When I woke up, I found myslef on the bed of a warm cabin. I could tell by the atomic scent of wood that filled my nose. Vaguely, I could assume the presence of a person sitting outside. "Ah~" he sighed, he was drinking coffee while talking to himself. Just why? I thought as I motioned to sit up. "1… 2… 3.. Crack..!" I commanded every muscle in my body but it was no use! My body ached and yearned for me to stop. With only one option left I screamed to grab the person's attention, but only small grunts and heavy breaths came out. "Oh?" somehow through those grunts, I got his attention. "Oh? Are you awake little bug?" I grunted, "Don't call me 'little bug!" Walking inside he took a cup from a table and walk towards me. Carefully he lifted my head yet it still sent electric like pain down my spine.
I'm sorry, did that hurt?" he asked, I blinked "yes" at him and he nodded. Slowly he layed my head head back on the pillow and walked towards the kitchen. There I listened as he rummaged through cabinets that squeeked and squealed at every movement. "uh…" I managed to speak out in a pose for saying "thank you." I could feel it in his soul, he was kind hearted person. But… he still hasn't told me his name was. I thought to myself. "Oh!" he laughed "Sorry for the late introduction, My Name is Dayson. I live here in the forest because I like nature and love quiet places. Away from people…" he muttered.
How did you know–
"Oh," he laughed again, "you're wondering how I know what you're thinking?" he said while closing all the cabinets. "Well to simplify it. I can hear things like really, really well... so well in fact that I used to be able to hear when the world cried!" he joked as he inserted a straw into the cup. Gently he put the staw in my mouth and I drank. It had a weird coat to it, but it was sweet. Like warm honey it filled my throat with a nostalgic healing presence, Mother… I thought. I stopped drinking. He took the drink not letting me finish drinking its contents, "ah" he knew I wasn't going to drink all of it, I was too deep in thought. "But not anymore…" he muttered. "Ever since then, my powers have been unstable acting like a 6th sense rather than a true ability… for now, I only manage to hear the thoughts of the people around me," he said as he stared blankly at the cup swirling its contents. "Anyways… enough about me, get some rest kiddo. I'll check up on you in a little while" he said as he walked away. Silently my mind began to calm, and the pain that enriched my body faded as I closed my eyes.
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The sounds of crickets jolted me awake!
The man stood over me in silence.
"Ah!" he was startled. "You must be hungry! Shall we go out to eat?"
"Going out to eat?" I knew what eating was, I just never heard of an expression like that before.
"It means we are going to go eat some really good food."
"Really? But my legs and my body–"
"Don't worry, I came prepared!" He said, quickly his footsteps clacked on the wooden floor. The sound of a door opening followed by loud rummaging pampered its way till he let out an excited gasp. A soft smooth sound rolled its way towards me. Suddenly the man swiftly the man led my hand and placed it on cold metal. Surprisingly the motion did not hurt me. "What… is this?" His hand guided mine down the unfamiliar structure. "It's called a wheelchair. A- and it'll be a very helpful movement tool for you."
Ah… thank you…. I muttered.
To say that I wasn't surprised would be an understatement, it's like this person had all the necessities ready for me. Like he's been here waiting for me all this time.
"And to help cover your body I got this cloak for you!" he yelled excitedly.
I coughed. "It smells so bad!"
"Ah–"
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After a quick wash of the cloak, he helped me sit up and we continued our conversion. "If you want to… till you get better…" his voice quivered but after a short pause, he spoke again. "Going outside and exploring the world would be much easier with this. And with me standing right behind you that is." He said while dusting off the the wheelchair. "You– don't mind adventures right?"
"No, how… could I?" my voice spoke softly, it seems that the medicine worked surprisingly fast, but still, I could muttered a few words.
"Right back at cha! Hahaha"
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After grabbing a few more things Dayson wheeled me to his vehicle, which was "big and spacious enough to fit a whole family, " he said. He started the engine and it began hovering just above the ground, and off we went. I won't ever know if it was ever a coincidence, or maybe it was fate, a luck that decided to let all of my most favorable memorable moments be the day of Christmas… but I'm not complaining. For the 1st time in my unbearable years of live, this moment is one that I will remember for the rest of my days, such great kindness and warmth from within my soul is what I'd felt.
