Mirea and Her New Friend

When Mirea got out of bed that morning, her mother’s door was still closed. Wanting to surprise her, Mirea decided to make pancakes for breakfast. Since she wasn’t allowed to use the stove, Chillax took care of the cooking part.

Mirea thought her mother didn’t have much of an appetite recently. She wasn’t entirely wrong but pancakes filled with eggshells weren’t exactly appealing either.

After they had breakfast together, Mirea and Honey went to an Indoor Play Center to play games. The center was a paradise for children, filled with every kind of play area imaginable. They even had sections where children could design and draw something, and the center would bring their creations to life.

But that day, Mirea wanted to play outside.

“Honey, let’s not go to a park or a play center for kids this time. Let’s play outside,” she suggested.

Since there was no danger in their world, Honey agreed. They played "Monkey Business," a game where, in ten seconds, a number Mirea could already count to, you had to hang onto something and stay suspended as long as possible. The one who lasted the longest won.

Honey, guided by a coin toss algorithm, sometimes won and sometimes lost, but she never lost her charm.

When Mirea grew bored of the game, she suggested, “Let’s play hide-and-seek! This time, you won’t find me until dinner!”

Honey agreed, but Mirea had a mischievous idea that she hadn’t thought through entirely. Instead of hiding, she planned to run between houses, making Honey chase and find her. She thought it would be thrilling. As soon as Honey started counting, Mirea began running.

With all the energy and joy of a child, she ran as if her nanny was right behind her. She eventually stopped to catch her breath and hid in the garden of a house. She waited there, expecting to be found. At first, her heart was pounding with excitement, but as time passed, she got bored.

Stepping out to reveal herself, she looked around for her nanny but Honey was nowhere to be found. She didn’t know where she was.

Trying to retrace her steps, Mirea realized she didn’t fully remember the way back. The fear of losing her family and never seeing her mother again overwhelmed her. She cried out, “Honey! Mom!” but no one came to her aid. No one even spoke to her.

Mirea wandered aimlessly, sobbing and walking until her energy was drained. Then she saw the most beautiful flowers.

Drawn to them, she stopped crying and bent down to examine the vibrant, colorful blooms. She had never seen anything so lovely before. Nearby, she noticed a small stone cottage with a man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and large gardening gloves leaning against the wall.

Mirea wanted to ask for help but felt too shy to approach him. Instead, she let the flowers distract her. But as she leaned in to examine them, a long-legged green bug leapt onto her, startling her so much that she fell backward into the flowers.

The man, who seemed to have been dozing, suddenly shouted, “What are you doing over there, kid? Don’t ruin my flowers!”

Mirea froze. No one had ever yelled at her before. Scared, she stayed seated, not daring to turn around.

She heard the man sigh as he approached. When he bent down to look at her face, he suddenly stopped. “Kaede?” he murmured in a barely audible voice.

“I’m not Kaede. I’m Mirea. Kaede is my mom,” she replied seriously.

The man repeated her words as if they were the strangest thing he’d ever heard. “Your mom?” He removed his dirt-covered gloves and sat beside her. He wasn’t shouting anymore.

“Hello, Mirea. What are you doing here?”

Remembering why she had been crying, Mirea teared up again. “I was playing hide-and-seek with my nanny. I got lost. Actually, I didn’t hide, but I was going to—”

The man interrupted her. “How old are you, Mirea? Do you know?”

Mirea counted on her fingers. “Six and a half.”

The man covered his face with his hands, reacting in a way Mirea didn’t understand. Then he hugged her tightly and spoke.

“It’s okay; I’ll take you to your mom.”

After no one else had helped her, Mirea asked, “Really?”

“Of course! I’ll do whatever you want. You liked the flowers, didn’t you? Do you want to plant some with me? Or learn their names?”

Feeling reassured that she could go home, the kid smiled. “I’d love to!” The man handed her a small trowel but didn’t say much about the flowers.

“I’m Mirea. What’s your name?”

“I’m Ren. Nice to meet you, Mirea,” he said.“How is your mom? Is she doing okay?”

