There were predominantly darkness and silence in the forest of leaves and branches. No eyes could see clearly, and no skin could tell exactly, but only the ears could get someone somewhere. And a little boy was running together with a young boy. It seemed they were running aimlessly with their hands holding together, but the little boy knew where they were going as he was the one leading the way. Going past where they were running, at the farm, shouts of the young boy were heard and sounded, “Wait! Ah! My eye! Something happened to my eye! I can’t close it!”
And going through towards where they were now, the little boy looked back, worried, so he slowed down. They began to walk, and the little boy said, “What? What happened?”
“Something’s touching my left eye, and I can’t close it,” the young boy shook his arms rapidly and answered in a panic.
“What?!” the little boy thought of the worst-case scenario and said, surprised, “Wait, then a branch impaled into your eye!”
They both stopped walking. And the young boy shook harder and cried for pity, “It hur- it’s hurting.”
“Okay, okay,” the little boy swiftly responded and placed the basket beside his foot. He held the young boy’s arm and then slid to grab his hand. With both hands held tight for comfort, the little boy continued, “Calm, calm down. Stop shaking. It’s probably making it more painful.”
“Ou-oh, okay,” the young boy moaned and listened. He stopped shaking hardly, but the little boy still felt the tremors.
“Uhhh,” the little boy was not sure where his face was, so he was careful not to rush and touch the injury. He slowly moved his hand on his right bicep, then continued when he realized where he was holding, “Oh, so okay, it’s the arm.” After that, he moved his hand on the shoulder and responded, “Huh?”
He bumped something hairy with his top hand, and then a light glowed on the bottom right face of the young boy.
“Light?” the young boy recognized and said curiously.
The light continued to glow and brightened a small area between the boys’ faces. There, it revealed a giant spider. The light came from the center of its body, and it seemed one of its legs was on the young boy’s eye. And the closing of eyelids was not reacting the spider to move its leg away. There, the little boy shockingly saw the spider. It was positioned sideways on the young boy’s cheek. And its head was surrounded by many small eyes, and the mouth had two giant fangs right under his eye. It had five pairs of legs, one on the side of the head, three on its body, and one on its lower abdomen. The legs were long and spread that the lower legs touched his stomach and back torso while the upper leg reached his forehead.
The two boys heard the slimy chewing from its mouth. It terrified them. The young boy was frozen, not out of fear but pure shock. However, the little boy felt complete fear, and the spider pulled its lower leg and laid down on his arm. The little boy saw and felt it, and then he chose to fight rather than flee. He screamed aloud, “Ghaahh!!! Spider!” and slapped the young boy’s cheek.
And the young boy shrieked from the sudden pain, “Aeh!”
The slap hit the spider and somehow flicked it away. And the place turned dark again. The slap was powerful that pushed the young boy to fall on his arm, where his hand was being held tight by the little boy. He didn’t fall to the ground, but he dangled like a rope that helped him push back up.
“Auhh, wha’s tha?” the young boy moaned and covered his right face for comfort.
The little boy felt bad and helped him stand up, “I’m sorry, I- I just. I had to slap you to get rid of the spider. Are you okay?”
“Uhh, I don’t know. But my right eye’s starting to get hurt,” the young boy answered.
“Oh no, I must have hit it,” the little boy felt worried and said, “I- we can’t aid them while we are here in the dark. Have your eyes closed for a while and let them cry. Maybe it will ease the pain.”
“Oh, okay,” the young boy said and did so what the little boy told. He closed his eyes, and tears were falling. The little boy took the basket and hurriedly spoke, “Come on, let’s go back quickly so we can know what happened to your eyes.”
“Uh, okay,” the young boy moaned.
The little boy held the young boy’s hand tight and ran fast. They both headed toward the wall while panting and sweating, and when they approached the wall, the little boy said, “We’re almost there!”
“Okay, nice, okay,” the young boy said happily and softly.
