Stalking is wrong but...

The days shift to months and a considerable amount of time has passed since his encounter with Bub, and obviously he hasn’t uttered a word to Olivia - He isn’t supposed to step out of the cabin without her supervision, so mentioning his encounter with an ogre wouldn’t end with a gentle reprimand.

At first Gavin was not quite sure of what he should do with this new development, but as time went by, Bub became part of his routine. Whenever he traverses the surrounding wilderness, Bub is always there to keep him company, but for some reason, the ogre never comes too close to the cabin. In the few months that have passed, Bub has gotten close to what an ogre should look like; he now towers over Gavin. The old scarf around his waist has been replaced by a ragged table cloth - Don’t even ask how he snuck that past Olivia.

Today, there is a break in their daily lives.
Today, Ophelia is home - A very rare occurrence.

Gavin is sitting under the window, his hands are fiddling with the loose threads of a ragged doll. It was made by Ophelia back when he was still a self aware infant - He distinctly remembers her gently sewing together the pieces of cloth whilst humming to him.

Speaking of which, the same humming tune now swims across the room as Ophelia organizes a set of vegetables on the small counter. As she stands across the room, Gavin’s eyes travel to the soles of her bare feet - Even from the little glimpses, the outline of cruel blisters and torn skin is apparent.

Over the years, Gavin has taken note of the hardships that mark his mother - The occasional bruise or scar which accompany her when she returns home, and the never ending strain of fatigue, oddly reminiscent of an overworked office worker. Ophelia can feel his intense gaze without even looking. Her focus remains fixed on the task at hand, but she throws out an invitation to converse. “Is something on your mind?”

His gaze snaps away from her, and normally he would just dismiss her with a shake of his head. But today, the need for clarity seems more urgent.
Maybe it’s due to the slight shift in her balance as she tries to avoid the discomfort in her soles, maybe it’s the sight of the latest stitch on her cloak, the one older than him, or maybe it’s the fact that she has yet again set a bigger portion of the bread for him. Either way, today he has decided to pry into her affairs.

“May I ask something?”

The formal tone never manages to catch her off guard, even though that's how Gavin has been conversing with her since he could form complete sentences. She takes a quick peak over her shoulder and shoots him a teasing smirk.

“Well, if you’re gonna be so polite, how can I say no? What’s the query, my little wonder–”

“What do you do for work?”

The knife pauses before it can make contact with the root of a radish-like vegetable..
Gavin can see the tension in her shoulders, but Ophelia didn’t turn around. After a quick few seconds, she shrugs back into action with a shaky giggle and resumes her chopping.

“Why the sudden interest, kiddo? Wanna join momma in the grown up world?”

The softness in her tone doesn’t fade, but now it’s twinged with a hint of uncertainty. Gavin offers nothing but silence - The lack of dialogue makes it evident that he expects something more than some lighthearted banter. After the tension in the room builds up to a suffocating peak, her knife makes one last swipe before it’s set down.

“Gavin, what’s wrong?”

She turns away from the counter whilst wiping her hands on the belly of her apron. The words are spoken with a hint of worry cramped with some hesitation. Olivia crouches down in front of him and smooths back his straight black hair, exposing his serious eyes to the room.

What's wrong? 
The question is repeated into his mind and it just floats there.
How is he supposed to articulate the heaviness in his breathing each time he receives something to eat or wear. The constant pull of hopelessness that comes with the moments of silence and solitude, and the inability to change a damn thing.

As soon as his gaze hits the floor, Ophelia catches the familiar reluctance to open up about his thoughts. A pattern she has grown used to over the years, and in times like this she can only hope to chase away his inner turmoil with her words.

“If you really need to know, I collect requested items from the forest and exchange them at the traders’ association. ” Maybe she could also pick up the hint of paranoia in his gaze, so she quickly adds. “It’s something I love doing.”

It was easy to pick up on the spread of half-truths in the sentence, but before anything could be said, Ophelia wrapped up the conversation by ruffling his hair.

“How about you take a little nap? When you wake up, we can stuff ourselves with the most delicious veggie stew.”

