Liefe - The first step

Volume 1: Opened eyes

"Hey! Art can you hear me?!" A faint voice of a girl from the horizon.

I could hardly distinguish it besides the gentle howl of the wind. With my head leaned back as I stared at this deep blue sky, this unsettling feeling of unease yet everything feels so calm. This world looks normal, all the plants and animals are familiar yet... 

A shadow crept over my face as a heavy breathing sound took my gaze. 

"Hhheyyyy..." It was Nyla, a girl from the small village I am now a part of.

"Do I have to come here and drag you back home?" She said as her right eyebrow is raised staring at me. We seem to be at the same age but the way she acted sometimes felt like she had been alive for a longer time, but still has an attitude of a young girl in her 20s. Age and appearance cannot be reliable in this world after all.

I slipped a sly face with a smile as I looked up at her annoyed expression. 

"It was so peaceful here until you showed up."

Her face flared up and her nostrils started to show, she took a deep breath preparing for her next response... it was then the wind started moving again. The fragrance from the flower fields, the chill as it gazed at her cheeks. She fell speechless like she was engulfed in the moment, as the first star in the sky started to be seen. The nightly sky was waking up.

She was prettier when her face looks so innocent but I know it won't last. It has been minutes since she became so quiet but as soon the wind calms, I will be nagged at again. 

I slowly stood up, gripping the bark of the tree behind me to pull myself up. This was one of the few hills that had a nice view of the fields, it was a bit far from the village that's why it was so peaceful. The village was not that noisy but... I just preferred it here to relax in the late afternoon.

Down the hill we go back to the stone-paved path, the village is in the middle of a flat plain and surrounded by a thick forest, in the distance the silhouette of the mountains can be seen circling around the village, like a big crater. This stone-pave path can only reach the forest entrance but it ends there. It was said entering the forest is prohibited for anyone who had entered and never returned back. These thoughts of mine always trouble me as I look on the path towards the forest as I leave my resting spot.

"Nana and the other kids are looking for you that's why I came looking for you." She said as I was walking behind her. 

"and it's almost time for dinner..." she added in a soft voice.

It was like a 30-minute walk back to the village, well more or less maybe. Everything in this village was primitive, not a single technological gadget existed here. It was a simple life and no one had even raised this issue. It's just been a week in my own calculation that I have been living here, and I slowly was able to adjust. But as time passes by, I need to ask these questions.

The village is composed of mostly the elderly and small kids, the only young adults were me and Nyla. I had so many questions to ask her but from what I know, she was hiding more than what she can. She always does change the topic when I asked too much.

Nyla seems to be a good person to everyone, except when dealing with me. She's always annoyed or something. 

"Hey... do you like it here? I mean living in this village I mean?" she asked as she looked back at me. Her short back hair swayed with the motion. 

I blushed a little as I looked away from her face. "It's okay I guess... "

I have no other choice in the first place.

She slowed her walking pace and walked beside me. "The best part of this place is its simplicity, everything is provided here. There's nothing to worry about."