Then both ran through the wall and entered. Behind the wall was a broad, spotless, artistic carved paved street where people were walking by. And when they passed through the other side of the wall, the little boy abruptly stopped when he took his first step and said, “We’re here!”
But the young boy continued to run, and as he was about to bump someone, the little boy was fast and powerful to pull him from getting into an accident. Shocked from the pull, the young boy reacted, “Woah! Be careful. It’s dark out here.”
And the woman, who he was about to hit, gave him a confused look while walking by.
“Alright, let me see your eyes,” the little boy said while breathing heavily. He placed the basket down, and the young boy flinched that they had arrived already.
“Oh,” the young boy turned his head at the little boy and said, “really? It’s okay now?”
The little boy removed his glove and put it in the basket then flapped his hand. He answered, “Yeah, yeah, come here.”
The young boy went and the little boy held the young boy’s face with both of his hand.
“Okay,” the little boy breathed deeply to slow his panting and said, “Open your eyes slowly.”
The young boy mumbled in agreement and slowly opened his eyes. His left eyelids were shaking, and when he finally opened his eyes fully, the little boy looked closer and checked his eyes one by one carefully. He even opened his eyes wider to see more of them. Then he sighed in relief and reacted, “They are all right. Nothing is seriously alarming. Hmm, they are starting to get redder, though. We can go back to the taverin where I live and apply eye drops because your eyes will get irritated from the dirt and redness. Or do you live nearer from here?”
The young boy looked around then answered, “I don’t know where this is.”
“Then, you are not from here. Come on, let’s go,” the little boy took his basket and spoke.
“By the way, do I’ve to close them?”
“It’s okay now. You can have them open.”
The young boy smiled and said, “Okay, nice.”
And when he was about to rub his eye, the little boy grabbed his hand and moved it down while saying, “No, no, don’t do that. It will get worse.”
“Okay,” the young boy said.
They walked away from the place, and the little boy spoke, “Let’s go. The taverin is right this way.”
Both went to the center of the road and walked side by side with their hands holding together. But the young boy was concerned with the itchiness that he kept moving his head while squeezing his eyes hard. After that, he figured and kept his eyes blinking. There, he began to look around his surroundings, and he felt fascinated by the beauty and elegance of everything he saw. And when he was looking up, he saw old, pristine, inclining buildings. Then as his eyes reached the top, he saw a giant castle, and up above the kingdom were soft twinkling lights that were either moving or stationary.
“Woah…,” the young boy whispered in awe and asked, “Is that your taverin?” while pointing at the castle with his thumb.
The little boy looked and chuckled, “Ahaha, no. That’s too enormous for a taverin. Oh, by the way, have you been there?”
“No,” the young boy looked at the little boy and answered, “I haven’t. What’s in there, anyway?” Then he continued to mesmerize the castle.
“You haven’t?” the little boy looked at the young boy with doubt and continued, “You can freely enter the castle anytime. I think everyone has experienced visiting in there.”
“Hmmm,” the young boy was thinking and looked at the little boy to say, “I’ve been having a hard time living my life because of the eggs I deal with every day and night.”
“Ahhh,” the little boy was surprised to hear what the young boy said and understood his situation. He continued, “You must be one of the groups behind the creation of the deviled chickens. I’ve heard that they’ve done a great job protecting the Crown Forest and, at the same time, making the deviled chicken and eggs edible. So, thank you for your hard work. Also, spend time with yourself. I mean, workers can take a break by themselves anytime. Popped told me that it is better to take a break than give yourself broken.”
The young boy leaned his head at the little boy and said, “What? What’re you talking about?”
Then they arrived at the wide T-intersection street, where the highway went straight up to the kingdom, where the castle was. The little boy recognized their location and began to look somewhere specific. And he saw a group of people getting inside a house. The house looked old and pristine with walls made of white brick stones and dark natural woods and roofed with a garden of grasses and small plants.
He smiled wide and said with excitement, “Look! A lot of customers are getting inside!”
