The Seed Thief

Vol. 1 Chapter 1.3

Scratching her messy hair, Lulu headed to the kitchen.

“There is nothing to eat.”

The kitchen, like everywhere else, was piled to the ceiling with books and odds. Lulu occasionally came across rotten potatoes or tomatoes as she rummaged through the pile of books.

Unable to find anything edible, Lulu went out of the house.

“Ugh!”

After being cooped up for so long, the sunshine pricked her eyes as if something stabbed them. Lulu quickly went into the shade of a tree and examined the fruits of the trees around her.

“I can’t eat this, and this too…”

Since she’d already eaten all the edible fruits and plants in the area, there was nothing left to eat. Then Lulu noticed the golem wandering nearby.

“Golem! Are there any potatoes left in the field? Check it!”

The golem stomped into the forest and returned after a while. Noticing something in the golem’s hand, Lulu happily ran to it, but.

“What’s this?”

In the hand of the golem were tiny potatoes, half a finger at most. There were only a few, but most were rotten.

“Ha…….”

A deep sigh came out. Whenever this happened, Lulu thought of the golem’s limit.

If the golem were human, it would have thrown it away, saying there was nothing to eat. But the golem was unaware of that. It just brought what Lulu had asked without knowing whether it was edible.

Growl.

The hunger worsened as she moved. Lulu looked around some more and found a few small edible wild berries. Put them in her mouth and walked back to the house. It looked like she had to go out today.

* * *

That night, Lulu left home holding an old pouch. The golem tried to follow her, but Lulu firmly told him not to, even the scarecrow and the bone crow. She walked through the forest alone.

The forest witch’s old leather shoes, which didn’t fit her feet, made a trudging sound with every step she took. After a while, Lulu saw a small house with the light on.

This house, which was at the very end of the village, was a place that Lulu occasionally visited. The old woman who resided there was the only villager who could converse briefly with Lulu.

After looking around to ensure she could hear nothing but grasshoppers, Lulu carefully picked up a small stone and threw it toward the window.

Tok.

The fragile throw made a slight sound like a flying insect hitting it. Hesitantly, Lulu picked up another small rock and threw it at the window again. Then, she heard the front door open, followed by the harsh voice of an old woman.

“Can’t you stop!”

At the scream, Lulu quickly hid in the bushes. An old woman came out of the house, clutching a small dirty bag in one hand while the other held a lamp. She frowned as she approached the bush where Lulu was hiding. The old woman shouted to Lulu.

“You’re trying to break the window, aren’t you? I told you not to get caught by people!”

Lulu shrank subconsciously and gazed at the old woman in response. The old woman’s voice was much louder than the sound of the stones, but she did not bother to argue.

As Lulu stepped back and showed signs of fear, only then did the old woman clear her throat and spoke in a much gentler voice.

“My son is here. It wouldn’t be good for either of us if we got caught. Seeing that you came, you need something to eat again, right?”