With the task of building my slingshot complete, it was time for the next step: the rat trap. I picked up a couple of pebbles to keep on hand, hoping to improve my aim later. Arthur picked up the small watering can and grabbed hold of my hand. The two of us walked side by side, me shifting my weight onto one leg as we approached the small clearing where Dad was working. We stumbled past small thistles on the ground, listening to the pitter-patter of tiny creatures scurrying through the forest. Traces of small brown fur darted around us, accompanied by the chirping of a family of birds overhead.

As we neared Dad’s lumber work, Arthur suddenly froze in his tracks at the sound of a bird cawing. He slowly raised his hand to his head and quickly swiped at his hair. As he gently moved it into his line of sight, his face contorted in disgust as he revealed the wet, white droppings of a bird. “AAAAGHH!” Arthur yelled, hurriedly shaking his hand and his head, hoping to remove any traces. All I could do was watch as his frenzy continued, making him so desperate that he resorted to using fallen leaves to clean his head. I couldn't help but remember a dog that an old friend used to have while watching Arthur…….. What was its name?

That’s crazy. He probably would’ve seen that coming if he didn’t get ahead of himself.

……………..

...Do you get it? Because of how it fell on his head… and how I said he got ahead of himself.

“Yeah, I got it. I just thought it would be less embarrassing if I didn’t even acknowledge it.”

...Thanks?

After Arthur was satisfied with the state of his hair, we continued on until we finally reached the clearing. Dad was hard at work on a tree, repeatedly swinging his trusty ax back and forth. The tree resembled an oak—tall and sturdy—with its beautiful dark brown bark now mostly stripped away thanks to Dad's efforts. Arthur led me to a small bench Dad had made for his breaks and helped me take a seat before walking over to Dad. As my legs dangled above the ground, I rested my slingshot in my hand, gazing around me. The scattered remains of trees surrounded us—mere trunks that had once been towering giants, housing small critters. While some might find it a sad sight, I noticed small tree saplings sprouting, mirroring the number of tree stumps. I could only guess that Dad had personally replanted them all. As I rested in the darkening sunlight, I overheard Arthur and Dad’s conversation.

“Hard at work, Pops?” Arthur asked as he helped transport small logs to a wooden wagon.

Dad simply raised a hand without looking back. That was usually how he responded to people. Despite his stern expression and the cold aura that emanated from him with each swing of his ax, he wasn’t tired or unable to talk; it was just more comfortable for him.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I have a small problem for you.” Arthur said as he finished filling the wagon. He showed Dad the watering can.

Dad paused his work, sticking his ax into the tree. He turned to Arthur and gently took the watering can, examining it closely. His eyes widened as he noticed the hole. “How did this happen?”

“Beric and I went to refill the cans, but when we were walking back, Beric tripped and let go of the can,” Arthur explained.

Dad’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “He tripped? Is he okay?” Dad wondered aloud as he began to search for me.

“Relax, Pops, he’s fine. Elaine and I already patched him up. He’s right over there on your bench,” Arthur said, pointing toward me.

Dad’s face returned to its usual grim expression. “I see.”

“Even though it does hurt for him to walk by himself, I think it’ll wear off soon,” Arthur confidently declared.

“Why isn’t he inside?”

“Well, he really wanted me to make him a slingshot,” Arthur shrugged.

“Make him go inside,” Dad replied, turning back to his work.

“Oh, wait, I almost forgot. Elaine told me to remind you to make that rat trap,” Arthur added.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Dad stopped. “That slipped my mind.” He turned around and motioned for Arthur to come over. “Go get these supplies for me.”

While Arthur went to collect the necessities for the rat trap, I practiced my aim with the slingshot. At first I had aimed at the top of a specific tree stump to the right of me, but instead, I was short……..by a meter.

I’m guessing first-person shooters weren’t your area of expertise?

