My entry for Accidentally The Whole Fanfic's All Hallow's Harvest Prompt.
Night of the Kappa
For a chilly autumn night, almost bordering on winter, the frigid air wasn't nearly as dry and biting as Gray had expected. The full moon had already risen into the dark sky, reaching its zenith, even if it was marred by the occasional gray cloud that crossed its path. The only sound that echoed on the night wind was that of crickets singing their lovely, high pitched melodies. Other than that, it was mostly silent. Well, if one didn't count the trees and their leaves rustling.
"Phew…" Gray staggered out from the spring mine, his outfit and face covered in dirt. "I think that's enough for today," He mused, using his sleeve to wipe the dirt and sweat off his face. It didn't help much, but it was better than nothing. His hands, hidden away by black gloves, were turning limp, and having a big hammer in his left hand wasn't helping matters.
Placing it down on the grass, he looked through a brown rucksack. Patches covered any holes it accumulated over the years. Lying inside the bag were large, sky blue, diamond-like jewels, and silver, spiky structures. They seemed to take up half of the bag.
"Alright, that's all the adamantite and orichalcum I need," Gray silently counted all of the ores he found. One, two, three...eight adamantite and ten orichalcum. "Good. I really hope Gramps doesn't flip his lid," The strawberry blonde haired man groaned.
Nevertheless, he closed his rucksack and threw it on his back. Already, he found himself lost in thought, imagining what his grandfather would say. "You got everything I need, but you took too much time! You gotta be faster next time or else you'll never be a real man!" Gray rolled his eyes. Too many scoldings and lectures made him always expect the worst from his grandfather. Hardly ever did he receive any praise, nor his efforts acknowledged.
Oh well. Gray wasn't missing anything. Whether he was late or not, it wouldn't make much difference. Better to get back to the blacksmith's anyway. Wilting orange and red leaves crunched underneath his thick boots, with some being ripped to pieces. An old proverb said that falling leaves return to their roots. Gray wondered if the wilting leaves resting on the ground would melt into the earth and become one with the tree they came from, roots and all.
"...Why am I thinking about this again?" He asked to no one. It was night time, so of course nobody would be around.
Or would there?
As Gray made his way around the bend, his blue eyes caught a glance at the subtle glow of a flashlight. A white blur danced across the grass near Gotz's house. What was that? Who would be outside this late at the night? Curiosity seized him, and Gray ambled forward. All sorts of plausible answers came to mind. Was it Gotz? Maybe he was doing some last minute wood gathering for the winter. If that was the case, he sure was well prepared.
Upon closer inspection, Gray's imaginings were proven wrong. He pulled out his own flashlight, thanking his lucky stars that he brought it with him in case he stayed out for too long. Turning it on, he shined it on the dirt path. The figure came within his vicinity, wearing a white shirt, a brown, corset-like vest, a long maroon skirt, and bright, cotton candy pink curly hair that could easily stand out in a sea of darkness.
Wait...pink hair?
"Who's there?"
"Yeeek!" A high pitched voice yelped. Crows and other avians flew from their homes in the trees, cowed by the sudden scream.
"Whoa!" Gray shined his light onto the figure in question. A little girl shorter and younger than he stood shivering before him, her cherry red eyes wide with naked fear.
"...Popuri?" Gray raised an eyebrow.
The girl, Popuri, felt the fear leave her body, and she exhaled a sigh of relief, allowing herself to relax. "Oh! It's just you, Gray! Thank goodness! I thought you were a robber or something!" Popuri explained.
But to Gray, that wasn't the problem. "What the heck are you doing out here, and this late at night, no less?" He asked.
Popuri wasn't one he would consider a friend. In fact, they barely ever spoke or interacted much, as he never found her bubbly, energetic personality to his liking. Still, she was nice enough, and they did exchange the occasional hello sometimes when they'd run into each other in town. As far as he knew, she was the quintessential good girl, and he never once heard of her going out at night.
"Your mom and brother are probably worried sick."
Popuri looked down at her shoes, averting his worried gaze. "It's...a long story…"
"Go on. Spill it," Gray demanded brusquely.
The pink haired girl grimaced, and a knot formed in her throat. Did she have to tell him everything? She swallowed the knot in her throat, going on to explain. Her brother was at the lake earlier today, and he somehow dropped a chicken medallion his father made for him for his fourteenth birthday. As of now, he was drop dead tired from both worrying so much about it and looking for it. Popuri remembered it was at the lake just now, so she snuck out of the house to try and get it back.
