Sweet Dreams

5)"You know me And I Know You.Can I be Family?"

.............................................

Michael was serious when he said he'd visit that man and Clara again.No promises,after all.

He couldn't leave the house for about a week after the incident,as instructed by his dad before his boo and grandpa Phil stepped in and talked it all out.

Since then,Michael was allowed to practice going on his own.They first tried allowing him to walk around the outside of the house,just a little farther from the fences.The boy could see the twitching of their ears and strained smile,he knew they were holding back.

And honestly?

Michael was thankful they were trying to.He understood they wanted to snatch him and bring him inside—where it's safe,his dad would say—,but they knew they can't keep him in forever.At least,his grandpa Phil and uncle Techno did.

And thanks to that whole 'talking some sense with his parents' thing—he'll ignore the part when Phil muttered,'don't make the same mistakes I did'—Michael was able to reach the town all by himself.Although,it's just the market place;that's what his parents liked to call it.

There weren't many stores and stalls in the market place,most of them are abandoned in fact.One of the few shops that are still in business is the town's bakery,ran by his dad's long time friend Niki;But Michael likes to call her auntie Nik.

Michael likes her cookies,especially the ones with chocolate chips in it.He wonders if Clara would like these chocolate chip cookies,they are very tasty after all.Can she even eat cookies?Does two year olds eat cookies?He'll just have to wait and see.

His auntie Nik looked a lot like his uncle Techno,that he through she was a piglin hybrid too.Until he saw she had no tusk or tail did he realised she just dyed her hair pink,which didn't really change anything.His auntie Nik is badass and awesome!

So awesome,in fact,that she even secretly gave him a bit more cookies than usual;About fifteen instead of the usual ten.As well as some freshly baked bread she had just made earlier.

Well...at least he had something to give as a thank you gift.Its better than nothing,eh?

The bag he carried was a little heavy,but it's something Michael could handle.The forest around him was quite bright today,brighter than the last time he went inside.Maybe it's because he had familiarise his surroundings last time?

Well,the forest looked quite pretty.

He was thankful his family had allowed him to roam around the land for the day;with strict instructions of course.His parents said not to stray too far from the path,his grandpa Phil said to be very careful and stay within the sunlight,and his uncle Techno said to always have your guard up.

Alright,so that first rule?

Michael is yeeting that rule out the window.How was he supposed to visit them if he stayed within the path?

Although,to be fair,he did say he wouldn't scare his family like that again.Did he promise he wouldn't scare them again?Michael allowed that mischievous grin etch his face.

Somehow,as the boy walked off the main trail,Michael finds a faint outline of what he thinks is where a path would be.Pebbles and daisies were suspiciously lined up,but not in a obvious way that you would notice it immediately.The supposed trail was leading up inside the forest,the trees and bushes looking familiar.