The young boy noticed where the little boy’s face was directing, so he looked where he was facing. He said, “Oh, yeah, that’s a lot.”
“Come on, hurry! Popped needs the eggs now,” the little boy pulled the young boy and began to walk faster.
The boys passed by the road and went to the other side. When they arrived at the taverin, they walked up the short stairs and stayed on the porch. For seconds, the little boy stopped in awe as he peeked into the glass window on the door. He was seeing everything blurry inside, but he knew there were a lot of them, eating, drinking, and talking.
“Woah…” he whispered and then screamed, “Wait!”
He opened the door and rushed inside, shouting happily, “Popped! I got the eggs!”
The customers glanced at him, and some started welcoming him with warm greetings.
“Aha! R’Lo’e! Welcome back!”
“Welcome, boy!”
“Ohh, are those the deviled eggs you’re carrying?!”
“Hey, I can smell it from here!”
“Those are your eggs!”
He looked down and said, “Oh,”
“Hahahahaha!” many laughed.
“Ahahaha!” a louder and manlier laugh was heard at the kitchen counter, where there was a large, fit-body man, wearing a white apron, standing there. When Popped saw his son, he was happy to see him, “Welcome back, R’Lo’e!”
The calls made the young boy look at R’Lo’e, then R’Lo’e went to the kitchen counter table and placed the basket. He felt sad and said, “I’m sorry, Popped, for being late.”
Popped checked inside the basket and saw the eggs and a chick. He smiled and said, “You were never late, R’Lo’e. You did a good job!” Then he nodded, “Thank you.”
R’Lo’e smiled back, then widened his eyes, “Oh, yeah!” and said, “I need the eye drops.” He ran to his side, waving at the customers and greeting some of them, and went upstairs quickly, and his father watched him go while smiling. Then Popped went to the basket to start his work. He scooped the chick and placed it on the table. He wore his own gloves to place the eggs in the filled sink. While doing so, he recognized the young boy standing in front of him, blinking his eyes rapidly. He was concerned and asked, “Why don’t you sit down, boy. R’Lo’e must be getting the eye drops for you.”
“Oh, thank you,” the young boy sat down on the floor and continued, “Yeah, he said it’ll heal the irritation and redness in my eyes.”
“Uhh,” Popped looked over the table and said, “Wait, there are no chairs?” He saw the chairs and continued, “Oh, you can sit on one of these chairs.”
“Oh, okay. Thank you,” the young boy said and sat on a chair.
When all the eggs were in the sink, the water started to boil and steam. Popped kneeled and tweaked underneath the sink, where the water started to drain slowly. He stood up and ran the water from the faucet. He turned around to check the walled oven. While doing so, he asked, “So what happened to your eyes? Did something hit them?”
“Uh, I don’t know what really happened, but when I was in the dark with R’Lo’e, a light came out of nowhere near my face. After that, he screamed and hit something, and my eye was affected, then everything turned dark again,” the young boy answered.
“Hmmmmm,” Popped stopped for a moment to think and glanced at the clock then worked back again. He said, “You must have encountered the Hanging Star Spider.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Oh, yeah, R’Lo’e did say it was a spider.”
“Or the Woowoowa.”
“Hm?” the young boy got him to speak after hearing that.
“Ahh, those two usually come out at this time of the night to prepare themselves to hunt,” Popped explained and took some of the eggs out from the sink. He placed them on a clean, dry towel to dry and cool down. Then R’Lo’e ran down the stairs with the item and came near the young boy.
He asked, “Let me handle your head for a while.”
“Sure,” the young boy said.
R’Lo’e sat on the chair beside him and dragged the young boy’s chair to get closer to him. He held his head and bent it where he could effortlessly drop the liquid to his eyes.
“You could stop blinking your eyes now,” he said.
“Oh, okay.”
