Duskwood After Story

Helianford, Part 1

Helianford was a world apart from Duskwood in many respects. It was a bright and bustling metropolis in contrast to Duskwood, a sleepy town deep among the pine woods. As tourists flocked to Helianford, the city saw a continual flow of people moving around. The streets were broad and lined with skyscrapers that reached the sky. People here appeared busier and more distant as they rushed about. The sunflower insignia glowed brilliantly beneath the late afternoon sky in every nook and cranny of the streets and buildings.

The name Helianford stemmed from the word helianthus in Latin, which means sunflower. When the city was first established, its founders discovered a place that was abundant with these little suns, and they decided to use that characteristic to set their town apart from others. Naturally, Van Gogh and his sunflower paintings were particularly adored here.

We drove slowly through the busy streets to our destination. As we passed by buildings after buildings, I told Jake about the places that I had frequented when I was still living here.

"That coffee shop makes the greatest moccachino, hands down. Every morning, I'd go there to get one before work."

"That was the antique bookshop where I would go to search for old-time treasures. Or maybe merely to take in the smell of old books."

"Over there was when I broke up with my first boyfriend. There was a lot of crying and fighting back then." – I laughed.

"Oh, and this street is well-known for its Chinese cuisine. Every restaurant serves a distinct kind of food. When we have the chance, Jake, I'll take you to some."

"AH! And here was where I worked. The National Research Council of Helianford. They do some crazy research and experiments there. One of my projects was to develop a personal robot caregiver. It was quite ambitious, you know? But it would be great if they could successfully develop one."

"And here, if you take the exit all the way to the left and continue straight, you'll get to the famous sunflower fields."

'Which we will visit later." – After patiently listening to my ramblings for some time, Jake finally spoke up.

"Yes, absolutely." – I smiled at him.

I looked around at all the streets and corners that I had grown up with. Every nook and cranny was filled with memories. Some were happy, some were sad, but they were all treasures I held dear. And then, I realized I had been reminiscing about my old life ever since we entered the city and forgot about how that could make Jake feel.

"What's wrong? You don't want to tell me anything about this street here?" – He smiled.

"Haha, sorry, I was talking too much, wasn't I?"

"No, not at all. I enjoy listening to how you were living before." – He shook his head.

A sense of gratitude blossomed in my chest.

"You know what? I will build more memories with you later in all of these places."

We smiled at each other.

***

We finally arrived at the restaurant where Michael was working. Jake parked the car and turned to me.

"Are you ready to do this?"

I inhaled sharply, placing a hand over my chest. When I exhaled, it seemed my nerves had calmed down.

"Yes, I'm ready. Let's do this."

We exited the car and made our way to the entrance.

It was about 5pm. The restaurant had just opened for their evening guests. The host in front greeted us with a welcoming smile.