Snip, snip, snip.
Sounds of grass being cut filled the silence.
"Phew..., that should be enough for today."
The man got up wiping the sweat off his forehead.
He felt a sense of pride looking at his freshly cut yard.
After all, he had just spent the last 2 hours meticulously cutting grass with his old pair of shears.
"Papa, can you come help me with something? It's urgent!"
That voice was familiar to him.
It was his daughter after all.
She sounded incredibly stressed and worried, but he didn't think much of it.
She probably lost something and was about to ask if he had seen it.
The father turned around with a smile, expecting to see his lovely daughter.
"Sure sweetie, what's the pro-"
What he saw, however, left him appalled.
"Wha... WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!"
The father did indeed see his daughter, but she wasn't alone.
She carried a young boy alongside her.
He looked horrible.
He had bruises everywhere.
His clothes were stained with dirt and mud.
He was bleeding from his face, and he could barely stand straight.
"What happened to him?! Also, who is he?!"
"He fell from the surface."
"I heard screams and when I ran to see what happened, I found him lying on the ground."
"He's badly hurt and needs our help urgently!"
"From the surface? That makes no sense!"
It was the first time the man had heard of humans falling from the surface. So, his disbelief at the sheer absurdity of the situation was justified.
But this was not the time to ask a dozen questions. His daughter quickly reminded him of that.
"We'll worry about that later! Help me bring him inside."
"R-right. This way boy."
Meanwhile, inside the house, Crystal's mother was tending to her daily chores as per usual.
She had heard noises coming from outside the house while washing the dishes, but they were too muffled to make out any distinct words.
"What are those two up two?" she thought out loud.
The front door then opened.
"Honey, could you help us out quickly? Our daughter brought a guest over."
"Hmm... sure thing dear."
The mother dried her hands and made her way to the entrance.
"You two were making quite the ruckus outside, what happened?"
And quite like the father, what she saw left her in complete shock.
"Oh goodness!"
"What happened to him?! Is he all right?!"
"He fell from the surface. Crystal said she found him lying on the ground screaming in pain."
"He is still awake, but I don't think he will hold up for much longer."
"Do you think you can take care of him?"
"He might have broken something! Quick, give him to me, I will take it from here."
The mother took the boy by the shoulder and gently guided him to another room.
"This way my child."
Crystal and her father could now only sit back and watch, hoping for the best.
The mother guided the young boy into what seemed like an old storage room.
Once inside, a dim light turned on, illuminating the place.
Unopened boxes lay on the ground collecting dust.
Multiple wooden bookshelves were evenly placed throughout the room.
Each bookshelf was filled with glass jars and other types of containers. The boy couldn't decipher the contents of those jars, nor did he care to.
It didn't seem like they entered this place very often.
A small medical bed was placed on one of the room's corners, like the ones seen at a doctor's office.
The mother pointed at the medical bed and asked the boy to sit on it.
"You can go sit there."
The boy made his way to the bed and sat down.
Calling it uncomfortable would be an understatement.
His legs dangled off the floor and the mattress was painfully hard.
It's not like he had much choice in the matter though. He'd much rather sit down on that awkward bed than continue standing up.
Ignoring the pain in his rear, the boy looked at the mother awaiting her next order.
"I am going to need you to remove your shirt so I can take a better look. Do you need my help with that?"
The boy shook his head and with some effort removed his hoodie and undershirt all alone.
With him topless, the mother could now take a good look at how much damage the boy had truly sustained.
"Good. Now let's look at you"
The mother placed her hands on the boy's head and closed her eyes.
"Keep your body relaxed and breathe deeply my child. And do not worry, this will not hurt."
The young boy trusted the mother's words and did as he was told.
He expected her to feel for potential fractures in his skull.
However, he couldn't have been more wrong.
The air began glowing in a greenish light. Tiny sparkles shimmered around his body.
A harmonious melody made from the howling wind blew into his ears as jars and pots rattled against each other in the background.
What was she doing?
The confusion only grew as something took place inside the boy as well.