While R’Lo’e was treating the young boy’s eyes, Popped had his last ingredient ready for his main dishes to be completed and served. He placed a hand towel and four complied hand towels on the table in separate places. He went to the walled oven and grabbed a wide circular bowl with arms stretched apart. The bowl filled with assorted delicious dishes looked like most were out of this world. And the garnishes were proportional and beautiful. The bowl was heavy, but he carried it at ease with his muscular arms. When he placed it on the table where there was a hand towel, the hungry customers heard the loud thud. All looked at the food steaming. The customers were gulping, moistening their lips, and salivating from the smell and sight of the food. He took his gloves out to take the eggs from the sink and place them around the food. Then, he grabbed two eggs from the towel, poked a big hole in each, and dropped the fluids all over the food. A flow of white and yellow cream was pouring. Popped made sure the sauce covered the food that needed it. And to finish it all, at the center of the bowl, where there was a giant portion of a dish, he crushed the eggshells and said, “Table one, it’s ready!”
“Yeees!” a man jumped out from his seat with his arms up and shouted. His friends at his table laughed, and some of the people were holding their laughter. Popped laughed as well, then the man, embarrassed, continued, “I mean, we’re coming to get it.”
Three people from table one stood up. Each took the hand towels and carried the bowl to their table. One of them said, “Thank you, Popped.”
He nodded, smiled, and said, “You are welcome, Jys’Mierr.”
After placing the bowl on their table, all the four went to return the towels. And Popped continued to work on the second bowl for the second table. The boys had finished the treatment of the young boy’s eyes, and his eyes seemed back to normal. Then the young boy was staring at the foods that Popped was making and serving to the customers. And R’Lo’e was surprised to see a deviled chick, “Huh, it must have hatched.”
He took the chick carefully and went to the door. He left the taverin for a short while. Outside the taverin, the kingdom had no public lights because it was lightened by the many lambent lights above. The lights were sufficient and pleasing to make everyone see clear and call it a night. He placed the chick down and watched it run towards the wall. He stayed there for a moment to watch the chick leave safely. All the people who were to cross the chick’s path stopped and gave their way. And when a woman walking beside the wall encountered the chick, it bumped itself from the wall. She took the chick with her hands and walked into the wall. From what R’Lo’e saw, he smiled and entered back into the taverin.
While Popped was finishing the third bowl, he recognized the young boy gazing at the foods. He said, “Don’t worry, boy. You’ll get a bowl after this.”
“…Wait,” the young boy checked his pocket and said, “I don’t have anything to give you back.”
“Huh, what do you mean?”
“You’ll give me something, so I’ll give you something as my thanks.”
“Give me something as your thanks, huh,” Popped took a small bowl of delicious foods from the walled oven and said, “You don’t have to give me something. Your enjoyment is your gratitude for me.” He attached a towel below the bowl and served it to him with a deviled egg on it.
The young boy looked at the food and slowly smiled. He looked at Popped and said, “Thank you.”
Popped offered a spoon and a fork and nodded, “You’re welcome.”
The young boy took them. Then R’Lo’e arrived and sat beside the young boy. He saw the young boy with his dinner, so he asked, “Popped, can I get one as well?”
“Table three! Yours is ready!” Popped called and continued, “Sure thing, R’Lo’e.”
The young boy had not touched his food, and then he glanced at R’Lo’e when he heard him order. He watched him wait for his food. And when R’Lo’e got his food on his table, he thanked Popped as he got the spoon and fork. Before he started to eat, the young boy’s stare made R’Lo’e notice. He asked, “Is there something wrong?”
“Yeah, I’m having trouble,” the young boy raised his spoon and fork and said, “How’d you use these?”
In a hallway of black and white colors with grand designs, there was a soldier who ran fast toward a door. Before he knocked on the door, the door opened by itself. His body shortly jumped out from the sudden scare. He started breathing heavily and moving his body as if he was hallucinating. In front of him was a woman, beautiful with a cold look on her face, in a dark room. She had her eyes squinting from the lights outside, and she was wearing long pajamas extending from her hands and feet. She spoke coldly, “Why are you here?”