"Till this day I thank you Dayson. I really do…"
Although the drive only lasted ten minutes, we talked about many things. And once we came to our destination, the vehicle stopped and lowered itself to the ground. He helped me get out of the caft, and quickly put the cloak on me all the while helping me into the wheelchair. He was swift, and motioned so no one saw what this little girl had to hide. "We're here!" He yelled excitedly, his voice was all I needed to know how happy he was.
"This is Ser, VineLine's Canno Street, the place where you can trade anything for everything. As well as having an abundance in resources it's also the hottest spot for tourists with its unique selection of food and pleasures…" he explained as I blanked out. Although I can't see well, it isn't like I can't see at all. The best way to describe my vision would be to say that I have newborn vision blindness. I see everything fluently, just as a giant blur–and yet… as a whole, Canno Street was beautiful. There were lights trailing across shop to shop that brilliantly lit the place with a weird aesthetic. The scent of sugar filled the air with an unwavering welcoming, and this unfamiliar feeling–tingled throughout the hairs of my body. It wasn't a bad sensation, in fact I found it warm and at home. "Mother- It reminds me of mother-" I spewed out. "I miss her too…" Dayson said swiftly, quick to change the topic of the conversion. "So, um… What kind of food do you want to eat?"
"What- kind of food?" I stuttered, I wouldn't know what to eat, I didn't even know what food they gave me in the facility because I was fed through a tube.
"Oh, alright… well, let me get something you might like to eat. Stay here." Dayson said with a change of tone in voice. He tapped my shoulders and his foot steps soon fell silent between the endless chatter that surrounded me. 'Stay here,' he said.
But I- I don't want to wait for anyone anymore, especially after I waited so long for father… I hate waiting.
the girl thought foolishly. She ended up waiting for Dayson, what was only minutes felt like hours to her. She waited for as long as she could, but an eerie sense told her to move.
Move, girl move!
It yelled, but her trust in Dayson planted her soul where she stood. Wind blew and the hood of her cloak flushed off as it went. Across the street a group of men dressed in unusual clothing came bristling with loud prase into the plaza, where Dayson left the girl. "Wait! That girl over there… Doesn't she look like the Boss's Daughter!?!" One of the men shouted. "Huh? I wouldn't know, and why would we even care? No one knows what the boss's daughter actually looks like!" A taller man replied. Jumping into the conversation a third man asked, "Why don't we go up and ask about their parents or something?" "Good plan!" The first man said. "Yeah, let's go do that." the second man replied. They approached the her and interrogated her, asking the girl about their parents and families. But the girl did no respond. The conversation quickly turned chaotic as the whole plaza watched in silence. Quickly she pulled her hood up, but one of the three men held the wrist ever so slightly, she couldn't properly fit the hood on. "Hey!" the men screamed, but she remained silent, her expression unreadable as the tension in the air grew. The men exchanged confused glances, unsure of what to do next, and the crowd began to murmur, their whispers filling the plaza with an uneasy energy. "Hey kid, why won't you speak?" The first man asked. "She's a mutt!" The second man replied, "Just look at her, a cloak and a wheelchair?" "Ah~" my throat scratched, I tried to make a sound but for some odd reason no words could come out of my mouth.
"Tah!?! Forget about her, she's "Just a Mut."
"Yeah, a stupid one at that"
"Aren't all muts stupid..?"
They all laughed, the men ignoring the crowd building up on them, taunted the girl will endless remarks, all she could do was hide her face. Dayson! Dayason where are you?! She cried but the torment did not end. "What's under this cloak anyways?" one of the men asked, his hand slowly inching closer towards the lace of the girls cloak. "You dirty bastard!" an old man yelled. Angered by this vulgar action the old man raised his broom to the sky 'A Mut?' And a 'Stupid one at that?' he repeated. "You guys got a lot of nerve bullying a child. How about you pick on someone your own size!"
Wack, Wack!
Straws of hay and pieces of dirt flew off the broom as the old soul beat the young geezers into thin shreds of spaghetti. "Ah-" I cried pulling on the sweater of the old man. "Ok, ok, we'll leave her!" they yelled as they picked eachother up and ran. "Tch!" the man yelled.
Clack
Clack,
I could hear Dayson's distinct footsteps rushing over towards me.
"Fewwie~ are you ok young child?" the old man asked.