As predicted, Gray found himself completely flabbergasted. "Why didn't you just wait until tomorrow to find it? Do you really have to go out during the dead of night?"
"Yes! Yes I do!" Popuri snapped back.
Before Gray could interrogate her further, he looked down at her hands. In her left was her flashlight, but in her right was a green cucumber. Again, Gray raised his eyebrow.
"What's with the cucumber?" He used his flashlight to point to the cucumber.
Popuri looked down, her face turning red from embarrassment. "Uhh...that's...you know…"
Already, Gray heard alarm bells clanging so loud, he wished he could cover his ears. "I'm pretty sure no kid ever goes around carrying cucumbers with them in the dead of night."
If Popuri's attempt at trying to lie was like translucent paper, Gray ripped right through it with little effort. No amount of diversions would get the blacksmith's grandson off her back. At this point, there was little she could do except concede defeat. Shrugging, Popuri held the cucumber up so Gray could see it better.
"It's...an offering for the kappa."
"Kappa?" He asked inquisitively.
She nodded. "You've heard the legend, right? About the kappa sleeping in the lake near Mother's Hill?"
Kappa...last he heard, a kappa was a duck-like creature with a turtle shell on its back, with green, reptilian skin, webbed feet, and a duck bill on its mouth. The books in Mary's library often told of kappas attacking women, impregnating them, and eating children. Cucumbers were their number one favorite food. One particularly memorable excerpt he read from one book was that one of the many ways one could ward off an attacking kappa was...farting in its face. Ew.
Pushing that disgusting image away, Gray said, "Yeah."
"They also say that if someone drops items near the lake, the kappa comes out of the water and takes it," Popuri continued. "If that's the case, I thought I'd ask it to give it back in exchange for this cucumber."
Never before had he heard such an outlandish sounding story. "Kid, you don't seriously believe all those silly stories, do you? Kappas don't exist."
"Yes they do!" Popuri argued, waving her flashlight around. "Duke said he saw it once! Same with Mr. Gotz and Karen! They all saw a kappa!"
"I seriously doubt it…" His palm met his face. God, he just wanted to get home already. "Come on. You're twelve years old. It's too dangerous to be out at night," He held out his free hand. "I'll take you home."
"I...I don't want to go back yet!" Popuri stammered, her voice trembling. "I just want to go and see if it's there!"
Gray stopped himself from arguing further. Popuri kept staring daggers at him with her cherry red eyes. It was clear that she wasn't going to go back home unless she completed her mission, no matter how much he protested. He had heard stories that Popuri could be very stubborn when she wanted to be. Still, going out to the lake at night to find a medallion and throw a cucumber in the lake to some creature that didn't exist? He had never heard of anything so reckless and ridiculous. The whole thing sounded so outlandish. Gray knew he himself was a lot of things, but he definitely wasn't one to believe in kappas.
Still, he couldn't leave Popuri alone. What if someone really did try to jump her, kidnap her, or even kill her? What if wolves attacked her and tore her limb from limb? Gray thanked his lucky stars that he brought his pocket knife with him. It was always good to have something on him to fight off kidnappers or wild wolves. That's one good thing the old man taught him. Maybe...she didn't have to be alone.
Conceding defeat, Gray exhaled a tired sigh. "Alright. I'll let you go to the lake. But!" He raised his index finger at the pink haired girl. "I'm gonna stay with you the whole time. Got it?" He told her brusquely.
Popuri flashed a radiant smile. "Thanks, Gray!"
Luckily for them, the lake wasn't far from where they were. All they needed to do was turn to their left and go down another dirt road, and the lake would be right next to them. But at night, anything could be scary or filled with uncertainty. Gray still wondered why she couldn't just wait until tomorrow morning to go out and find it. Owls sitting in trees hooted their distinct calls, announcing their presence to anyone who lurked the forests at night.
After a while, the large body of water came into view. A dash of moonlight flickered across the middle of the lake, which made it easier for Gray and Popuri to find it. The pink haired girl immediately bent over, searching every blade of grass beneath her feet for that medallion. Gray followed suit, still staying close in case something were to happen. He kept his ears open for anything. Owls, birds, wolves, a potential prowler...anything could happen.
"You find it yet?"
"No!" Popuri called back. "Just a couple bamboo shoots, but that's it."
No sign of the medallion anywhere. Something inside her stirred. No way was she going to give up. Perhaps...now was the time.
"Hey! What are you-?!"
Without a word, Popuri ran over to the edge of the lake, took the cucumber out, and chucked it into the lake. The cucumber disappeared into the dark waters with a splash. Hearing the subtle water disturbance, Gray ran over to where Popuri stood.
