Ring of Mushrooms

3

Part of you thought that you were not a good fit to babysit. The baby would scream and you'd freeze for a few moments too long before you would apear by its side. This was definitely not the cutest baby you've ever seen though. At least he was older than a newborn, he was more than a few months still struggling to sit up without help, but he could easily recognize Lilia.
Lilia would wake you sometimes late at night, hanging above you and informing you that you're in charge for a while until he was done with work. You had no idea what his work involved. You had no idea if he was actually working or just taking a break to vanish off into the woods for a nap, not that you could blame him or anything.
You were good at some parts of this. The little one would happily eat with you, his little hands would let you steal the random objects he wanted to chew on. Sometimes he would just stare. He loved looking at the portraits, his wide eyes would studdy them as you prepared something to eat. His little hands would reach out tapping the flat face. Then he would giggle and cheer, and oh god you liked this little thing more than you wanted to admit.
So he happily laid on his back, his small hands reaching up to you as you scribbled away. With a small bable you looked down to him and he smiled reaching up. You reached down picking the little one up.
"You want to know what I'm doing?" you asked sitting him on your lap. He chewed on his little hands giggling. You gently plucked them from his mouth handing him something safer to chew on. "Okay, Silver, let me tell you a story then."
Your fingers flipped through your notes until you found a much more simple tale.
"Do you think you'll like a pirate or a princess story more?" you looked down at the wide-eyed baby, who simply babbled in response. "Okay, I have no idea what you said, but we'll do both okay? You can give me feedback once we finish, okay little writer?"
His little hands reached up into the air and you had to smile at him. He was very cute, but don't let him hear you say that. It'll go straight to his head and he'll never be able to sit up by himself.
"Long ago..." you whispered to the baby.
His little eyes stared at the words. You ran your fingers along with the page as you read to him. Soon the little thing's head slumped a bit and you moved so he didn't hurt his neck. He soon fell asleep on your chest but you continued to read aloud to him. I mean you realized more than a few plot holes along the way. Why did the king hate the god? What was the goddess doing before falling in love with the princess? Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to have the treasure be a ring perhaps a bell would be more fitting?
You slowly went from talking, to whispering, to muttering notes and revisions under your breath. Your hands held his head steady, as you sat up to lay him back down.
"Hehehe, Silver likes your stories huh?" your glanced up Lilia hung by the rafters his eyes practically glowing. "I think I have to keep you here based off of that alone," he hummed jumping down to hold his son.
He rocked his son walking to the living room. You thought it was heartwarming. Lilia in his oversized coat and the small baby wrapped up in the sleeves.
"I can get you a new journal, that small note pad won't last much longer." His eyes met yours, his sharp teeth shined in the candle light. "Besides you're so good at taking care of him. It's the least I could do!" he pulled little Silver closer to his face. "Espessially since you won't let me cook for you! I can even teach you how to create your own paper perhaps? Its been a while but I think ai still got it!"
You had to admit that it was generous of him. Your little book was running out of pages. They were once so blank but had been cluttered with discriptiona and doodled maps. You can come up with a hundred ways to say I love you and I'm sorry. Charaters had poorly drawn images of them or a list of what they cared about most. You had developed a list of questions to ask yourself about every character. All ment for you to figure out why they did what they did, what goals they had, ans how strict their morals were. Along with just other important information about a character. You thought that it would make a fun game if anything, all those questions.
"You really want to get me something like that..." you trailed off. You really did like that idea, it was a beautiful read juicy apple and you were starving. It wouldn't hurt to accept it right? "I don't know, that offer seems too good to be true."
He giggled, "You're so careful." His eyes really creeped you out sometimes. Their color was unique. That red looked like fresh blood, you could see it seeping from cuts, staining fabric. He blinked breaking eye contact before standing, crossing the room abnormality fast for someone so short. "I might have something here for you." He dug into a cabinet blowing dust up into air off of a cover of a gorgeously bound book. He flipped through it with one hand before nodding and holding it out towards you. "I think that'll work perfectly. Take it, this comes with no hidden rules or clause."
So you reached out taking it. It was sturdy, a slightly bumpy texture. The pages were thick, ink unlikely to bleed through them.
"I-" you started realizing you didn't know how to say thank you to this man. "I'm more than pleased with this." You smiled a bit more brightly than you would have liked, but you were just so happy that it didn't matter.
You left entering the room you had been offered while you stayed. The room had been furnished, the closest was full. You assumed they were all Lilia's clothing but some of it seemed far too old to be wear able anymore. You tried not to touch anything at first, you weren't sure if it would be seen as rude or that some of the ancient looking things would disolve with a touch of a feather. To your surprise Lilia had shown up the next morning, before it was time to feed Silver, with an armful of clothes for you. The exchange went something along the lines of: "How did you know my measurements?" "Its a skill you learn quickly." Then he left with a nod and a pile of... Something you didn't want to ask about honestly.
You also found out to never eat his cooking that same morning. You had changed coming out smiling after finding a few books you wanted to read. Little Silver was tied to his father's back his cheek pressed into his fathers shoulder. Lilia had similed, sharp teeth and bright eyes. He happily placed a plate down. You had no idea what it was but you didn't really feel like it was your place to refuse. Words couldn't discribe how bad it was. The bile that had gotten logged in your throat tasted better than it. It was a lesson you wouldn't let yourself forget.
So while Lilia was tending to Silver. You snuck into his room if yours was neet his was a archived museum. The shelves were stuffed with vases, pots, spools of thread and fabric pilled up. Books, maps and sewing needles poking out of a pin cusion or three. Glass bottles and cups were filled with neckless chains, bottons, and nails. Dice, papers, fountian pens and feather quils, were scattered across the tables, a few had been used as bookmarks. There were viles of ink here and there. You couldn't imagine having the money for all of this.
You placed down the plate where he would see it. Then you left. You left a note with the plate, you hoped that you could convince him to never cook for you again if you rationalized that you felt bad for intruding and felt that cooking for yourself and him would make you feel better. You may not be an expert cook but you were not going to have his cooking again if you could prevent it.