She gets back to the counter, picks up the knife, and the peaceful rhythm of the chops and scrapes starts anew. The lighthearted closure to their small dialogue seemed too good to ruin, so Gavin didn’t press her further, but there is no way that he will nap. He is no longer the little kid that—

“Uhh…this handle seems kinda loose.”

Gavin quickly glances away and plops down with a pillow.
You know what?
It’s actually the perfect time for a nap.

***

The next morning rolls around. It has brought with it a new day - A new opportunity.

An opportunity to follow Ophelia - Without her knowing of course.

Is this essentially stalking?
Yes.
Is it wrong?
Yes.
Will he still do it?
Yes.

Not another day.

He can’t go another day, deluding himself with the idea that he’s actually contributing with this exploration stuff. Even he knows that it's just a way for him to cope with his helplessness.
What will he do after he figures out her day to day job?

He doesn’t know.

Yet, the attempt to uncover the reality is far better than coating his heart with the comfort of ignorance. Not that he could if he wanted to - Perks of having an accelerated mind in the husk of a child.

The routine follows as usual.
Ophelia scurries around as she prepares for her day while Gavin waits patiently, pretending to fiddle with a set of sticks - He tries to put up his best ‘child engrossed in playtime’ act and his mother has no trouble believing it, as shown by her loving gaze.

Once he hears the door open and close shut, he waits for a solid few seconds before springing into action. His little turnshoes are quickly put on, and he contemplates bringing the trusty kitchen knife but ultimately decides against it - The idea of stalking someone while carrying a knife just adds a new layer of wrong to the already demented circumstances.

Plus, the forest expeditions over the last few months have revealed a strange lack of dangerous animals, let alone any monsters. It could be due to Bub, but he never really encountered any ravenous beasts before their encounter either. Ultimately, he has no choice but to chalk it off to being a trait of this forest’s bizarre environment.

It hasn’t even been five minutes, but Gavin almost lost track of his mother. The forest swallowed up her presence, as soon as she steps past the little boundary of bushes surrounding the cabin. The whole operation would have ended before it began if not for the track of muddy foot prints - A courtesy of the passing monsoon.

After some minutes of cautious tracking, he catches sight of her ashy chemise and the maroon hood flagged upon her crown. Now, it’s going to be a trial of patience, as he makes sure to keep distance and his presence hidden.

Something needs to be added to the previous statement.
This was gonna be a trial of patience and ENDURANCE - The last addition, credited after a whole three hours passed and there was no break in Ophelia’s power walk.
This was no joke.

Gavin knew for sure that more than six kilometres have passed - The X marked trees have long run out from their trails, signalling their march into unmarked areas. Even Bub had made an appearance on Gavin’s trail, but after a round of hushed commands to go away, the confused green skinned lad left him to his stalking mission.

As the strenuous journey continues, Gavin’s muscles aren’t the only thing in peril, as he realizes that Ophelia takes this great journey everyday, on her feet and makes it back each day to cook dinner - Needless to say, his growing pool of self disgust deepens.

Just as the harsh noon sun takes centre stage, the never ending course of trees and wilderness has its first ever break. Gavin watches as Ophelia disappears into a stack of dense bushes. He waits for a few minutes before diving into the lump of shrubs and leaves, and at the end of his struggle, he is momentarily blinded by an almost foreign radiance. He had broken through the dark canopy of the forest.

He felt naked.

This is the first time in his new life of seven years that he is without the cover of his forested haven. There were no tall trees nor the cover of wilderness, yet there was still plenty of greenery. It was in the form of tall grass fields, stretching across multiple acres of flat land.

Just at a distance, he saw a figure shifting through the tall blades of emerald green. It was most likely Ophelia. Gavin squinted his eyes in focus whilst tracing her direction of her travel, and it led to what seemed like an outline of a settlement shaded over the distant horizon. As far as the naked eye can see, there seem to be structures resembling houses and towers.

The telltale sign of civilization.

Well, his next stop seems obvious.
The boy of the forest, takes his first step towards the civilized world