Tap! Tap! Tap!

Half-asleep, I rolled over, trying to ignore the knocking. Maybe if I stayed still, it would go away and the sweet drowsy feeling of sleep could take me back.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The sound didn’t stop.

It got louder, sharper, like it was trying to get my attention. My heart started to beat faster a weird feeling growing in my chest. Why wouldn’t it stop? It was as if the sound knew I was awake now, and was calling for me.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

I frowned, pulling the covers closer. The knocking echoed in my head, making it hard for the drowsiness to take me away and even harder to stay calm. Something about it felt so wrong like it wasn’t just a random noise but a message, a single I didn’t understand.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

I couldn’t take it anymore. I opened my eyes; the room dark, blurry, and still. Mira was sleeping next to me, unaffected by the sound, her long silvery hair shining in the moonlight. Her arms were wrapped around me, just like when we fell asleep, holding me tight.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

There it was again.

My eyes darted to the window.

A shadow flickered just outside the glass. By the time I blinked and looked clearly, there was nothing there.

Then I heard it again, but this time it was different.

Tap… Tap… Thud…

It was deeper and duller, like something heavy hitting wood. And it didn’t come from the window. It came from the door downstairs.

My heart raced. Carefully slipping out of Mira’s hug, I crept toward the staircase and peeked down. From beneath the door, a shadow seeped through the small gap, so big and terrifying that I had to hold my breath, afraid it might hear me.

I stayed motionless for a few seconds and the knocking sounded again.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

As the final thud sounded, the door suddenly opened, and a blinding light took over.

***

Gasping for air, I jolted, almost jumping off the bed, the only thing holding me back was the bed sheets I refused to let go.

“Oh, good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?”

As my eyes focused, the bright sunlight faded into the familiar surroundings. Blinking twice, I turned to the calm, warm voice.

Mira was fresh out of the bath, her skin still a little damp, wearing a light silver tunic that matched the color of her hair. The fabric hung loosely, clinging to her in places. If her wet hair wasn’t still dripping, it would be hard to tell where it ended and the tunic began, the shades blending under the soft light.

I took another breath and held it in, trying to lower the beating of my heart.

‘A dream. It was just a dream.’

For the past month now, ever since ‘moving on’ my dreams had turned weird. First I always dreamed of being back to the volcano, and all its dark places, then it was the forest, dark and scary in the middle of the night, and now this…

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Was it even a dream? It felt so real, and that shadow… why did it feel so familiar?

I breathed out.

“G-good morning. Y-yeah.” I answered awkwardly.

For a split second, there was a pause, but then she smiled.

“I’m glad. Come, take a bath, the water is warm. By the time you’re done, I’ll have breakfast ready.”

As she spoke, she walked closer to the bed.

“Do you want the usual, or want me to surprise you with something different?”

Her soft hand patted my hair, and my heart started beating faster again.

“Th-the usual!” I blurted out, looking away, feeling my cheeks getting hot.

She chuckled.

“Alright, I’ll be downstairs. If you need anything, just say the word.” She said and walked away.

I remained on the bed for a while, feeling uneasy.

Maybe my dream wasn’t a dream at all and the shadow was down there waiting to hurt Mira now that she was alone. Or maybe, I was still dreaming and was about to wake up in Mira’s hug. Or even, the entirety of the past few months was all a dream, and I was about to wake up in the middle of the forest all alone again.

Or perhaps it was simply nothing, just a fleeting feeling from the nightmare.

Getting out of bed, I took the clean clothes and soap Mira had prepared for me, and headed to the bathroom.

Mira’s bathroom, like the rest of her house, was unlike any bathroom I’d ever seen, which wasn’t a lot, two to be exact, but still. Maybe it had something to do with her being an Elf—maybe that’s just how their homes were different from the other races.

The room felt both small and big, depending on how one looked at it. There were no buckets, no bathtubs, not even a sink. Instead, the entire space was a kind of bath in itself. The floor was slightly sunken, with a small staircase leading down into it. Along one wall stretched a massive mirror, reflecting everything in crisp detail.

In the center of the room, something like a flower grew from the floor. But it wasn’t like any flower I’d ever seen. There were no petals, and the head was covered with dozens of tiny holes where water poured out. Depending on how intense you let the water out, something that was done by pulling and pushing its leaves could even be a fountain!

And, if you left the water running, the room would slowly fill, turning it into some kind of giant bathtub, or a small personal lake!

It was just so... different from what I was used to... and cool. Most of all cool!

But also, embarrassing!

Why was there a giant mirror!? It didn’t make any sense!

Did they like watching themselves bathe or something? That’s just weird!

Undressing, I walked below the fountain-flower, and turned, my back facing the mirror wall.

Trickles of water slashed on my hair and flowed to the rest of my body below. Pulling a leaf, the water pressure increased and water trailed me down. Twisting another leaf, the water turned warmer. Soon steam filled the room, and now I could finally bathe properly. With the mirror foggy, I didn’t have to worry about anything.

Soon, I was done with my bath, but not ready to leave the room. The weirdest part was yet to come, and I wanted to see it again.

It was cool how the room could be filled with water, but where did that water go when we were done?

As it turned out, the fountain-flower wasn’t rooted in the room just for show. Once it stopped pouring water from the head, its roots grew beyond the ground to absorb the remaining water. Mira had explained that way the flower sustained not only itself but also gave the house some vital nutrients.

At that point, I couldn’t even question how that worked, so I didn’t try to and simply accepted it as is, but it was still cool to watch how it happened.

Dressing up, I was still a bit hesitant to go down.

Peeking from the top of the staircase, I saw no shadow lurking behind the door. The sun, as always, spilled its light across the room, making the piano shine in the middle. From the corner of my eye, I could just spot Mira in the kitchen, and there it was—a smell sneaking its way to my nose.

I forgot all about the shadow and the nightmare. My feet hit the floor, racing toward the kitchen.

Mira turned, wiped her hands over her apron, and smiled softly.

“Oh, you’re done? Sorry, I didn’t hear you coming. Breakfast is ready, so let me serve you.” She said, turning around to present me a bowl full of fresh dumplings.

My nose hadn’t lied to me.

“Why…” The word jumped out on its own.

This was anything but the usual breakfast. Normally, we’d have fruits, buttered bread, and cacao. Simple, but good. So why did she go out of her way to make dumplings?

She tilted her head to the side slightly and raised a brow. “Why what?”

“Why did you make dumplings? Why did you lie…” I said, my voice cowering down.

“Well, you also lied earlier.” She answered.

I gasped.

How did she know? It was true that I wanted something else, but she had already done so much for me, and I didn’t want to bother her more.

“next time, tell me what is it that you want, and I won’t have to lie about it.”

A warm, tingly feeling bubbled up inside, making my heart thump faster.

She smiled at me and turned to the other side to grab two plates, so she was surprised when I hugged her.

“Thank you.” I said, my voice muffled in her apron.

“Oh, no! No, no, Lyon, the apron is dirty!” She said, for the first time panic spilling in her voice.

Shocked, I immediately jumped back. My hands, clothes, and even hair were painted white from the flour.

We looked at each other, and both of us laughed.

After another bath and a new set of clothes, it was finally time to have breakfast.