The soldier touched his chest. He was calm, then he answered, “I’m so sorry, Right Commander Ourlena. But we have a problem that we never had in the history of Gravedom. Our birds have reports of someone inside our kingdom who does not belong here.”
She didn’t respond immediately, and both of their eyes were staring at each other. Her eyes were emotionless and hard to tell, but the soldier’s eyes were nervous. Seconds later, she responded, “Do it tomorrow,” then closed the door.
He slowly turned around with his hands on his hips. He looked puzzled as he didn’t know what to do next. So, he looked around, thinking, but he didn’t get anything. He held his hands together and shook them up and down. He then left the place, walking out.
Hours had passed, and the taverin had gone quiet as the customers had left the place. Inside the first floor of the taverin was Popped alone. The whole room was already clean and tidy. The bowls, plates, and other kitchen wares were washed and dried up. He walked to the doorway, where two switches were on the wall beside the door. He turned them off, and the lights on the porch went out, and so did the room.
On the second floor of the taverin, there was a short hallway of doors on each side. One of them was opened, and inside the room were the young boy and R’Lo’e.
“This is your room. You will be staying here for as long as you want,” R’Lo’e introduced the place. The room was basic yet comfortable to live. And the faint light from the outside brought calming illumination to the inside.
The young boy walked around and was fascinated by the things around him. “Woah. What’s this?” he looked at the furniture.
“That’s the bed where you will be sleeping.”
Surprised, the young boy said, “What?! Really?”
“Hahaha, tonight will be great to finally sleep on the bed in a room after working and sleeping in the chicken coop.”
The young boy looked confused at R’Lo’e and said, “What?”
Popped came into the room with fresh clothes and towels. He informed, “Boys, it’s 11 pm already. It’s time for you to take your shower and head to bed.”
R’Lo’e looked at the clock and said, “Oh, it’s 11 already.” He left the room rushing and saying, “Good night, everyone!”
Popped replied, “Good night, R’Lo’e.” He went to the cabinet and placed the clothes in. He said, “You can use the clothes here in the cabinet after you shower. I think they fit for your size.”
When he finished, he turned around to say, “If there’s anything you need, you can knock on the door beside the staircase. That’s where I stay.”
“Okay, thank you. But, uh, what’s a shower?” the young boy asked curiously.
Popped pointed at the only closed door and said, “It’s over there.”
The young boy looked and went to the bathroom. He stayed on the doorstep and did nothing. Seconds later, he asked, “Am I supposed to do something to get a shower?”
Popped looked perplexed at him and went to the bathroom. He answered, “Yeah, you’re supposed to open the door.
There was a wooden handle on the wooden door, and he smoothly slid it, revealing the room. He introduced the place, saying, “This is where you shower.”
“Do I just stand here to take a shower?” the young boy asked.
Popped pointed at the faucet and said, “No, you turn that to take a shower.”
“Oh, okay. I get it now. But what’s that doing if I take a shower?” the young boy pointed and told.
Popped pointed too and answered, “That’s the bathtub. You use that to soak yourself in.”
The young boy pointed, “That?”
“That’s the chute where you throw your old clothes,” Popped said as he pointed.
The young boy pointed again, “How about that?”
“That’s another sliding door for a room where the toilet is,” Popped pointed and spoke.
“Oh-kay,” the young boy finally stopped pointing. He looked at Popped and continued, “but where do I excrete myself?”
Popped, still pointing at the room, slowly turned his head at the young boy. His eyes stared at the young boy, then moved them to see his finger pointing at the door. Then he had his eyes on the young boy again, and the young boy seemed to notice the behavior. The young boy looked in front and said, “Hm?”
Popped leaned near to the face of the young boy and made a gesture of sliding the door open. He said, “You open that one- You know what, come here.”
