9 - Home

“Muhf.”

“Come on now, big guy. Just! One more! Push-!”

“Meh!”

With much effort, I managed to push Woolie through the front door, where he rolled into the kitchen and bounced off the counter.

“Well, what do you think, Woolie?” I asked, tossing the bundle of wool I’d been given onto the bed.

“Muu…”

“I’m guessing you’re probably thinking there’s no way you’d be able to stay in a house this small with your size.”

I was hoping Woolie would be able to make himself comfortable on the bed, but it’d be such a tight squeeze I’d probably die from the heat. But I don’t want to just leave him outside either…

“Muumuumuu-”

“Woolie? What’s wrong, you’re shaking-”

“Muumuumuumuumuu-!”

PON!

A puff of smoke erupted from Woolie’s feet, obstructing his chunky frame from view with a mysterious fog.

“What the- what’s with this smoke? Woolie- WOOLIE?!”

Where Woolie stood, he was replaced with a much smaller creature, a ball of wool big enough to hold like a stuffed toy, small enough to sit atop my head like a hat.

“Muu!” The creature cried, the familiar face of laziness staring at me.

“Ah… ahh-!”

With shaky hands, I held the mini-Woolie, hugging him against my chest.

“Ooh, what’s with this magnificent creature…?” I rubbed my cheek against the soft, cool fluff. “It’s you, right Woolie?”

“Muuhuu!”

“What kind of physics defying ability is this? How’d you shrink down in size?”

“Muu?”

Woolie simply licked my face, as if telling me it was simply a natural fact of life that sheep in this world can magically shrink themselves.

“I’ve never seen you do this before. Could it be you can only maintain this form for a short time?”

“Muumuu.” Woolie shook his head.

“You prefer to be in your regular form?”

“Muu!”

PON!

With another puff of smoke, Woolie transformed back into his default self.

“Mmm, if that’s the case, I don’t want to force you to stay small. What do you think about staying outside, Woolie? Do you think you can manage? Maybe we can use the shed as a temporary house…”

I’ll have to figure out how to build a shelter for him in the winter, but I think that’s something I can manage.

“Come on, Woolie. Out you go-”

“Muhf.”

Woolie’s stuck at the door again.

*

“Woolie? Are you leaving?”

The moment Woolie broke free from the doorway, he began trotting away towards the forest. I was quite alarmed as he’d never left my side the entire journey, and chased after him.

“Woolie!”

“Beh?”

Woolie turned to me, tilting his head with the usual expression on his face.

“I thought you were gonna stay… Are you going off somewhere?”

“Meh.”

Woolie nuzzled against my cheek, then turned away.

Is he really leaving?

Having escorted me back home, Woolie likely thought his debt repaid. Now that he’s decided to return to his home wherever it may be, it’d be best if I let it go.

But…

“Woolie! You’re welcome here anytime, okay? Drop by whenever you want to play! I’ll always make time for you!”

“Muu!”

And just like that, he disappeared into the woods. All too quickly, I lost my one friend in this world.

I shuffled back inside the house, closing the door behind me. There were only two windows, and they weren’t even on the same side as the door. Instead, the worn-out glass held together by two crossed planks were located on the kitchen side and by the end of the bed, giving me a great view of the rolling hills I’ve yet to explore.

Instead of looking through the glass in excitement, I instead plopped down onto the chair, creaking as I did so.

“What do I do now…?”

For the first time since I arrived in this world, I felt lonely. Here I was, finally making it home after days of being lost in the wild, alone without answers.

How did I get to where I first awoke all alone? I had no idea. How did I manage to make it through that forest unscathed the first time? I don’t know. Did I live here in this house alone? Unlikely, but I couldn’t be sure. Did I have parents? A caretaker? I’m just a kid, too young to be out on her own, at least by Earth standards.

I have so many questions. Even with how sure I felt that this was my home, I couldn’t be certain without any memories.

“Ah, god… Why haven’t you come to fix my memories?” I whispered to no one.

I wasn’t sure how long I kicked my feet into the air, listening to the breeze outside. By the time I looked out the window again, the sky had already turned orange.

“Oh, light… light…”

There were wall lamps around the house, but I had no idea how I was supposed to ignite them. Of course, I didn’t find anything convenient like a matchstick.

“Am I missing magic?”

I’d imagine a fire spell would be all I needed to work the lighting and the kitchen, but…

“Oh, there’s a lyre.”

A beautiful wooden lyre stood against the wheeled contraption. Unless I was somehow able to acquire such a thing at my tender age, it strongly suggested someone else lived here alongside me.

“I have too many questions and no one to give me answers.”

I tried rummaging through the house for clues, but didn’t come up with much. I found some clothes that perfectly fit my size, giving me much respite from the cloth off my back I hadn’t had the chance to change in days.

“This is… a hair tie? Let’s see if I remember how to do it… There, a ponytail! It feels quite nice; I think I’ll go with this from now on. What do you think, Woolie-”

I turned from the bed to the empty, silent house.

“…”

I untied my hair, placing the tie on the bedside shelf for tomorrow.

In the end, I decided to turn in for the day and climbed onto the bed. The cloth was stuffed with what felt like soft cotton, but I suspect it’s sheep wool considering I’d witnessed one shedding a massive amount earlier today.

The pillow was made of similar material and stuffing, and with a ball of fluffy wool to hug as I rested, I found the cramped space to be quite cozy.

“Temperature’s just right too, warm, but not too hot…”

Tomorrow, I’ll have to forage for food. Maybe with those bladed tusks, I can finally start hunting. Although the thought of having to hunt animals for food did conjure up some feelings of apprehension, I do miss the flavor of meat… How long has it been since I’ve been able to taste meat? I can’t even remember. A decade, maybe?

“I’ll have to think of a name for them too… Bladed tusks just seems like a weird way to refer to them… just blades? But they’re made of bone… Bone blade…? Like that hunting game I used to play…”

In the comfort of a bed, I was able to truly relax for the first time. It was familiar, and that familiarity sent my thoughts drifting to my life on Earth.

“Mother… I hope my mother in this world… is nothing like my mother on Earth…” I whispered into the night, before the sweet embrace of restful darkness swept me away.