a small comfort in this dark situation.

"I don't like this..." She started, "Let's go find mom." 

Jasmine turned around, only to stop dead in her tracks. Towering above her, was a strange woman Jasmine had never met, wearing an all black suit that was obviously a size too small for the woman's body, as it was particularly tight around her assets. This made the already unsettled Jasmine, tremble. She opened her mouth to speak, yet no words came out. The woman shifted her body slightly, rousing a loud scream from the child, she tumbled back and threw her plush at the stranger before scampering a few feet back.

The woman caught the stuffed animal, glancing it over, then to Jasmine's surprise, the stranger laughed. The unknown woman brought her attention back to Jasmine, she could see the tears dripping down the child's face. The stranger opened her mouth to speak, but closed it just as fast. Perhaps she had determined her words, unfit to quell the girl's fears. Instead she crouched down, putting herself on a similar playing field with the child,

"Would you like to see a trick," she was trying her best to speak in a gentle, mother like tone. Without breaking eye contact with the child, she extended her right arm to the side, a bright light radiated from her palm. Jasmine hid behind her own hands as the light grew brighter. Although she couldn't see, she could hear the sound of glass crackling. Once the dust settled and the noises disappeared, Jasmine removed her hands, slowly opening her eyes. And what she saw was beautiful, stunning, breathtaking, but those particular words were outside of her limited vocabulary so instead all she said was...

"Cute!" Jasmine squealed, sitting up in order to get a better look at the vibrant colors of the hollow recreation of a wolf that stood next to the stranger. It's fur, or rather it's structure was constantly cycling between bright, neon shades of pink and red. This seemed to please the woman, who placed Jasmine's plushie upon the wolf's back.

The fake animal carefully approached Jasmine, not wanting to frighten her, and before the kid realized, it was right in front of her. The wolf arched it's back, allowing the much smaller, cuter version of itself to slide down, but the stuffed animal's tail got caught on the familiar's ear. Jasmine giggled, most of her fear having left her small body as she reached down and picked the plushie up.

The woman watched from afar, and after she saw the girl pat the familiar's head as if it was a household pet. She assumed the child was ready to talk. The stranger made her way towards the pair, Jasmine wasn't paying attention though. She was busy babbling to the wolf, showering it with praise and adoration. Once the stranger closed the distance between her and Jasmine, she began to speak.

"See, nothing to be afraid of," She said, a bright smile spread across her face.

Jasmine looked up, tilting her head to the side, "M... Mhm." A soft noise of confirmation leaked out of the frightened girl. 

"So, what's your name young lady?"

Jasmine looked away from the stranger, as if suddenly remembering her situation. She squeezed her toy tightly, it's plastic eyes popping out in between her fingers. "J...Jasmine," She replied timidly. It didn't take an expert to know that this child was afraid, and with the most heartwarming smile she could muster, the stranger tapped Jasmine on the shoulder.

"What's wrong Jasmine?"

"I...I-"

"You are... lost?" The stranger interrupted.

Jasmine nodded, "I just want my mommy back..."

Like most children, Jasmine held the belief that as long as her mother was around, she would be safe. That she would understand the unexplained, expecting said information to be delivered to her in a form a child's developing mind could understand. When of course, in reality, her parental figure no matter how ideal, is still human. The stranger reached out, placing her hand on Jasmine's shoulder.

"Child, your parents aren't always going to be around to guide you."

"Huh, why not?" Jasmine met the woman's gaze.

"Life is ever changing, eventually you'll have to go through hardships, alone."

"B-But," The young girl started, "I don't want to be alone..."

"You won't be alone," The stranger pulled her hand back, pressing it against her chest.

"Whenever you feel alone or scared, just think about something you long for, whatever it may be, once you have it in your mind, give it shape." She clenched her fist, holding it in front of Jasmine, once she curled out her fingers, like a flower in bloom, three cyan blue butterfly familiars scattered, spreading their beauty across the overgrown clearing. Much like when she summoned the wolf, Jasmine seemed to forget her problems, if only for a moment.

"Now how about we get you home child," The stranger said, before Jasmine could respond, the surrounding area distorted, slowly shifting back into a version of the clearing she recognized. The swing set, slide, and jungle gym were all where she remembered them. The stranger and her wolf had vanished, Jasmine looked up at the sky staring up at the blanket of darkness, full of twinkling stars that dotted the canvas above.

"Night time...?" Yet again Jasmine felt a sense of bewilderment she had never felt before today. A low growl came from behind, Jasmine quickly snapped back, seeing a pair of blood red eyes shine through the darkness. Out of the darkness came a wolf, it's fur gray with dirt smeared along the entirety of its body.

The wild beast snarled at Jasmine, paralyzed with fear, all she could do was stare at the creature. The beast howled into the night, then lunged forward! Jasmine shrieked, clinging to her stuffed toy, longing for a knight to save her-- just like the ones she saw on television. Before the wolf could lay a paw on Jasmine's head, a loud bang roared through the night, followed by a thud.

"Jasmine." Naomi shouted, running towards her little girl. She fell to her knees, arms wrapped around her, she pressed her face against Jasmine's cheek, tears pouring down Naomi's face. Jasmine wasn't paying attention to her mother, she was staring at the man who stood behind her mother, smoke still trailing off the barrel of his handgun. Jasmine didn't need to worry any longer, both of her parents were here. Now in the presence of her loved ones, Jasmine felt secure, safe, and most of all relieved that the strange events of the day can be put behind her, that she could enjoy more time with her family, forever.