The Crystalized Heart

Chapter 1: The Land After Time

The sun's beams touched every living creature on a grassfield. The cool air was refreshing, and the trees were dancing in the harmony of the moment. Dylan, a little boy, and his dog Cory were lying down on the grass. As he was reading a book and turning through the pages, the wind surprised him, causing him to drop the book on his face. Dylan stands up and looks at Cory, saying, 'You definitely enjoy this place, don't you, boy?' He smiled, and the dog waggled his tail and stood up. They both looked across the field, and as they were staring, he spotted his mother outside their house searching for them, so he knelt and petted his dog on the head, saying, 'I suppose it's time to leave, let's go buddy!' Cory barked, and they dashed down the slope of the green grassfield, exhibiting a joyous bond in each other as they dashed into the cool breath of the wind. Caroline was outside when they got home, wearing a blue dress and a white apron, she was extremely tidy, and she had strips of white hair on the sides of her ponytail, indicating she's elderly, but cheerfully spending every moment with his son. She smiled as she greeted them, and as they approached her, she kissed and held her son. 'You fellas are becoming a bit smelly,' she sniffed. 'Sorry mum, Cory and I were just having a wonderful time on the grass field under the blue sky,' he remarked, and the dog barked in agreement, "He was getting cozy while I was reading my book." 'Well, go make sure you two take a shower before you go eat lunch,' Dylan admonished, his face flushed with shame and scratching his head. When Dylan walks into their house, he always greets a photo of his father across the living room with a thumbs up hand signal. It was hung on the wall, and his father was dressed in military garb. Caroline paused for a moment when she saw her son welcome the photo of his husband, then went to the kitchen to set the dinner. Dylan opened the door to their bathroom, causing it to squeak. He then proceeded to undress and turned on the water. It filled the tub with warm water, and as bubbles formed, he immersed in it to take a bath. 'Come here, buddy,' he said happily to Cory. Dylan went up to have a swim with the dog. Outside the bathroom, he can be heard laughing as he bathes his dog.

When they ate their lunch, the birds were chirping outside. Cory sat alongside Dylan at the table, waiting for the food to be served in his plastic bowl. 'Here you go, Cory,' she said calmly, and the dog ate. 'Wow, pasta!' Dylan yelled, her mother brought in a bowl of spaghetti and scooped it into his plate; he was giddy with enthusiasm as he prepared to eat, and he could nearly enjoy each mouthful because it was his favorite food. Dylan thought about going outside to view the village after eating a dish of spaghetti, so he wiped up his dish as Caroline finished her meal. Dylan informed her mother. 'Mom 'I'm going to see the village and maybe fetch some bread from Uncle Bernies,' he remarked with a smile to her mother. 'OK, but before you do...' Caroline responded, She then wiped her lips with a napkin and stood from her seat, going by the backyard door to get a large basket, handing it to Dylan and saying, '...take these basket of clothes with you to Mrs. Jones,' she sat at the table, 'Alright Mom,' Dylan agreed and kissed her mother on the cheeks, grabbed his cap, and walked out of the house.

On his trip to the village, Dylan sees people going about their everyday lives, from children playing together to old men selling to adults wandering around, and various aspects of rural life. Everyone had their own enterprises, so he went to Uncle Bernie's bakery and purchased a loaf of bread to take home.'Good morning, Uncle Bernies!' Dylan smiled as Uncle Bernies packed a loaf of bread into a brown paper bag and handed it to a fellow client. Mr. Bernies smiled back and responded, 'Oh, hey there Dylan,' good morning! 'What can I do to help you?' 'One loaf of bread, please, sir,' Dylan said.'Alright! 'One loaf on the way!' Mr. Bernies put on his mitts and took out his flat wooden spoon to take out the tray of hot freshly made pastries from the oven. He carefully placed the bread in a paper bag and remarked, 'Here's a loaf of bread for you, Dylan.' Dylan accepted the bread and exclaimed, 'Thank you, Uncle Bernies!' Dylan gave Mr. Bernies 30 pesos. 'Be careful, it's hot,' Mr. Bernies said. He grinned as he waved farewell to Dylan.