He felt as if a wave had just entered his body. Starting from his head, it seeped into every corner of his battered frame. This wave kept softly crashing over and over. A refreshing sensation washed over him lingering on after each motion.
The boy reflexively closed his eyes, allowing this energy to roam freely inside him.
After a short time passed, the mother removed her hands from the boy's head.
The glimmering light dissipated along with everything else.
"Okay..."
"Thankfully, you have not broken anything..."
'Miraculously' should've been the operative word instead.
Even with a miracle, it's hard to believe that a human survived that big of a fall without any life-altering injuries.
The young boy owed his life to those golden flowers.
"However, you fell tremendously hard, especially on your head."
That last part made the boy pay attention to his headache again.
He hoped it would've been gone by now, besides it had been a while since he last noticed it. His hope died, however, when he felt his head pulsate harder than before.
This worried him.
What if the intense pain returned? Could he alleviate it again?
The boy wanted to avoid that happening at all costs.
Luckily for him, the mother was thinking of a solution to that exact problem.
"Ugh, I wish I could use some spells to heal you, but I am worried it will freak you out."
The mother pouted, unsure of what to do.
"Hmm...let's just do it the old way."
She walked off and began rummaging around the bookshelves.
Shuffle, shuffle.
The boy was confused as to what she meant by 'spell'. However, he was not in a position where he could use his brain too hard. Every thought only worsened his headache.
So, he set all his questions aside for when he felt better.
"I should have everything I need."
The mother came back holding a cup of water and two pills.
"Here, take these, my child."
"They are painkillers."
Perfect.
Hearing that word, the boy took the medicine without a second thought.
With this, he knew the headache would eventually disappear.
He was also glad he finally got to drink some water. His throat had gone dry from all the screaming, so a cup of fresh water was highly appreciated.
The boy finished drinking and returned the cup to the mother.
He reached for his clothes, but she stopped him.
"Wait, let me clean you up first."
The mother took a wet towel and wiped off the blood from the boy's nose and forehead, along with any grime and dirt on his arms and neck.
"Okay, now you can dress yourself back up."
"I will be taking your hoodie though; It needs to be washed."
The boy nodded and put his t-shirt back on.
"Now that you have taken the medicine, you must rest. Take my hand, I will take you to a place where you can sleep."
The young boy grabbed the mother's hand and stood up.
The two walked out of the storage room and through the hallway.
Passing a few doorways and pots of plants they stopped in front of one door.
The young boy looked up and saw a sign on it that read:
[Crystal's Room]
Why go to her room?
Isn't there any other place for him to sleep?
The mother opened the door, and the boy soon got his answer.
Inside this dark room, two beds were placed on each side of the walls.
From what little he could see, there were way more objects placed on the left side of the room than on the right.
Drawings on the walls. Plushies scattered around the floor.
Wardrobes. Bookcases. Lamplights.
They were all mostly to the left. Leaving only a single bed to decorate the opposite side of the bedroom.
It was clear which side belonged to Crystal.
The mother walked to the bed on the right and lifted the covers.
"Come lay here."
The boy followed her and sat down on the bed.
Compared to that old medical plank of wood from before, this one was a blessing from the heavens.
It might have been the exhaustion playing tricks on him, but as soon as he felt the softness of the mattress, he started feeling drowsy.
The boy took off his shoes and lay in bed.
He nestled his head on the pillow. The airy and fluffy texture. It felt like he had just laid his head on a cloud.
The mother covered him with the blankets and with that, the last step was done.
He could finally rest.
Before leaving though, the mother sat next to the boy and caressed his face.
That feeling...
It was identical to when Crystal did it. The feeling of safety and affection.
"You don't need to worry about anything anymore. You're safe now."
The warmth and gentleness of her hand along with the comfort of the bed relaxed the boy and eased his body.
Soon, his mind began drifting off.
"Sweet dreams my child. See you tomorrow."
Closing his eyes, the young boy fell into a profound sleep.
CHAPTER END.