He placed his hands over his back, and they went inside. He opened the sliding door and pointed, “That’s the toilet bowl, where you excrete yourself.” He was not irritated by the confusion and curiosity of the young boy, and he was patient throughout with him. He was just confused about the young boy and was open to telling. He continued, “Inside that hole.”
“Ahh, okay, I know now. Thank you, Popped,” the young boy said happily.
They walked out the room, then Popped asked, “You seem to have troubles. You don’t know many simple kinds of stuff here. Did R’Lo’e hit you in the head that you forgot your memories?”
The young boy sighed in disappointment and said, “No, I forgot my memories way before that. I- I can’t remember. I wish I could have many answers to many things, but I don’t know.” He looked down and continued, “I don’t even know my name.”
Popped felt sad from what he heard and said, “I get it now.” He patted the back of the young boy and continued, “But you may have a problem with your brain, and we can go to the physician by tomorrow to check it up. Maybe it is something serious.”
“Brain? Physician? Check it up?” the young boy asked.
“This,” Popped touched the young boy’s forehead and answered, “Inside here is your brain. And the physician is a person who knows the inside and the outside of everything from your body. Check it up means to see if you have a problem with your body or not.”
“Uhhh,” the young boy had his eyes down to think and said, “why not now?”
“Unless you are in pain from your brain, we can check it up now. Are you?”
The young boy had his head and eyes upwards, checking his brain. He replied, “No, it doesn’t hurt.”
“Then, we will have it checked by tomorrow. Come on, it’s getting late. You have to shower, throw the clothes you’re wearing into the chute, dry yourself with the towel, wear the new clothes in the cabinet, and then sleep. You can do that, right?”
“Uhmm,” the young boy looked at his hand and pointed them out with his fingers, “I’ve to shower, throw the clothes I’m using in the chute, dry myself with a towel, wear clothes in the cabinet, then sleep.” He looked at Popped accomplished and said, “Yeah, I can do it.”
Popped went to the cabinet to get the towel and gave it to him. He said, “Alright, good luck.”
The young boy took the towel and went into the bathroom excitedly. Popped went out from the room smiling, “Good night, a-.” He left his mouth open to say something, but he realized and continued, “Oh, yeah, he doesn’t know his name.” And he closed the door.
In the bathroom, the young boy placed the towel on the bathtub and showered with his clothes. He turned the faucet clockwise, and water came out from the ceiling. It was cold. He was surprised when his body felt the temperature. His body hardened and squeezed, and he didn’t know what to do but struggle. “Aaaahhh!” he screamed in freezing agony. He started shrinking and got himself to lay down on the floor in a weird position. Then he saw the faucet and said, “I've to turn it off.” He struggled to stand up but was able to stand straight. He reached the faucet and turned it in the same direction, thinking it would turn off. But then the water started becoming foamy. “What’s this?!” he was surprised, but the water was still cold. So, he shouted, “Aaaahhh! How to turn it off?!” He kept turning it on the same side, and when he saw the sliding door for the toilet, he gave up. He opened the toilet room and went inside. There, he saw the hole in the toilet bowl. He stared at the abyss and felt suddenly the urge to excrete himself. So, he took his shorts halfway through, and he was not wearing underwear. He sat on the bowl without the covered seat. “Why everything’s cold in here?” he complained. While he was defecating, he looked at the bathroom and wondered, “Hmm. I wonder how to turn the water off?” He looked around and noticed red and blue circles below the faucet. It made him look sideways, saying, “What’s that? Could they turn the water off?” After he finished, he stood up and raised his shorts. He turned back and saw his excrements. He said, “Wait, I don’t have soil and rocks to cover it up.” He panicked and looked around for them. He couldn’t find any and started getting desperate. He asked the toilet room, “Just give me at least a handful of soil.” He brushed and moved everything around him. But when he touched the handle of the toilet, it bounced back and forth. “Huh? What’s that?” he was curious and touched it even more. He noticed that he could push farther, so he put more force on his finger until the flush moved down by itself. The young boy heard the flushing, and it made him puzzled. He didn't