My Peach Blossom 🧡 (LMK)

Chapter 8: Doubts

You wandered around your family's farm, specifically the orchards, and searched for your monkey friend. It has been around five days since you last saw him.

Sure, he does have his own life, but normally he'd visit every other day. Five days in a row with no sight of him kinda worried you.

Was he busy? Probably.

Was he hurt? Possibly.

Was he captured by an enemy of his? Not impossible.

Was he lost? Most likely not.

Did he need help? Doubtful, but not impossible.

Was he sick?   . . .   Could he get sick?

Did he get caught up in some kind of mess? Most likely, considering his history.

Did he forget about you? Hope not.

Did he decide that he thinks you're lame and not worth hanging around?   .   .   .   .   .   Really hope not.

You sighed in defeat as you approached the apple tree the two of you first met at. You smiled softly at the memory. Slowly, each memory of the two of you hanging out replayed in your head. He was a great friend. Always smiling and laughing, often joking and happy, and somehow always knew how to brighten up your day.

Today, unfortunately, was one of those days you needed cheering up. You had recently gotten news of a severe car crash that started a fire not far from your home. You really hoped your parents weren't involved in it. But you haven't heard back from them yet so... It wasn't impossible.

You sat down by the base of the tree and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Eventually the sun had set and you walked back to your grandparents house. When you entered, you could hear your grandparents whispering about something, but when you entered the room, they stopped.

"What are you guys whispering about?" You asked them. "We'll tell you in the morning, sweetheart." Grandpa spoke. "Right now, you should get some rest." Grandma finished.

You nodded, eyeing them suspiciously. Your grandfather rarely calls you "sweetheart". And when he does, it's usually because of an unwelcomed guest or something similar. Sometimes, in the more "legendary" scenarios, as  your mother calls them, it can be as bad as someone breaking a bone to a family death.

But you continued towards your room, not dwelling much on the scene, and hopped in bed. Maybe the Monkey King, or Sun Wukong, as he lets you call him, will show up tomorrow? Yeah. Let's see what tomorrow holds.

The sun rose, a rooster crowed, and you slowly woke up. You got dressed and went to the kitchen for breakfast. You sat at the table as your grandmother served you her signature chocolate pancakes. You swallowed hard when she offered some homemade mixed berry syrup.

She only offered that delicacy when there was bad news. And not just the car broke down or our beloved mouse hunter was hit kind of bad news.

"Okay, what's the bad news?" You demanded more than asked. Your grandmother looked at you with concern, and sighed. "Let's wait for your grandfather first." She said as she reached for your hand and caressed it lovingly.

You gasped silently as you made a guess. You waited for your grandfather to come, hoping he'd prove you wrong. When he entered for breakfast, he held a weak smile on his face that matched that of your grandmothers.

The room was silent except for the occasional clink of the dishes. When everyone finished, you asked again "what happened?"

You saw your grandma give your grandpa a look. Your grandfather sighed. "Yesterday, in the city, several large ice shards appeared and caused many unfortunate accidents." He started.

Your eyes widened and tears threatened to fall. "One of them, knocked over a small building and it crushed everyone inside,... including your parents and baby sister." He finished.

Your jaw hung agape and tears started to fall. Your grandmother pulled you close and into a hug. Your mind went numb as the information sunk in. You were an orphan. An only orphan. No parents or siblings. Alone.

(672 words.)