“Episode 54”
The sound of wings flapping as birds set out for their nighttime hunt. The faint rustle of mice sneaking through the bushes. Everything was eerily quiet. The only sound echoing through the garden was Clothan’s voice, barely above a whisper.
“I want to go. I miss it. Quickly…”
With each word uttered, his voice grew colder. Only the soft sound of snow settling on the winter flowers filled the silence. Squeak. The two walked, leaving footprints on the snow-covered grass. Not side by side, but with Clothan taking slightly longer strides.
“Who is it?”
Clothan, breaking the silence, asked cautiously, “The person you’re so desperate to see.”
Ray’s mind, which had been trapped without even a breath of fresh air until now, began to stir slightly. Whether it was because of the cold snowflakes landing on his cheeks or Clothan’s even colder voice, I’m not sure. Thoughts that had felt distant became clearer. He could feel the warmth of this chilly atmosphere. Ray deeply inhaled the winter breeze and exhaled.
“Everywhere. It’s where our memories are.”
“Well, you sure have a lot of desires.”
It seemed like trying to make amends only made things irreparable. Perhaps silence would have been better. Like navigating through a maze with thousands of eyeballs, the two walked through the complex garden in silence. Ray, who had been excited to see Lady Mary and Philip again, walked while staring at his shoes. Not the worn-out red shoes of the past, but something made of fine leather. Somehow, he longed for the old ones he had discarded, but couldn’t find them.
“Come to think of it, it’s quite late to visit, isn’t it?”
Looking up at the sky sending down white snowflakes, it was a pitch-black night. The densely packed stars scattered beautifully, like white snow falling. Busy with Lady Mary’s and Philip’s strict schedules, they might find it bothersome to be visited so late. Ray tried to console himself with that thought.
“Let’s just walk in the garden today.”
It was an intentionally brought-up topic to break the awkward silence. But there was no response from Clothan, who only showed his back.
“Clothan, shall we sit for a moment?”
It was like circling around the same place without a destination. “Where are we going?”
It was only fear. He didn’t want an atmosphere that might conjure up monsters who would grab children and boil them alive.
Was he trying to abandon him, like the cruel father who abandoned his child in the forest? Just as Ray was about to ask, Clothan spoke first.
“I thought you might get bored being indoors.”
“But here’s a bit…”
Before Ray could voice his discontent, a scene unfolded that was enough to silence him. At the edge of the path, between leaning trees, a brilliant moonlight shone through. In a moment of admiration for the light reflected on the clear lake, several white birds gathered over the water.
They danced joyfully, drawing circles in the air and dipping their wings into the lake before splashing them on each other. The lake, clear enough to see the bottom, was enough to bring a smile to Ray’s face. Excited, Ray took Clothan’s hand and ran towards the lake.
“It’s truly beautiful.”
The round moonlight rising above the surface of the lake was enchanting. The time when one felt intoxicated by the peace of the lake just by looking at it. Something stuck to Ray’s cheek and tickled him. It was like the laughter that guided him here earlier.
“Wow…”
They were mistaken for white birds, but they weren’t. One bird touched Ray’s cheek, another sat on his head, and two more played in Ray’s palms. Up close, they had short hair and white faces with eyes, noses, and mouths. They even smiled mischievously at Ray. They seemed more like fairies than strange creatures.
“They must be fairies!”
As Ray smiled at the two angels playing on his palms, they quickly whispered to each other and flew away. Then, they returned to Ray, planted a kiss on each of his cheeks, and smiled. It felt like tickling with puppy grass, so laughter burst out.
“How lovely.”
Before he knew it, Ray’s surroundings were filled with fairies with white wings. Ray let go of Clothan’s hand, which he had held tightly out of fear, and engaged with them. He talked, laughed, and affectionately petted them. Seeing her allowing even kisses on her lips, Clothan, astonished, took out a poem from his pocket and asked.
The place, filled with the refreshing scent of the forest, was now filled with the unique fragrance of the poem. Realizing that Clothan was the cause, the fairies grabbed Ray’s arms and pulled him towards Clothan. They sent him a pleading look, as if asking him to dry the poem immediately, and dragged Ray in front of Clothan.
“Huh?”
At first, Ray, who didn’t understand English, discovered the poem in Clothan’s hands. Seeing the chaos caused by the fairies living here, it was clearly something that shouldn’t happen.
“Clothan!”
The fairies on Ray’s back were excited. In pairs, they chattered with confidence.
“I think we shouldn’t light it. They don’t like it.”
Clothan, who had been calmly exhaling smoke, slowly lowered the poem.
“Shut up.”
“What?”
“No.”
Clothan grabbed the poem, which had caught fire, with his bare hands. Ray was worried he might get burned, but in an instant, the poem turned into dry ashes.
“Not you, Ray.”
His apologetic smile seemed forced. His gaze was fierce towards the entities behind her. Perhaps because of that, the lively fairies hiding behind her fell silent, and an awkward atmosphere settled between the two.
The lively fairies were delightful, and the beautiful lake was enchanting. But Clothan didn’t seem to enjoy it. Ray wanted them to be happy together, but it seemed pointless now. She had suggested going out to meet Mrs. Mary or Phillip, but he had taken her here without consent. Ray felt sad because he didn’t seem as happy as her.
“There.”
Although it was a long-awaited outing, she thought it was time to go back. It was disappointing, but wasn’t it uncomfortable to go out alone? What was the point of being happy alone? Just as Ray was about to say they should go back, she felt a strong gaze somewhere. Enough to make her unconsciously raise her head. There, in the dark forest. A pitifully thin rabbit was there.