know what was going on, so he checked the toilet. He said, "What's happening? Did I fix something?" He looked back at the bowl and saw the water and his excrements in a spiral. He was entertained, “Woah… And it’s gone. Wait, the water came back up.” Then the foam from the bathroom reached inside the toilet room. When he felt a touch from his feet, he looked back and panicked again, “Oh, no! I’ve to turn it off seriously.” He went inside quickly and faintly touched the red and blue circles. Nothing changed. He was losing hope and said, “Then what should I do?!” He tried to swipe the buttons and even used his nails to pluck them out. Now, it was hopeless, so he went back to the faucet and started twisting it in the same direction with his hands. “Aaaahhh!” he yelled while using all his strength to twist it beyond the maximum. He even used his body weight to help turn the faucet. “Come on, turn off!” he begged. But the foam kept rising, and his body was getting colder. And then again, he gave up. He looked up and said, “I need to do something with that, and the water might stop running.” He started jumping with his hands raised high and smacking the ceiling. Then when he landed on the floor, his feet slipped, “Waaah!” He smacked his face on the wall, close to the faucet. His hand somehow twisted the faucet the right way and turned the water off without the foam. Then he fell and smacked his face on the floor while the foam drained. “Oww, ow, aaaa,” he moaned and continued, “My face. Uhhg. My neck.” He was in great pain, but he needed to stand up to turn the faucet off. When he was standing up, he used the faucet to help himself, and his right hand massaged his neck. And his left hand held on to the faucet, but then he used the nature of his hand. Instinctively, he turned the faucet counter-clockwise, and the water stopped. The young boy was slowly making a smile on his face and started giggling and laughing. Then he sighed multiple times and calmed down. He said, “What’s wrong with me?” He turned it back on and showered properly by rubbing his entire body with his hands. He kept his neck in the same position as it was painful to move and even rubbed it carefully. Five minutes had passed, and he took his wet clothes off and went to the wooden chute. Before he did something with it, he hesitated and looked at it for a moment, then he said, “Okay.” He held the handle and pulled it. It somehow worked, and it opened as he realized it opened fully in a downward circular motion. He threw his clothes in and released it, closing by itself. He took his towel, which was wet. He squeezed it and used it to wipe himself up. After that, he was still wet but somewhat drier than before. He looked at his towel and then at the chute. He said, “I guess I put this in there too.” He did and went out of the bathroom naked. The temperature was less cold, and he felt it and said, “Uhhhg, it’s even cold here.” He slumped his back and tiptoed his way to the cabinet like a crab. He took another towel as he was still wet and dried himself far better than before. Then he wore his long sleeves, then wore the pants, and lastly, he wore the boxer shorts over his pants. In the cabinet, he noticed long pairs of socks, “What’s this?” He didn’t know the use, so he tested it out. He stretched the hole and entered his hand and arm. “Oh, I see now,” he realized where to use it and used the other sock to wear it with his other arm. He stared at his legs and said, “I could use them for the legs as well.” While he was wearing his socks, a silhouette of a bird landed on the railings of his balcony. “Alright, I’ve completed almost everything. What's left is to sleep,” he said happily as he was about to finish his tasks. He went to bed and realized a line on it. He scrubbed it off, and the blanket moved away. “Wait. Do I go inside?” he said but did it so after. He went under the blanket and rested on the bed, facing the ceiling. While sleeping, he felt the pain in his neck which made his sleeping position uncomfortable. He moved around and had himself face towards the balcony. He was still awake, and he saw the backside of a pigeon. The bird was moving his wings swiftly like it was signaling to the other side. Then the bird abruptly stopped and slowly turned its head 90-degrees. It gave the young boy a suspicious face, and after that, it fell by itself without moving. The boy didn’t react to it until he felt a sharp pain in the neck again. “Aw,” he flinched and spoke. So, he turned the other way around. From that position, he was comfortable with it and slept throughout the beautiful night as fireflies started flying outside his windows.