*Cough*
"Yes, I'm okay. And thank you for helping me." "Ah-" Dayson gasped, his breath could be heard from a mile away. "Young man, are you this child's guardian?" the old man asked. "Yes.. Yes I am!" Dayson replied with a straightened back. "Then you must know to keep her in your sight! At any moment of the day you should not be leaving a child alone like this! Can't you protect this girl alone? Or do you need me to get CPS on you?!" the man lectured Dayson for what felt like a whole hour, but eventually, he let Dayson go.
"This girl… We will meet again someday." The old man said walking away.
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Ahem~ I laughed, I found it funny, and relieved to know that Dayson didn't leave me.
"Owie~ man that hurt!" Dayson said rubbing the top of his head which had three pulsating bruises stacked on top of each other. "Ah, here take this" he said, handing me a bag. It was warm at the bottom and when I opened the bag, steam of freshly made bread blew out of the bag with a surprising hint of sugar. "I brought you some steam buns," he explained. Grabbing one of them out of the bag, the heat that radiated from it reminded me of mothers warmth that–I'd long since been absent from–the smell, the light aroma of milk, mixed with a wild variety of pork, chicken, beef, and even chocolate? With no further adieu I bit into it. "Oh my!" A wonderful and heavenly taste spread within my mouth, and, before I knew it the rest of the buns were gone. I couldn't wait, the chance that the Steam bun would get cold fueled my mind so I ate all of them in a blink of an eye. "Do you like them?" Dayson laughed. "I-It's Delicious!" I yelled struggling to swallow the rest of the food down my throat.
"What is this food called Again?!?!"
"It's a Steam Bun" He replied happily, "You want more?"
"Yes! Yes! Please, I want some more!"
'Steam bun, Steam Buns' I joyfully thought to myself as he wheeled me through the plaza. Such a heavenly flavor made with a mix of flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder, milk and oil, folded into a yolk of beef, pork and chicken to make it even more delicious. "Here have some more," Dayson cackled, handing me a few bags full of them. "Yes!" I raised the bags up. They melted away at just the slight touch of my tongue. I'd never tasted anything more beautiful! I said to myself. Dayson smiled and laughed profoundly "Okay little Steamy Bun," he grabbed a napkin and wiped off smudges on my face. "Steamy bun? Can food also be used as a name?"
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Realizing that the girl he took in didn't have a name, Dayson felt sorry and pitiful for the little egg yolk. "It… definitely can be a name." he muttered, "Would–would you like your name to be Steamy..?" Dayson asked, frightened of what to come next. I laughed, time slowed and by this time the rest of the Street's lights were already lit, a beautiful street that stretched long and far, it was complemented by the glimmering shine of the moon. Steamy Bun…To be honest, up until this point, my name never mattered to me. After everything that has happened up until now, a name was the least I was concerned about. But right now, in this moment… a name and even in this situation, this place that I found joy in, all of it was unfamiliar to me. If this was to be the start of a new adventure, the beginning of a new life then the answer is obvious… "Yes! Yes! I would love for you to please call me by that name from now on!" the girl yelled throwing her hands up in the air. Dayson smiled, and for some reason he broke down into tears. "I'd love to, my little Steamy Bun," he joyfully hugged me. "I'd love to he muttered…"
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I was surprised but his sudden embrace reminded me of mother. Instinctively I slowing rapped my arms around him and I closed my eyes. We stayed like this for a while. Hugging until we heard loud popping and paradeful cheers in the distance. "Wow…" when I opened my blindly blurred eyes, a beautiful display of colorful sparks painted the sky. It was so mesmerizing… I could only catch fragments of light—splashes of brightness smudged across the night sky, as if the stars had been shaken loose. They weren't clear shapes, just blurs of color that flickered and vanished before I could hold onto them. But I felt them. Each burst thudded through my chest like the beat of a giant heart. And the air trembled with cold air, rattling my bones, they cracked apart with a sharpness that made me flinch before it faded into a long, rolling sigh. A faint tang of smoke drifted along with the wind, bitter but strangely sweet, like the scent of something ending so that something new could begin. I couldn't see it the way others did, not fully—but the laughter, the cheers, the trembling of the world around me told me the that the world around me itself was joyous. "For the first time, I realize… fireworks weren't just meant to be watched. They were meant to be felt."
Together we watched as the sound of fireworks beautifully lit up the sky.
That day was the happiest day of my life. December 25th, 20014, the day I was born, and the day I was named, and for the further more happy days of my life.
I'd be so delighted if everyday was December 25th.
Mere Christmas and happy New Year!
Yojr 2025
End of Chapter 3