Not long after the sun had risen, as I was walking around the house, two girls rushed out of the house and ran up to me.

“What are you doing outside?” June asked, exasperatedly.

I wasn’t sure how to respond, well, I’m not sure how they expected me to respond.

“Wait, you’re moving on your own, right? Whoa, that’s great! It hasn’t even been a full day yet!” June looked ecstatic with a grin on her face, as if she hadn’t just ran out of breath with a concerned face just a second ago. I still didn’t really know what to make of this. So instead of dwelling on it, I turned my attention back to what I thought I saw out in the woods not too long ago.

“Come on, let’s go back inside.” June tried to pull me, but I tried desperately to stay where I was standing. Still quite light, it was mostly futile, but June picked up on my resistance, letting go of me and stopping to try and figure out what it was that I wanted before saying, “Do you want to go in the forest? It’s dangerous, you know.”

“Sis. She’s pretty stubborn.”

“I’m starting to figure that out, May, haha…”

The two girls, seeing me gaze so intently at the treeline, just did the same for a bit, not saying much of anything. Then, May, by my side, muttered in her usual quiet voice, “I’ll go with you if you want. I’ll protect you.”

I looked at May who was looking back at me, and the two of us just gazed at each other’s eyes for a good second. I noticed that her gaze, whenever I crossed it, was truly unwavering. I tried to sense just what thoughts and feelings lay behind it. Care? Pity? Determination? Indifference? Intrigue? …After a while, I came to the realization I had no hope of figuring it out.

I moved. Not delicately and fragilely like before but instead, with no hesitation and a slight swiftness to my step. I counted the amount of circles I had made around the house the past night – 1178. I had fallen 239 times. It was only a matter of course that at this point, I had become fully versed in the art of walking, and could only see myself improving even further from here on. I was even starting to make progress in increasing the efficiency of my steps. The more I walked though, the more I realized that it was difficult, and that there were a lot of factors that required attention and deliberation. Well, needless to say, I had just started, and I would need much more practice and experience before coming to any conclusions about walking and its intricacies.

Thinking about such things, I failed to pick up on the contents of June and May’s short conversation that just finished. Already halfway toward the treeline, May ran and caught up to me, before matching my pace, and a quick backward glance showed June, walking back into the house, her arms bent and pointed upwards in a shrug.

Wait. What was it that May was just doing? This whole time, after so many hours, I didn’t think once to do it. How could I not come to such a basic conclusion? I must do it. Now.

Plop.

I hit the ground, face first, sliding along the soft grass. May looked stunned, before a very rare thing occurred. She made a subtle smile, letting out a small laugh under her breath.

“Heh, what are you doing?” She asked me, before reaching out a hand, which I took. I stood up, and then readied myself to try again.

Plop.

May struggled again to remain expressionless, as if she was suppressing it. Or maybe her laughs were just naturally a very quiet, subdued thing. Either way, she was patient enough to once again reach out and pull me up.

“Look, if you try to go that fast, you won’t get anywhere. Just go slow. Match my pace.”

I paid careful attention to what May was demonstrating. She bent her arms up slightly so they weren’t hanging freely, then, unlike walking, she bounced. With each step, she bobbed up and down, as if leaping from step to step. She remained light on the balls of her feet as she moved in a small circle around me.

I tried to copy her, but there was a lot to take in, and I fell. Again and again. But I didn’t give up. I got up, again and again, sometimes with May’s help and sometimes without, and tried. Again and again.

I was unsure how much time had passed. We, of course, didn’t venture much further towards the treeline, instead just going around in a large circle around the house. Sometimes, as my mind ventured in this cycle of trying and falling and getting up, I would passively take in the scenery. I didn’t have much else to reference, but I felt the conditions of the weather and atmosphere could not be much better. It was bright outside, yet cool, warm sunlight accompanied by a soothing breeze that brushed up against the skin like water. The grass that surrounded the decently sized house was so soft that falling on it actually became something I sort of enjoyed. Around the house itself was a garden, growing all sorts of unfamiliar vegetation, many kinds both edible and inedible. For example, a large flower twice my height towered, its circular head facing the sun. There was also an exemplary tree on one side of the house, a tree that didn’t go straight up like those bordering the clearing, instead boasting a massively wide trunk that twisted and turned a few times, like the letter s, decorated with odd yet eye-catching light blue leaves.

At some point, abruptly, June emerged from the house and came over to us.

“Whoa, May, you look exhausted, hahah, have you guys been out here this whole time, jogging?”

