Myth Land (unedited)

IX

It was nice to have some times to breathe and almost not having anything to think about. My friends were already there when I arrived. Except Golden. At that time I assumed that he was still working on the quest. Hyena and Sophie welcomed me by patting (almost crushing) my head. Later on they told me that Golden was sent home for what he did on the evaluation day. An animal who was in the same group as him told Hyena that he was blaming his team members because the final product they made. He kept on grumbling and bragging of how excellent his ignored idea was. Funny how what he did reminded me of Insulsus. I wondered why Insulsus wasn't sent home as Golden was.

'Was it a really bad invention that he needed to say such thing?' I asked.

They shook their heads for having no idea.

Fronisi came after looking for food and joined our conversation. While Decorus, Decorus listened to our conversation without giving any comment, as usual.

Just the time I was to tell them my stories about that particular annoying aye-aye, they shared their stories before I could catch a breath to listen. It did not surprise me to know the fact that Hyena and Sophie were in the same team. It was cool listening to their stories, for they made a blanket made of voices and words. They spread warmth to all creatures around them, and there was nothing better than being wrapped in a blanket in the middle of a cold competition. I still couldn't understand how they worked on it or how it worked. But well, it sounded more fascinating than mine.

Then, I could not concentrate listening to their stories, for each of them wanted to be listened. When Hyena was talking, Philip interrupted with a louder voice, and Fronisi talked even louder, and so did Sophie. Nobody seemed interested in listening to mine. No. Nobody seemed interested in listening to the others. I tried to start to talk, but their voices were so loud that they hurt my ears. They were so loud that their voices all together made an earthquake in my head that absorbed my energy to evacuate.

After a long talk that I could hardly listen to, everyone was suddenly fell asleep.

I did feel happy for seeing them around me again. They were the first people whom I met since I just got there. But I liked it better to rest alone. Thus I walked my way back to the dandelion garden.

Along my way I felt as if I was being followed. I looked around and was surprised by Decorus' presence. He was walking in the same direction as mine, and he was not so far behind me.

'Decorus! How were your days far from the cubicle?' I tried to be nice to him.

He looked at me and said, 'All I thought about was how to keep on living.'

Then, he looked away and ran somewhere to a darker place across my dandelion garden which I believed I would never have guts to enter.

That time I wondered why he has to be as mysterious and as dark as that place. But I forgot it right away.

I arrived at my dandelion garden and threw myself there. The sun was set, and the stars were filling the sky. Suddenly, a weird sparkling star which looked different than any other stars approached me.

'Hi, Pearl!'

I gasped in slow motion.

'Are you...?'

'Yes!'

'A talking star?'

She slapped my ear with her left wing, which was too soft to hurt me at all.

'Just kidding. I know it's you, Volar.'

It was she, the caterpillar whom I met a few days ago at this very exact place. The difference was that she had turned into a glassy white butterfly whose wings as soft as silk and as fragile as the dandelions around us. The reflection of the stars showered by the moonlight painted her wings glittery gold.