Not What I Was Expecting

Walking toward Aster, Diane makes sure to keep a normal pace. She’s not going to go running after some guy she’s just met. The grass is soft and springy under her feet, and she can’t resist reaching out and touching any tall flowers and colorful bushes within reach. Everything’s so pretty. Just as she catches up with him, a flutter of butterflies, each one the size of her palm, flies up in front of her. Turning the air into a twirling bright blue and purple. One of them briefly lands on her arm, and she can’t help but laugh in delight.

Next to her, Aster holds out his hand, and three butterflies take a seat there, wings shining like gems in the sun. He laughs too, and when he raises his arm and they take flight, part of her headache and gloomy mood takes off with them.

“So,” Diane asks, still grinning, “what’s our first stop?”

“There’s a lake not far from here. Shouldn’t take us more than two or three hours to get there.” He turns to point at the sun, “And we have around four before sunset so we’ll camp there for the night.”

“Oh, okay. That sounds good.” Diane has never camped a day in her life, and a small childish part of her is bouncing in excitement. It always seems like so much fun in books and movies.

“And at least one of us definitely needs a bath.” He bends his head toward his shoulder and sniffs the air, making a face. “Definitely.”

They walk in silence, and to her surprise, Diane is enjoying herself. There’s so much to see, every plant and creature prettier and more wondrous than the last. Once they reach a small forest, light enough that the sun seeps through the bright leaves, deerlike creatures with striped fur and comically large ears peek out between the trees, watching them warily. Smaller football-sized gray balls of fluffy fur and big eyes are bolder, sometimes getting so close that she has to take care not to trip over them.

The creatures follow them until the trees grow scarcer, and they emerge onto a field of knee-high golden grass that moves like waves in the wind. A few tall trees can be seen in the distance, and Aster sets the direction toward them.

“Is it much further?”

“We’ve made it more than halfway, so less than an hour if we keep the pace up.” He gives her a critical glance. “Can you keep it up, or are you getting tired?”

“I’m fine. I’m used to being on my feet, walking most of the day.” This is true. The heat, on the other hand, is getting to her. Not to mention that she’s getting both thirsty and… Her stomach growls in a very unflattering way at the thought of food.

“You’re hungry.” It isn’t a question.

“Yeah.” There’s no point in denying it. “I don’t suppose you have any water, or food…” It’s a stupid question since he’s only wearing that small bag at his hip, and predictably, he shakes his head.

“No, I don’t, but those do.” He points to the trees, and Diane perks up, looking at them with newfound interest, wondering what kind of fruits they’ll have.

Reaching the trees goes faster than she’d thought, and she longingly looks up at a wealth of small, peach-like fruits. Peel shiny and pink, seemingly ready to burst with sweetness. The tree is tall, and the fruits are very high up. Unreachable.

“Are you ready to use your magic now?” Aster looks between her and the fruits, raising an eyebrow. “At least show me your Soulbook. It’s the only way I’ll help you get them.”

“Wait, are you trying to blackmail me for food?” Diane crosses her arms in front of her and gives him a stern look. “How very unchivalrous of you.”

He laughs at that. “Well, it was worth a try. But no, I’m not.”

“So are you going to magic them off the tree, then?” She moves her hands in what she thinks is a mysterious way, and he laughs again.

“Still out, remember.”

“You’re climbing?” She raises her hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she looks up. “It’s awfully high though.”

“Neither.”

“Then how…”

“Trust me.” Giving her a cocky smile and a wink, Aster takes a couple of steps forward and pulls out his knife.

The knife flies upward, neatly cutting a large cluster of fruits off a branch, and both knife and fruits land safely in the soft grass. He quickly collects both and hands her the pink prize with a little bow.

“Here you go, try one.”

“You should have some too.” She tries to give him some of the fruits, but he shakes his head and puts his hands behind his back.

“No, I’m fine. But you should dig in, I’ve heard they’re very tasty.”

