To my dearest, most beloved, wonderful father. Forget everything I said yesterday! I want to go home!!
I sat alone, God knows where, in some building out in the treacherous neck of the woods with no sign of salvation! It all started back at the farm!
"Finally here!" I announced, stepping out of the cart and stretching to the heavens. Sleeping on the cold, hard ground—wood or dirt—can cause serious issues to one's posture. Nothing like the silk sheets I was used to. Man, what I wouldn't give to see my darling Meraline again…
[She's actually glad he's gone…]
I looked up at the building in front of me; it was an old shack made out of logs held together by wedges, its tiny stone chimney shooting smoke into the forest that lined the horizon behind it… however…
"There's not a freakin' farm in sight!" I shouted, my frustration evident.
"Do you shout for everything—" Yui muttered, getting out of the cart, our eyes drifting to a little girl who got out of the shack, a hoe in hand.
Her eyes were a bright hazel against her dark skin. Her frilly afro hair practically bounced with each step she made. Her ears were pointy, though not the same lengths as an elf's.
The girl blinked up at us, hoisting the hoe over her shoulder like a seasoned warrior. Mud streaked her overalls, and her boots were more patchy than leather.
"Who're you—" She eyed us up and down, caution in her gaze, and hey, I don't blame her. When faced with this muscle-bound creature right near me, I'd be scared too.
"We're here to collect this month's deliveries," Yui proclaimed, showing the card she was given by the guild attendant. Hesitantly, she took it, her eyes scanning the signed paper before nodding.
"Do you perhaps know the farmer in charge?"
The girl nodded, exhaling sharply as if she were pumping herself up for something. Her gloved hands dug into her flat chest, twisting the fabric of her overalls as she declared, "Y-yeah, that's me!"
"Ok, that's cute and all, but we're in a bit of a hurry here—" I urged, long past her jokes…
"I'm not joking!" she shouted, her face flushed in embarrassment at my disbelief. Yui sighed.
"Yeah, like I'd believe that. You're a kid!" I snapped.
"Ok then, just show us the way," I looked at Yui as she simply went along with it, my brow furrowed in confusion.
"What? She's a pixie, stop fretting!" She lightly patted me on the back, causing me to stumble slightly. "Farmer…" Though even if pixies have a high affinity for nature, she's still a kid—
"Sadly, I-I can't show you!" the kid argued weakly, her hand close to herself.
"Huh? Why not?" Yui pondered, the little girl inching backward toward the shack.
"Well… um, you're early!" she declared, Yui's eyes widening slightly before looking at me with a confused look.
"Did we?" she asked.
Please! She pulled that excuse right out her ass! Not a word out of that little shit's mouth has been truthful this whole time!! However… even I can't tell for sure if we did or not… Not like we had a timeframe or something… they probably just expected us to get in and out without an issue like this—
"That's right! U-um, the vegetables haven't fully bloomed yet!" she declared, pointing at us with her free hand, her hoe still on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, but you need to wait!"
"And how long exactly…" I muttered, slightly annoyed.
"A week."
You little… I gritted my teeth as I walked up to her, my arm coiling the sleeve of my shirt, only to be held back by Yui by my collar, keeping me at her side. The pixie kid's eyes darted between us and the shack like a rabbit deciding which way to bolt. Her hoe trembled slightly.
"A week?! I want to go home, damn it!" I shouted, trying desperately to escape Yui's grip.
"Sure, we can wait a week," Yui smiled, ignoring my rant and dragging me back to the cart, my heels digging into the dirt the more I resisted.
"Come on, down boy," she cooed mockingly as we went along. The pixie watched us leave before heading into the forest herself.
Day turned to night, the forest looking even more eerie in the backdrop. I gritted my teeth as I watched on, glaring into the forest from the cart for any sight of her return.
"Would you give it a rest already?" Yui asked, yawning mid-sentence. It was already striking midnight soon, and she still hadn't returned… this whole thing feels fishy—
"No," I replied bluntly, not taking my gaze off the forest for a second. I could hear rustling behind me, Yui rolling her eyes and settling in for the night. I kept on watch, some weird patch of light catching the corner of my eye for a mere moment.
I quickly turned to it, but by the time I did, it was already gone. I rubbed my eyes, confused as to what that possibly was.
Minutes, then an hour passed me by, my eyes starting to fall dreary from sleep, though my bladder was fully awake. Now I have another issue—I need to go pee, but… the only stretch of trees in this field is the forest!
I can't go there! Not after that light I saw!! I turned to Yui, my hand lightly nudging her to wake.
"Pst, hey—hey!" I hissed, but she was out like a light, sprawled out on her mat like a little kid—
Great, just great!
The forest loomed ahead, its gnarled branches twisting like skeletal fingers in the moonlight. That thing—that flicker of unnatural light—had come from there. And yet… biology cares not for my cowardice.
I glanced at Yui, still dead to the world, her snores almost mocking me.
Gritting my teeth, I slid off the cart, my boots hitting the dirt with a thud. Every rustle of leaves made my spine stiffen.
"It's fine. Just a quick piss. Nothing lurks in the dark waiting to ambush idiots relieving themselves. Probably."
I crept toward the tree line, my resolve crumbling with each step. At the very edge, I hesitated. The forest exhaled a cold breath, the chilling breeze sending shivers down my spine.
Nope. Nope. Not thinking about that. Unbuckling my belt with the speed of a man defusing a bomb, I aimed at the nearest bush—strategically close enough to bolt if needed—and muttered,
"Don't look down, don't look down—"
Though despite my warnings, as I finished up, my eyes drifted downward, gaze catching upon a tiny creature glowing a dim green, its hollowed eyes staring into my very soul.
The creature's very presence made me jolt still from fright, my body tense as we both just stood there, staring at each other.
"H-Hey there?"