Scarlet Clue | Ryeji

One

The exquisite ivories and mauves blossomed on the branches like cake frosting. Down on the branches, the petals opened up whilst the tips were still tightly plunged. The mint, sublime garb was a delight to witness after the barren trees of winter. To get close enough to the scent of cherry blossom leaves, people pitched the heels of their feet, taking their moment to enjoy the fresh season of a new year. The rosebuds, and silken hearts would fall as soft drizzles in a few more weeks. The flower, which had just recently begun to open after being a tight bud, already had a deeper blush of pink. Winter ought to still be in existence in subtlety, but spring had already pushed it back to plush temperature and the kind of light zephyr that most people didn't notice unless they stopped and paid attention in the moment.

When she reached out to touch the smooth pink petals, she found they were softer and smoother than she slated. In order to see the beauty she knew was inside, she tried to open more quickly. But nature had its own timing and manner, and it wasn't yet prepared. She only had to wait for a few more warm days for it to bourgeon. She also noticed the blossoms that would paint over the forthcoming warmer days; they waved in the breeze like a celestial smile. She let her gaze move from tree to tree, observing the buds that were about to welcome into the sun and become as vibrant as the noon in the ever-warming wind.

She put her hand inside one of the front pockets of her mauvelous wrap coat which was mid-thigh to ankle length and had no buttons or zipper but were closed by a warped belt. It had an extra wide collar, and front pockets, loose fit, and flared at the bottom. It was her favourite type of coat as it could be appropriate for casual or formal wear, and its elegant silhouette lent itself well for prominent inception. She watched several middle-aged men sitting in a row, under the shade of the tree with their easel and canvas in front of them, infusing different shades of hues on their canvas to gloss over the final touches of their still life painting. The attention was shifted on the young adult woman in her peach windbreaker walking her Lhasa Apso on the stroller on the bridge connecting each side of the park. And later on was diverted to the group of high school students in their uniform who were taking a photo of themselves. She should've been doing the similar thing as a tourist but stayed still.

A gush of wind made its presence known by the swaying of her long coat. Most likely the segue to an ancient grand entrance of the little four-legged brown companion that seemed to magically appear not far from her. It stared at her for a bit before closing the distance between the two of them. The mini majestic creature's eyes gazed into her own and bowed, making the tiny white spots on its back a bit more visible to the cat-eyed Korean tourist.

Lucky for the deerling, said the Korean tourist had already purchased a pack of the special deer crackers made available in almost every corner of the park. Reaching one hand inside her wrap coat pocket, she fished out a pack and began to slowly unwrap it. The little one, however, was not as patient. Nudging the quite reserved woman with its tiny head and growing antlers, she was given no choice but to hasten the work done around the wrapper.

"All right, all right. I'm almost done." She gave the little one two gentle pats on the head before proceeding to work on peeling off the plastic.

A few more light headbutts from the young creature until it was finally given what it asked for as she handed it one cracker after another. It didn't take long before a herd of deer noticed what was going on, and soon enough, she was surrounded by a mob of them. The cat-eyed woman wore a small smile and took a few steps backwards to give the animals and herself some room. She then took the remaining crackers and broke them in half to have enough to give her new company equal parts. Making sure that all of them got a piece before handing out the last cracker, she then held both empty palms out for all of the deer to see.

"Sorry, that's all I have on me." As if understanding what she meant, most of the deer galloped away from her, and probably off to find another human with their bounty. She took note of the number of deer fading into nothing in the distance. A female one didn't follow the rest, and instead, halted its movements to look back at where the woman was with an inquisitive look on her face. She examined her surroundings and in a moment spotted the cause for such delay. She let out a small chuckle. With her hands finding support on top of her knees, she leaned closer to the youngest member of the herd.