PERKY

4

The day had turned gloomy since the sun had decided to hide in the clouds. The road looked slightly lumpy, as if it had been drawn with crayons. There was a forest on one side and a large green field with the some markets on the other. The horses were behind the fence. They were a multitude of different hues.

It took almost five minutes by car to get the farm. Finally, we came to the end of the road.

When I was little, I always wondered where the end of the road was. This was such a place. It's like a dead end street. First we took a left turn from the main road. The forest was giving way to farmland here.

We came to the end after three minutes in this part where the markets came to an end. It was as high as the inn gates. Even inside the car I felt tiny.

The ivy surrounding the iron bars above the gigantic door adorned the letters LEROY. Fascinating.

It looked like a door to a fairy tale land. As the iron door opened, the car slowly crept in. That private part that was not allowed to enter without an invitation had to be here.

"Welcome to LEROY Farm!" said Helene. I felt weird as if I had tumbled into another world.

While I expected huge statues and lots of bad manners, the biggest wealth around was greenery. The inside was not as majestic as the door. Even the architecture kept its simplicity while its craftsmanship looked very good. It was surprising. I was almost sure I'd see gold or something everywhere.

The houses, arranged side by side in a rectangular shape that did not exceed two floors, were mostly made of stone, and their doors and windows were made of colored wood. It felt like I was visiting a pristine, humble town.

I returned to watch the horses around the deciduous trees as they passed the stone-coloured structures that did not grin between the green and the blue of the sky.These animals, which I have always seen from afar, have always seemed powerful to me. They were noble animals. It was also evident that the horses here were well cared for. It was as if a huge farm belonged to them, but people were guests.

I felt that we had arrived when everything was left behind and we continued only with the trees. On the right, a little further inland from the road, stood a one-story house. This place was preserved as it was, although the others had undergone minor improvements over time. Maybe this was the first place.

As the car pulled up towards it, an electric current emanated from my heart to the rest of my body. This place used to look like the paintings that hung in my grandmother's house. Only the rushing river beside the house was missing.

When the car stopped, "We're here," said Helene. When I saw someone waiting on the porch, I hugged the flower pot I was holding between my knees and threw myself out. As the leaves swayed with their own murmur that accompanied the whistle of the wind, the fallen ones took off above the ground and fell back before they were too far away. There was a slight breeze. I pretended not to look towards the patio, as if I was interested.

While looking at the pine tree next to me, trying to see the melodious-sounding bird that had left the flock of crows, I pushed the strand that had fallen in front of my ear behind my ear.

Everything seemed to be under the influence of a strange spell. The breeze left a pleasant feeling as the leaves swayed melancholy."He is a nightingale." Hecame near me. "Also called the Red Cross."

I turned my head  and looked at him. With his hands tied behind his back, he was looking at the pine with me. I was not short. He was even taller.

I looked for something familiar in her smooth-cut, soft-looking hair, and in her foggy-looking eyes from here. I was shaking with excitement and terrified that it would be obvious. He looked warmer than the images on the internet, but the images in my mind didn't have a distinct face.