He doesn’t have to tell her twice. She chooses the biggest one and bites into it, eyes widening in surprise.

“Oh my,” Diane almost moans as the flavor fills her mouth. She’s never tasted anything like it. It’s like the sweetest peach, mixed with spices and cotton candy, and utterly delicious. “They’re amazing, you sure you don’t want any?” She holds one of the fruits out to him, but he shakes his head with a wry smile.

“I’m sure. Fruits don’t… agree with me.”

“Allergies?”

“I guess you can call it that. It’s… complicated.”

“‘Complicated?”

“It’s a family thing.” There’s that wry smile again, and he shrugs. Then the smile turns teasing. “I’ll tell you about it tomorrow, after you show me your magic skills. Deal?”

Diane stops chewing long enough to roll her eyes and swallow.

“I told you, there’s no such thing as magic. The sooner we find you a doctor, the better.”

Aster doesn’t argue, but the smug look on his face says that he’s not convinced.

Magic? Seriously? Just how stupid and gullible does he think she is? She shakes her head and starts walking again..

Diane’s not sure how long they’ve been going when she hears a sound from behind. A high pitched wailing. A sound she imagined a wounded cat might make.

It’s not a cat though. Turning around, she sees what must be one of the small creatures from before rushing toward them. But instead of soft fur, most of its body is covered in dark scabs. Scabs oozing some oily liquid. Even Diane’s well-trained stomach churns at the sight. The animal closes in and, with a scream, launches itself into the air, aiming for her chest.

The next thing she knows she’s on the ground. Aster’s squatting next to her, his hand still on the handle of the knife embedded in the creature’s body.

“You okay?”

“Yes. Thank you.” She looks at the poor, small body, tears starting to fill her eyes. “It must have been sick, right? In a lot of pain. That’s what made it so aggressive?”

Aster nods, pulling his knife free and wiping it on the grass.

“It’s a curse. It’s been spreading through the wildlife lately.” He looks as if he wants to say more, but instead gets up and offers her a hand.

“A curse?” She frowns. It’s probably a case of severe scabs. ”It looks like a disease. Or a parasite.”

“No, definitely a curse.”

“You said it’s spreading. We should burn the body to prevent that, shouldn’t we?”

“You’re right. We should.”

It takes him a surprisingly short time to gather some dry twigs and leaves and pile them over and around the body. He pulls out an old-fashioned flint and steel from somewhere on his person and the fire catches immediately. Thick gray smoke rises to the sky as the flames grow.

Aster is standing quiet, eyes vacant as he stares into the fire, absentmindedly scratching at his left shoulder. A troubled, almost sad look on his face.

“Hey, it was the right thing to do.” Diane places a hand on his arm. He flinches but doesn’t pull away. “It was suffering. Putting it out of its misery was the right thing to do.”

“I know. Still…” Again she gets the feeling that he’s holding something back, but instead of speaking, he peels off the band-aids, one by one, and throws them into the fire.

“Why did you do that?” While it’s certainly better than littering there’s an almost ritualistic feel to his movements.

“I’m setting the spirits free. Perhaps they’ll be stronger in the afterlife.”

“Perhaps.” Diane agrees. The moment is too special to argue about concussions and spirits. She removes the band-aid from her finger and drops it into the dwindling flames.

It feels like a pact. Something stronger, more genuine than a childish pinky swear. He seems to feel it too because his eyes meet hers and he gives her a peculiar smile.

“You’re not what I expected, but I guess we’re stuck with each other for now.” He stretches and stomps out the remains of the fire. There are no traces of the dead animal at all, only ashes, already scattering in the wind. “Come on. The lake is still at least an hour away.”

She smiles as she follows him. So, there might be some darkness in this wondrous dreamworld, but that only makes it feel more real. Stuck with each other? For some reason, she doesn’t mind as much as she should have. Perhaps playing along isn’t such a terrible idea after all.