I didn’t even notice that May was drenched in sweat, mainly because she followed and led and accompanied me without any sign of complaint or stopping this whole time. Panting and out of breath, May responded, “Y-... Y-Yeah…” Before she went and plopped herself onto the ground before laying on her back. After catching her breath for a few seconds, she turned and looked at me. It was small, but it was unmistakable. She smiled.

“It… It was fun.”

I didn’t know how I felt. But I felt something, like a bubbly feeling in my chest. I didn’t realize when, but I too, was smiling back at May.

“Heheh, well aren’t you two having lots of fun?” June said, smiling, while stooping down and poking her exhausted sister. “How about the two of you come back in, I’ve made a salad today with some sandwiches, you know?”

I couldn’t help but perk up, something the two of them definitely saw and reacted to. I looked intently at June, not even trying to hide the anticipation and excitement that must’ve been radiating off of me. May, too, got up, rather quickly considering the state she was in. Before long, the two of us were like obedient hungry animals, being led by the nose with the promise of food. After all, the two of us couldn’t really help it.

Before me lay a bowl and a large plate. In the bowl was a medley of fresh, crispy vegetables topped with stuffs of a wide variety, things akin to nuts and olives and fruit popping out at me along with other things I didn’t really recognize. On the plate was a stack of tall and thin sandwiches, each stack pierced by a thin and small skewer. In the sandwiches were not only meat and a leaf-like vegetable, but also a thick, fleshy vegetable that stuck out a bit which seemed to be grilled. I could also make out a spread of shredded vegetables which seemed to be drenched in some thick, green sauce. There was a lot going on in both dishes, but I really paid no further heed since I knew that no matter what it was, it was going to be phenomenal.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

And it truly was. Even more quickly than yesterday’s soup, every single edible parcel on the table had been devoured, without a trace. All three of us just sat there, stuffed. Interrupting our silence of appreciation, May spoke up, quietly.

“Sis…Open a restaurant…” Such words came out of her mouth between her labored breaths. The small girl was obviously stuffed, but it didn’t go unnoticed that despite being smaller than me by a good margin, she didn’t eat any less. Perhaps she ate… more?

“Hahahah, we both know I can’t, but if I could, maybe it’d be fun, don’t you think? Would you help me?”

“We both know I can’t cook for anything, June. But maybe if you needed help cleaning the dishes…”

A mischievous grin found its way onto May’s face. I could tell she was imagining a very pleasurable scenario inside her head. June ignored her sister’s antics and turned to me.

“And what about you? Would you help me?”

I was caught a bit off guard by this question, or maybe by the fact that I was being asked. I took a second to think about how I should respond. Quickly, though, I realized. If I helped… I’d get to eat more of her cooking! I found myself vigorously nodding before I even realized it, and the two of them laughed.

“Hehe, I’ll hold you two to it, then! Hehe, someday…”

June looked up at the ceiling. No, she wasn’t looking at the ceiling, she looked past it. At her future. Or so I thought may have been the case.

The two girls, in good spirits, quickly started putting away the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. The bowl and plate were only a small fraction of the equation; in the kitchen lay evidence of truly just how much work went into these two dishes seemingly simple dishes. Scattered in many places were open jars of spices, dirty dishes where ingredients must’ve marinated or pickled, a pan and pot used to fry and boil ingredients, dirty cutting boards, plus the general messes that are made by the movement of ingredients between all these things. I didn’t realize yesterday, but cleaning it all up seemed a bit daunting. So I walked to the kitchen.

“Oh, do you wanna help, too?”

I took a dirty dish and took it over to the sink.

“Here, let me show you how to wash it.”

After being taught how to wash dishes, I diligently replicated June’s demonstration and made sure to clean thoroughly every dish that entered my hands. As I was wrapping up, I noticed that the two girls had finished most of the work, but I wanted to help with the rest anyways. Perhaps it was some act of gratitude for the truly remarkable meals. However, as I set aside the last clean dish and started walking over to June, who was putting away some things in the pantry, I was hit by a sudden wave of tiredness. I grabbed a nearby counter so as not to fall, and clutched the side of my head. June was preoccupied, but May, who noticed me, ran over to where I was and helped prop me up. She looked at my face, and without saying anything, started leading me away into the hallway, where my bed was. I wobbled sluggishly, but with her help, eventually made it into my bed.

Seeing me get in safely and tuck myself in, May left the room. I was left there, my consciousness rapidly fading.

Before I fell asleep, according to what seemed to be a recurring pattern, I thought about various things. About my progress in walking and jogging, about my excitement that soon, I’d be able to run, about May, about June, about that divine cooking…

What is sleep? What’s happening to me? Why am I sleeping, but not May or June?