“She’s fine. Today, I made her a surprise breakfast since she woke up late.”

“I see,” Ren said.

“Do you know where your father is, Mirea? Do you know your father’s name?”

The little child shook her head from side to side. “Mom gets mad when I ask things like that. I don’t have a dad.”

 For a while, neither spoke. Ren dug into the soil quickly, his movements deliberate. Then he broke the silence.

“Mirea, do you have a chip?”

“No.”

“Do you know the name of any place near your house? A market, a park?”

Mirea’s face lit up. “There’s Star Playground! I know how to get home from there.”

Ren let out a relieved sigh. “Good. So, would you like to be my friend? You’re such a sweet girl. If you want, I’ll play with you every day without getting tired.”

“You don’t play games! You’re just like other grown-ups, you only talk.”

Ren laughed. “Do you know how to shoot arrows? Wouldn’t you like your own bow?”

“Yay! I’d love that!” Mirea exclaimed, raising her small hand for a high-five. Ren, treating her hand as if it were fragile, gently tapped it with his own.

Evelyn had brought a cold drink. “Who’s this kid?” she asked.

Ren whispered into his wife’s ear to avoid scaring Mirea. “I think she’s my daughter.”

Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised?” she said with an attitude.

Meanwhile, Mirea was trying to make a small bride out of a poppy flower, just like her mother had taught her, but she couldn’t manage it. So, she stuffed the flower into her pocket, planning to let her mother do it at home.

 

Ren took the child by the hand, first to the park he had mentioned, and then to her home. As he rang the doorbell, he felt tense. Visiting the house of his ex-wife, someone he thought he’d never see again after their parting through a letter, was far from a pleasant feeling.

The door was opened by Chillax. He recognized Ren, welcomed him inside, and made him a cup of tea.

It was then that Ren realized he was still wearing the overalls he had on in the field. “Ah, never mind,” he thought dismissively. He finished his tea, but there was still no sign of Kaede. Little Mirea, on the other hand, was busy showing her toys to this new friend. When Kaede emerged from the basement, she saw the two of them sitting together.

“Ren?” she said, her voice filled with surprise. Her eyes flickered from the stairs behind her to Ren.

With his usual nonchalance, Ren gestured to her chair. “Have a seat,” he said. Kaede sat down, but Ren couldn’t quite decipher the expression on her face.

“Hello, Kaede. It’s been a while.”

As he looked into her eyes, he noticed how they had welled up, glistening faintly with unshed tears. He couldn’t muster the courage to ask about it.

“I’m sorry,” he said finally. “I didn’t know we had a daughter.”

Kaede couldn’t respond. The words caught in her throat, choking her. She forced herself to speak, her voice breaking. “Do you have any idea how painful it is for a child to grow up without a father?”

Ren froze. “From now on, I’ll be there for Mirea, I promise. If you’ll allow me, I’d like to start by being her friend, and then, when the time is right, tell her the truth.”

“That’s your right,” Kaede replied quietly.

“Thank you,” Ren said as he stood.

“You’re leaving already?”

“I don’t want my wife to worry. I’ll see Mirea again at the park she always talks about.”

Kaede didn’t follow him to the door, nor did she say another word.

The next morning, Ren began carving a small bow for Mirea. Later, Ren shared the situation with his wife. Evelyn already knew he had been married before, but the revelation still unsettled her.

As the days passed, he learned everything about her. Yellow was her favorite color, and she loved drawing, cooking with her mom, and flowers. While listening to her talk, he decorated the bow with her favorite things: a squirrel, a rainbow, a bee, and more. Together, they painted the bow and handmade arrows, which Ren kept for safekeeping.

Day by day, they played and explored. One day, he took her to his home, gave her a tiny beekeeper’s suit, and introduced her to his bees. Unlike most kids, Mirea loved the bees. She laughed when they landed on her suit and tried to pet them.

Another day, they used a small camera-equipped submarine toy to explore the depths of the Duck Pond. Every day, Ren brought something new and exciting, and Mirea grew more eager to meet him. She left home earlier than usual, stayed out longer, and fell asleep as soon as she returned, exhausted but happy.