Herbs and Mushrooms

As he opened the door, a smoke bloomed through the air, its delicate aroma wafting around the church ceiling. The boy grilled the mushroom thoroughly until it shrank and turned into a greenish color. Above the fireplace, the boy hung dried beef on a wooden stick like washed clothes waiting for it to dry.

While they waited for the mushroom to cook, the boy put some leftover herbs and mushrooms into the kettle. Leonard was drawn to the kettle that he used, which wasn't a kettle per se, but rather his pear-shaped helmet repurposed as an emergency kettle.

Honestly, Leonard had no slightest idea what the boy was trying to make. A tea? But with mushrooms? Is that a norm here? The final product was rather suspicious, but the aroma of the beef was enticing, although both the drink and the mushroom didn’t look appetizing at all.

“Lilieflour?” Leonard glanced a bit to his shoulder at the fairy. Her eyes glimmered with sparkles as she observed the food being served.

“You want to eat too?”

“Of course,” Lilieflour nodded. “It has been a while since she eats.”

The boy handed over the food and the drink to Leonard. He saved the beef for the last and went for the mushroom first instead. At first, Leonard was a bit hesitant with the green mushrooms, unsure of the taste. But, as he took a small bite, his eyes widened in surprise. The taste far exceeded his initial expectations.

“I-It’s delicious,” Leonard mumbled, his mouth filled with mushrooms. The fibers reminded him of the meaty texture of chicken, but he couldn’t help craving for a little pinch of salt or soy sauce to complement it. For a boy of his age, the boy’s cooking was pleasantly decent, somehow reminding him of his old self.

Leonard sniffed at the so-called tea. Its fragrance reminded him of green tea, but earthlier. The murky green color and the pulps hanging on the water almost made him lose his appetite, but he didn’t want it to go to waste. Gently shaking the wooden mug, he reluctantly took a sip. As the warm tea touched his lips, a tingling sensation dazzled in his mouth. Its taste was rather questionable; he couldn’t put his finger on it, but it reminded him of grandma’s cough syrup. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad.

“Hey!” a squeak coming from his shoulder. It was the fairy, folding her arms tightly and giving him a sharp look. “Lilieflour wants to taste it too, you know!”

“Alright, alright,” Leonard chuckled a bit, momentarily lost in the moment and forgetting about Lilieflour's existence. “There you go!”

He took another sip of the drink, feeling the warmth through his chest. With each sip, he noticed an improvement in his runny nose, and the sneezing had stopped since then. Leonard wondered about the herbs and mushrooms the boy had put in the drink. While it looked gross and not appetizing at all, there was no doubt of its effectiveness in helping him deal with his cold.

“So, Lilieflour, what do you think about the grilled mushroom?” He looked over to his shoulder to check on Lilieflour, but he found nothing. His heart raced a bit upon it. His eyes darted around, scanning his surroundings for a sign of her presence. He went for his belt pocket, where he found Lilieflour sleeping soundly inside of it after eating a lot of mushrooms.

A feeling of relief enveloped him, washing away his trouble as he couldn’t wait for the beef. “Finally,” he whispered while rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

The aroma of the beef tingled in his nose, filling up his senses. However, as he took a bite, he found the beef was a bit tough for him to chew on. Though it tasted like beef jerky. As disappointed as he could be, it was pointless for him to keep chewing on the beef in his current body, even though he wanted it.

The boy from across the fireplace took notice of Leonard struggling with the beef. The boy approached Leonard and cut the beef into smaller, more manageable pieces for Leonard to chew on.

Leonard was astounded by the boy’s action. As always, the boy was very considerate of him. But Just who was he? And who was Leonard? These questions lingered in Leonard's mind ever since, even after he had accepted himself as Leonard in this new world.

Most of the time, the boy only spoke when necessary. Leonard wondered if the boy noticed the difference in him. The Leonard he knew now was a middle schooler trapped in this child’s body and only spoke a language that was foreign to him, leaving Leonard pondering if his relationship with the boy was very close before his so-called reincarnation.

A clink of a knife cut the beef echoed through the nave. Leonard stared blankly at the movement of the boy’s hand sliced through the beef.

“[There you go]!” the boy exclaimed as he finished with the beef.

The boy called out his name, but Leonard was lost in his thoughts. Without him noticing, a hand bruised against his cheek. He blinked, taken aback by the unexpected gesture as tears ran down his cheek.

His gaze briefly shifted to the boy, but he quickly averted his gaze downward, as he couldn’t bear to meet his eyes. At that moment, Leonard felt a wave of emotion wash over him as his tears continued to well up in his eyes.

“I-I’m sorry…” Leonard stammered, his voice trailing off as he paused for a moment, the weight of his words heavy upon his shoulders. Knowing the fact, every word he said was just a mumble to him.

“I don’t think the old Leonard will ever come back.”