After a few more stubborn attempts, I finally hit it. With more determined practice, I became more consistent. I began targeting farther tree stumps, the branches of elevated trees, and even moving squirrels sneaking through the trees. For the most part, I excelled at hitting stationary targets but struggled with moving ones. Nevertheless, I focused on stationary targets—hitting them consistently was my goal. However, as I rested from my practice, something in my line of sight caught my attention: a group of small, dark purple flowers resting in the shadows of a particularly tall tree. I didn’t know what captivated me about them, so I asked Sys.

“Sys, what type of flowers are those?”

Those are Midnight Shades. They are a unique type of flower that blooms only during the darkest hours of the night and thrives solely in the shadows.

Nothing particularly stood out about them, yet something was alluring. “Is there anything special about them?”

They are sedative flowers, commonly used to help those with insomnia or difficulty sleeping.

Sedative? That could actually be useful—“Sys, how many of these flowers would be enough to cause a fully grown man to fall asleep within, let’s say, half an hour?”

With the use of crushing the Midnight Shade’s bulbs into a powdery substance, mixing it into a liquid, and then consuming it, a fully grown man would fall asleep within half an hour… with the amount of 8 flower bulbs.

“How about for a woman, an eleven-year-old boy, and a nine-year-old girl?”

…Why are you trying to drug your family?

“No, I’m not.”

…Really?

“Yep.”

So, you’re just coincidentally asking for the same ages as your siblings, along with the same age as your parents?

“You got it.”

…I promised not to intrude in your personal thoughts or matters. But I’m not willing to aid you in any plan that involves harming anyone.

Honestly, this was just an idea. I wasn’t really planning on going through with it unless it seemed possible. To figure that out, I needed to know how many flower bulbs I would need. “Alright, look. I’m not trying to hurt them or anything. I just want them to sleep peacefully and quickly. However, that’s why I need to know the total amount I need. I want to ensure it’s enough to help them sleep without causing harm.”

…I don’t agree with this path you’re considering, but if it helps you become stronger, then so be it. That is, if you use the exact amount I specify.

“Of course.”

…….For your mother, you would need 6. For your siblings, 5 in total should be enough. In short, you would need 19 flower bulbs. Each Midnight Shade contains around 20 flower bulbs, so you realistically only need one.

Only one? Holy shit, I’d be a fool not to take this chance. I decided to switch to the Midnight Shade plan.

Dad and Arthur were busy crafting the rat trap, so I continued honing my aim with the slingshot. A few minutes passed, with Arthur occasionally yelling out in pain after accidentally stabbing himself with a branch, until they finally finished. Dad returned to his work while Arthur carried the rat trap back to me.

“Let’s go home now,” Arthur said, reaching out his hand to me.

I took his hand, and we started walking back home. Before we crossed the treeline and re-entered the forest, I pointed at the Midnight Shades.

Arthur turned his head and craned his neck to see what I was pointing at. “What is it?”

I pulled on his arm and led him to the flowers. I then picked two. Better safe than sorry.

“Oh, you just wanted to pick them?” Arthur asked, looking closely at the ones I had chosen. “They look awfully familiar… Aren’t they called Dawnbreak Petals?”

Where the fuck did he even get that from?

After a short walk home, we finally arrived. Arthur helped me into our house, and we started heading to our parents’ room. However, we were stopped on the way by Mom, who began interrogating Arthur about why I needed help walking. Thanks to Arthur’s ability to dodge questions like a politician, we quickly rushed to the room. Arthur placed the trap near the hole, carefully making any adjustments. I then pretended to yawn and climbed onto the bed.

“Going to sleep already? Well, alright. Just don’t forget you’ll have to get back up in an hour or two.” Arthur said as he made his way out of the door.

Perfect. I placed the slingshot on the bed as I went straight to work. I began dissecting the flower as I started removing the flower buds. It was time for D-Day.

Ooooooh, I just thought of a good pun.

“...........What?”

How about B-Day?.......Get it? Because it plays off D-Day, but since it’s your birthday, it’s like an abbreviation for-

“Refrain from speaking out of turn again.”

Ok.