…

Who am I?

All too quickly, my consciousness faded out entirely, and I drifted.

—

Having wrapped up their cleanup, the two girls once again got out their books and began reading. By their sides were papers, which they occasionally wrote on. One wrote neatly, in a consistent format, while the other sprawled hastily written notes all over their papers, the paper themselves gradually sprawling out onto the table itself. One of the girls would occasionally have to push back a paper or two that made its way onto her part of the table, but the one responsible for this paid no heed. Like this, time passed, and the sunlight began to redden, signaling the arrival of dusk.

“Ah. Would you look at the time.”

“Already, huh…”

“...You know, you seemed like you were having a pretty good time out there, May. I was kinda jealous.”

“We were just running around.”

“You had that much fun running around?”

“What, am I not allowed to enjoy myself?”

“Hey, why so defensive, hahaha.”

“...”

Time passed. The two did not write notes. At some point, the silence had gradually gotten thicker, as if the two of them wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words to say it. Eventually, one of them spoke.

“Sis, we have to give them a name.”

There was no immediate response.

“...Are you sure?”

“Yeah… Sis, they’re… they’re real.”

“...Well, duh, obviously–”

“They–...They feel things. I can tell, Sis.”

“...”

“Sis, what do we do, we can’t just–”

The sound of a book abruptly closing brought silence to the room, a silence that would go undisturbed for an uncomfortable amount of time.

“...Okay. We’ll do something. We won’t just let it die.”

“...” A silence filled the room as one of the girls composed their thoughts.

“...Sis–”

But before she could say what she wanted to say, a scream resounded through the room. May, who was looking down, shot her head up immediatey to try and ascertain what was happening. Then, she saw. A figure was standing in the hallway.

“Oh, oh my gods, you scared the daylights out of me! What are you doing up?”

May, herself quite scared by her sister’s sudden reaction, calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief when she figured out what was going on. However, just as she was settling back into her seat and regaining herself, she found herself repeating in her head after her sister. Why are they up? She had no time to ponder, though, as the figure emerged from the dark, unlit hallway, into the dining room, before proceeding to walk towards her, passing June who was on her feet.

They continued walking, before pulling out a chair next to May, sitting down in it, and pushing themselves in. Then, they leaned in towards the table, and started looking at the book in front of them. Curiosity glazed their eyes as they peered over at the words on the book, words that should be entirely unrecognizable to them. Then, as if confirming this fact, they turned their heads to the side, as if signaling that they were unable to read it. They turned towards May, expressionlessly, but despite this she and her sister were able to discern with pretty fair certainty what it was they wanted.

“Do you want us to teach you? How to read?” Chimed in June.

The girl who just sat down turned their gaze towards June, nodding their head. To this, June just let out a laugh, as if laughing at her own tenseness at this situation. Her shoulders relaxed, and she started walking, but not towards the two of them. She went over to the nearby tall bookshelf, then took out a blue book. Tyraellian Characters and Basic Words, for Kids and the Illiterate, May had read out in her head, without even trying to. She couldn’t help but be quite surprised her sister was able to locate such a book in the large wall so quickly.

June walked back over, sitting down next to them on the side opposite of May, such that she and her sister were on both sides of them. She opened the book and started explaining, in a rather concise fashion, page by page, each of the letters in the alphabet and how to write them. May brought the same slate from the day before and, pretty quickly, they started writing on it.

The two girls were genuinely shocked at just how quickly they were catching onto these entirely foreign characters. They quickly moved past the alphabet to basic words, then basic grammar, things June had no intention of touching on at all but had no choice when they just kept absorbing everything she had to teach so quickly. Inevitably, though, they had to stop, but not before they tried to make one last request. At first, May and June were stumped, but after a series of pretty persistent gestures, and even the use of some words written on the slate, they eventually figured out what they were asking for. June, one last time, went over to the wall of books and came back with a thick, solid book in her hands, one so heavy she clearly struggled to carry it. She plopped it down on the desk, making a fairly large thump sound, after which it was eagerly opened up, revealing walls and walls of text. Completely satisfied, they immediately started reading, from the beginning. Quite puzzled that anyone would want to read such a book at all, the two girls left them to read.

The truth was, the two girls had stayed up quite a bit past what they were used to and were quite tired. They forwent their nightly talk, crawled into their beds, and quickly, the two were fast asleep after the long day, not at all expecting the surprising scene they would come across the next morning.