"Popuri! What are you doing?!" He yelled.
"I gave the cucumber to the kappa! He's got to have it!"
Gray facepalmed. "Again with the kappa stuff?! Get real, Popuri! Kappa don't exist!"
"Yes they do!" She argued.
The two of them wound up engaging in a verbal beatdown, so much so that they didn't notice a round, seaweed headed figure popping out from the water. The sound of the water being disturbed wound up being what silenced the two.
"Did you...hear that?" Popuri asked.
"Hear what? It must have been a…" Gray turned to the lake, assuming there were ducks swimming around, flashing his flashlight over the lake.
...Only to be greeted by a strange, green creature with small, dot-like eyes and a yellow duckbill.
"Gyaaaaahhhh!" Gray let out a piercing scream, dropping his flashlight to the ground and falling on his rear. Scrambling away, he ran over to the nearest tree in fright. Normally, he wasn't one to be frightened by anything. But he had never seen such a creature before. Popuri was right! Kappa did exist!
Wait a minute...Popuri!
"Go away," The green kappa squawked.
Popuri stood at the edge of the lake, her red eyes locked onto the kappa. Gray could see her entire figure trembling, her face the expression of someone trying really hard to hide her fear.
"Popuri! Come back here! That thing's gonna eat you!" Gray screamed.
Ignoring him, the pink haired girl spoke to the kappa. "Hello! I-I-I-I want to know if you have...a..a…" Her words kept tripping all over each other, and she stammered when she opened her mouth. But she couldn't give up now. "A chicken medallion!"
The kappa pulled something out of the bowl on his head. In one of his webbed hands was a small wooden chicken carving with a brown string wrapped around it like a necklace. "This thing?"
Popuri's red eyes lit up. "Yes! Yes, that's it! You can have the cucumber in exchange for that, please!" Any fear she had was gone like the wind the minute she laid eyes on the medallion.
"Very well. Take it," The kappa handed Popuri the medallion before scowling. "Go away and never come back," With that, the kappa descended back into the lakewater.
Gray's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe his eyes. Not only did the kappa actually exist-and looked absolutely creepy as all hell-he actually had the medallion, too! Guilt and regret weighed heavy on his heart. He could barely keep himself together, whereas Popuri showed more courage than he ever could. Immediately, a new respect for the girl sprouted like a new flower in spring.
"It worked! It really worked! I got Rick's medallion back!" Overcome with joy, the pink haired girl jumped all around like an excited little girl in a candy store. Clutching the medallion in her arms, she turned to Gray and said, "Told you the kappa had it!"
Calming down, Gray got back on his feet and smiled. "Good. Now that that's done and over with, let's get out of here. This whole thing's giving me the willies."
This time, Popuri didn't protest. As Gray left the lake, Popuri obediently followed without a word. She was just too happy to have her brother's medallion back. Mission complete. Gray made sure to stay with her the whole time, as he couldn't afford to have something else happen at night. Since their houses were on opposite sides of the street, it didn't take long for them to part ways. Now, the two of them could sleep through the night, tired and happy.
Morning came, and Popuri awoke to the sound of her brother's jubilant cheering and whooping.
"Woohoo! My chicken medallion's back!" Her bespectacled brother's eyes sparkled with undiluted delight. Rick nuzzled the chicken medallion against his cheek like he had reunited with a lost pet. "I am never gonna take you off ever again!"
Her mother, whom Popuri was a spitting image, smiled as she prepared breakfast. "That's wonderful, Rick!" Unfortunately, as Popuri sat at the table, her smile faded. "But didn't you say you lost it at the lake the night before?"
Popuri turned rigid. Was she going to find out?
"I did, yeah!" Rick exclaimed. "I do remember having it while I was at the lake with Karen!" He shot a sudden glare in Popuri's direction. "And come to think of it, I saw a certain shadowy pink haired figure sneak out of her bedroom window last night, too!"
Oh no. He saw. It was their mother's turn to glare at her this time.
"Popuri? Is this true? Did you sneak out of the house last night?"
Popuri said nothing. Her silence gave them all the answers they needed.
"Popuriiiiiiiiiii!"
"Uh oh."
A scolding was inevitable. Nonetheless, Popuri was just happy that Rick got his medallion back. To her, that was all that mattered.
A/N: Happy Halloween, everyone! Hope you're all having a good night! Go get some candy, dress up in costumes, lurk in the night! But don't do anything that'll get you thrown in prison!