Swept Away by Sweetness

05. Our Doleful Melody

"Come with me and you'll be," the forest was your favorite spot in the world. You spun gracefully by the riverbank, the grass dancing alongside you to the whistles in the breeze. The lush greenery enveloped your vision as you slipped through trees in a dazy dance. "In a world of pure imagination."

"Take a look, and you'll see into your imagination," you sang, extending a hand to an imaginary partner. For a moment, the trees became a blur as you twirled, "Reach—," you continued before you heard a twig snap. Staring down, your feet were settled on plush grass, not a branch in sight. Trying to find the culprit of the mysterious noise, you called out, "Is anybody there?"

"You're a lovely singer," came a soft voice from down the river.

Startled by the response, you whirled around to find a boy about your age walking along the riverside. You took a moment to blush at the fact he'd complimented you before responding, "Oh, thank you."

He smiled at you, a dusting of pink apparent on his own pale complexion. "I haven't seen you before, what's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Y/n," you answered, holding out a hand.

"Willy," he shook it gently with his left hand; the other was holding a bright red apple. You took a moment to stare at the crisp red fruit which must've been the most appetizing you'd ever laid eyes on.

He must've caught you staring because he beamed and held it up. "Want to see something I've been working on?" he asked enthusiastically.

The peculiar boy piqued your curiosity. Deciding that whatever he had in store couldn't possibly do any harm, you nodded. "Alright," he muttered, taking a deep breath before the apple seemed to disappear into thin air with the flick of a hand.

"Woah," you gasped, checking his hands for any remnants of it. Some amazing trick of hand, did it actually faze out of reality? "Where did it go?" you asked in awe.

He chuckled at your reaction before reaching behind your ear. "Right here!" he exclaimed as the apple materialized once more and he pulled it out.

Your hand seemed to subconsciously reach up to your ear as if you'd find something else back there, but the search was to no avail. "That's impossible," you blurted out, knowing your statement meant nothing.

He just smirked, twisting one of his curly brown locks between his fingers. "Well, if you don't believe me, how about you try it." He handed you the apple confidently.

You gave him one last look before raising the fruit to your lips and sinking your teeth into it. You half expected it to be some sort of trick and instead get a mouthful of splinters, but the crisp bite and cool juice that came from it suggested otherwise. It quite possibly could've been the best apple you'd ever tasted. While you chewed, you took a moment to stare at the near-white bite mark you'd made in its deep red flesh.

"Believe me now?"

You just giggled, "Yes, yes I do." You extended it to Willy once more, "Want a bite?"

"Sure!" he smiled. As he partook in the delicious sweet, you couldn't help but grin as he did. "Mmm... I've been working on this trick all day," he added between bites.

"You're going to be an amazing magician one day," you found yourself sighing.

He chewed through the rest of his bite before responding, "Actually, I don't know if I'll just be a magician," he shrugged.

Your jaw almost dropped, "But you have such an amazing talent! What else do you want to be?" The last thing you wanted was for him to waste his skills.

"Well..." he started, just to trail off immediately.