The Seamster and The Demon

1. The Chalk Incident

Dear parents all over the world, have you ever truly regretted a gift you gave your beloved offspring?

Maybe you made the mistake of gifting them a recorder and a few music sheets of their favourite movie themes. Oh, the joy of furious neighbours that would forever keep you in their books of personal hatred for the sleepless nights your kids would grace them with as they became world superstars in their own orchestra.

Or perhaps, you presented them a single video game, and it became an obsession you wished they had never begun because their grades dropped at record speeds once they fell deeper into that rabbit hole.

Several gifts shouldn't ever be made for the sanity of yourself, your kid, and every other human being on Earth.

Seonghwa couldn't anticipate for the world of it how the eight pieces of drawing chalk he got for two dollars at the stationary store brought the best and the worst visitor he had ever allowed on his couch upon him. When purchasing the gift for Wooyoung, he had been pondering the places he could draw on, to tell him not to run off onto the streets, and the mess of dust the boy would have on his pants later.

But even if it was a lot to clean, Seonghwa didn't mind. He cleaned Wooyoung all the time anyway, so if he had to clean him once more or less in exchange for the boy having a fun time in their driveway with his chalks, then he would take that.

Seonghwa had expected flowers and cartoon characters underneath his car tires. The literal demon that appeared in his garden was entirely uncalled for.

After a long few hours of driving around town and getting all the groceries Seonghwa needed over the holiday, he had finally made it home that fateful day. He had picked up Wooyoung from kindergarten after his last visit at the thrift store to get a new pair of shoes for Wooyoung since the boy's feet grew quicker than bean sprouts. At the sight of the chalk on the back seat, Wooyoung had gleamed like a firefly in the night. His little hands had attempted to reach for it right then and there, but Seonghwa had promised him far more space to draw on once they got home.

All through the rest of their ride back, Wooyoung thrummed with energy. He tapped his little thick fingers on his thighs, at the door, and on his seat as he kept glancing at the bucket with chalk as if he had to check it was still there.

Seonghwa had never gotten chalk for Wooyoung before. But seeing his kid so excited about it had him relieved that the trick had worked. His son was too distracted with his extraordinary mission to guard the chalk all the way home that he forewent any nagging about Seonghwa driving too slow.

The moment the engine turned off and Seonghwa reached to unbuckle Wooyoung's seatbelt; the boy was off with a flash. Impressed, Seonghwa counted the dust particles he left behind. Before he had even gotten his key from the hole, Wooyoung already pulled at the back door impatiently. Quick, Seonghwa got out to help him with the weight of the heavy thing. Together, they managed to free the chalk bucket from its seatbelt and set it down on the ground.

Again, Wooyoung made little noises of exertion as if that would aid his clumsy fingers that pulled on the lid.

"Let me do it," Seonghwa offered with his hands outstretched. Huffing, Wooyoung showed him his cold shoulder.

"I can do it myself!" Once more, he scratched his blunt nails over the plastic. Seonghwa wondered if a part squirrel had sneaked somewhere in his son's DNA. He couldn't remember dating a squirrel.

He stood there for a moment longer, waiting. Then, Wooyoung threw the bucket around with a pout on his lips.

"It's a stupid bucket; it doesn't like me."