The Runaway

Chapter 57

This man is weird. We have watched him pour hot water on a bunch of bushes and flowers in the rain.

My mind has been bent backwards and snapped from his plant-caring techniques. They should be dead from hot water, yet they are tall, taller than the humans.

At least the rain has stopped. Gosh, what a day. It's pretty around the cottage. Many, upon many plants. Some I haven't seen, I thought I've seen them all. Some flowers are taller than us and full of different colored petals. They're so pretty.

The short man turns towards the door with his empty tea kettle. "This darn pot is too small. I's be back." He goes into the cottage.

Arms wrap around my waist from behind and a chin rests on my shoulder. His fluffy hair pokes the side of my face. "I wanna leave."

How do people in books turn around when hugged in this position? There is simply no space to. "Why?"

"...I don't know."

"I'm sure we will leave soon."

"How soon?"

"I don't know, sir. Don't worry, I won't keep us stranded here. I wanna get home."

He lets go of me and I turn around, he's staring at the sky. I look up at the sky too. The dark has moved away, blue and the sun covers the earth as a blanket. But farther east are some more storm clouds that are coming.

"The rain will never end. My feet will be covered in mud forever."

He faces me as if there is an easy solution. "Wear boots."

"No. Those are evil."

He sighs. "You're ridiculous."

"No, boots are."

He scratches the side of his head and talks in a deeper voice. "Frankly dear, your brain is backwards."

Oh my. "Stop acting spoony. We have to focus."

"On what, darling? Your flustered cheeks?"

"Where did this come from? A small time ago you were worse than a scared... something, I don't know." My brain must be backwards.

He tries his best to hide a grin, as if he doesn't want to. Why not? "It must be the moon making me act this way."

I look at the sky for the moon but can only see a war between clear sky and dark clouds. "The moon isn't up. You weirdo."

He flicks my nose. "Not both of us can be weird. I don't want to hog your spotlight."

"You are confusing me so much." Is he being controlled? Is this another trap?

His whole demeanor changes, he goes back to sad and quiet as soon as I hear the little man walk out of the cottage. He comes back over with another steaming pot under the cloth he holds it with.

"So, what are yas names?" He pours hot water over the plants that didn't get some earlier.

"Sandra and Kawi."

The little man turns around and looks at us, confused to say the least. "What interesting names."

I nod. Sylvian looks at me bewildered. How does he not remember? My heart has broken into tons of pieces from his horrible memory. It's because he is older than me, his memory is worse.

"Remember? You are Kawi from Nigeria and I'm Sandra from Hawaii."

He nods once he finally remembers.

"Weren't yas from Ravaryn?"

"It's very complex."

The short man runs his hands through his hair. It's fun making him confused. "So, have yous been to any cities? Anywhere interesting?"

"Yes, we've been to a few. They're so... strange."

He puts the kettle on the ground and crosses his arms over his chest, facing me. "How so?"

"They are obsessed with all kinds of televisions and want papers for everything. They have magical doors that open by themselves and have magic plastic rectangles that open hotel doors. They have super tall buildings and not much color or plants."

"Magic doors?"

"Yes, the doors at stores open when we walk to them. How do they do that?"

He smiles really big. "They're opened from the door fairies. They see people walk to the doors and open them."

My brain is broken. "I didn't see any door fairies." I turn to Sylvian. "Did you?"

"Nope."

The man is amused. "They're very small. Oh, those fairies are everywhere. They help with other machines that move themselves, cars and elevators."

Who would have thought little fairies are the ones making all these things work. That's crazy.

"I'd say it's best for yous to go now. Yas are almost there."

My hand is grabbed, and I'm being pulled away. "Bye, strange man!" I say as I'm being distanced from him against my will.

"Bye, weird travelers!" He disappears once I'm pulled around the corner.

"You didn't have to pull me away," I mutter, turning back around and straightening myself out.

"Yep."

"You are acting weird."

"How?"

"Being flirtatious and then anxious as soon as the man came back."

"I don't want to be around humans."

"You will be okay."

He gives me a dirty face. I give him one back, which catches him off guard.

The sunshine slowly fades away as water starts smacking us. We haven't dried off from last time, and now here we are getting another shower. So much rain. "The rain makes me sad."

"Why?"

"It makes me think we're never getting home. It doesn't rain this much there. We have to be far away."

"We're not far away." He stops walking, sets the bag down, lets go of my hand and takes a tall, rolled and curled piece of paper out of his pocket. He opens the map, drops of water hit it and spread across the fibers. He points right by the name of my home. "We're right here. We just have to keep going straight and we will be there. Just a few more days, okay?"

"I guess."

He rolls the map back up and hits me on the head with it before putting it back in the pocket. "You are fine, princess."

"You don't know that."

He looks me up and down. "You're fine."

A/N: How are y'all?