"Won, don't drag your feet like that, you'll wear out the soles of your shoes."
Yu Won did as he was told, but folded his arms and pouted in the way that only eight-year-olds can. His mother paid him no mind, instead grabbing his hand and continuing her walk towards the small house on the edge of the town.
"Why do we have to visit Auntie?" Won asked, still sulking. "Can't she come to Zhongguo instead?"
"Auntie lives in a small town, and is the only perfume seller they have. She does not have the luxury to pack up and leave whenever she wishes," his mother reminded him. "It's best for everyone if we come to her instead."
"I hate flying here," Won pouted. He kicked a pebble down the cobbled road. "The plane makes my ears hurt and then the ferry makes me sick. And the town is too small." Well, it was small, but it was a lot more open than his own hometown, where the houses were too close together. But he didn't tell his mother that; he was determined to hate everything about this trip.
His mother simply sighed, shaking her head. She'd heard this all before, every year around Auntie's birthday. "Just don't let Auntie hear you speak that way."
Won huffed.
"And," his mother added, and Won could see a gleam in her eyes. "If you don't complain for the rest of this walk, I shall let you play in the forest."
Won's mother didn't fear letting him run off, not near Mineral Town. She and her sister had spoken at length about how safe and secure the town was, how even toddlers could run amuck in the forest and be safe. Won, she reasoned, would have no trouble playing by himself in the woods. Besides, the fresh air would even his temper.
The promise of such a treat worked, as Won kept his lips tightly-sealed the rest of the walk. Even as a familiar brother and sister ran after a chicken in front of them, even as they passed a young couple gesturing wildly and speaking frantically to a policeman, he didn't utter a word.
And even as Auntie Fen pinched his cheeks so hard they hurt. "Ah, it's so good to see you again!" she cried breathlessly as she gave her sister a hug. "I've missed you so much - come, come, sit! How are things back home?"
"Well enough," Mother said with a smile. She led Won into the house, sending him a brief warning glare to be good. Won nodded obediently, and thus only covered his nose when they entered the house instead of holding his breath like the previous year.
Auntie's home was very cramped, and very pink. Won always felt as if he were walking directly into a giant flower when they walked through the door. Pink everywhere, and the smells hit him like a wall; flowers and citrus and patchouli. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was stifling.
He used to wonder how Auntie could stand to live in her own home, but now he knew that she simply didn't notice it anymore.
Now he sat on her lacy pink ottoman, chewing butter cookies and drinking a cinnamon apple tea, while the two women made small talk.
"How is the perfume business?"
"Oh, lovely, just lovely. I've just taken an order from the family who runs the winery, and-"
This was where Won tuned them out. It was alright, he wasn't the one being spoken to anyway. For the next ten minutes, he sat there with his snack. For ten minutes, his aunt and mother discussed their own personal lives ("I think one of the fishermen has his eye on me, you know."), his personal life ("Won brought home top marks on his last report card! I've been telling that husband of mine, he just needs the right inspiration."), and business ("I've heard that the general store is thinking of selling perfumes in a few years. If they do, I may have to move elsewhere."). All boring stuff. Well, maybe not so much the business part, if only they would talk something other than perfume.
He kept glancing up at the clock above the mantle, watching as the minutes ticked by. Any moment now, his mother would let him go outside. Any moment now...
"-a bit of a commotion with the police."
He was pulled back to the conversation just then, the word 'police' catching his ears. He paused mid-bite to look at Auntie.
(A young couple gesturing wildly, speaking frantically. As they passed, the woman grabbed at her own golden hair and held her hand at waist-level.)
Yes, that was right, a couple was...
"Oh, it's not as bad as it'd be in the city, but..." Auntie sighed, shaking her head. "They came around to my shop earlier, those two you passed. Apparently, the family is here on vacation, staying at the inn. They said they were out on a walk, and they were stopping at the chicken farmer's to ask directions to the beach. And when they turned around, their little girl was gone."
Won blinked.
"I told them I hadn't seen a little girl like the one they described, but I'd keep an eye out. I said this was a small, peaceful town so she likely was just playing somewhere or had backtracked to the inn. But even so, when a child goes missing...Of course I advised them to track down our policeman."
"Oh, dear... We saw a little girl, but she was with a boy, so she couldn't be..."
"No, the girl they described had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and is wearing pink denim with a sweater. Did you...?"
"No, I'm afraid not." Won's mother shook her head. "Her poor parents... But if they're talking to the policeman, I'm sure she'll be found soon."
"Oh, I'm sure. The Harvest Goddess will keep her safe."
From there, the conversation turned to perfume again. Won frowned and looked back at the clock. The minutes continued to pass slowly, too slowly for his liking. With a quiet huff, he began kicking his legs against the side of his seat. Ten minutes became fifteen. Fifteen became twenty... "Mama," he whispered at last, tugging his mother's sleeve. "May I-?"
"Hm? Oh, I see," his mother said as she looked up at the clock. "Alright, but stay close, and come back in time for dinner."
As Won leaped out of his seat and ran for the door, he could hear his mother and aunt still speaking.
"I almost want to keep him here, with that missing girl..."
"Oh, it's as I said, Mineral Town is perfectly safe. Besides, nothing's changed since last year, he'll be fine."
The door clicked shut behind him, and he heard no more of that.
Won threw his head back and inhaled a deep breath, smiling widely as he saw the leaves glinting above him like a thousand emeralds.
The forest hadn't changed a bit since the last time he'd visited. At least, not in any important ways.
The old paths were still there, and his favorite tall tree was still in its spot. He could still find clusters of colored grasses where they usually were, and he could hear the babbling water of the Goddess's Spring. A fox kit darted out of the grass and in front of his feet, a grasshopper leaped high into the air, its wings catching the dappled sunlight from above.
Here it smelled so unlike Auntie's shop; it smelled clean. Green. He could smell the dirt itself. If he tried hard enough, he could probably get a whiff of the animals in the air.
Won quite liked the forest; it was huge but also safe, wild and perfect for exploring while also promising no harm would come to him. It was the perfect balance of freedom and safety. Which was probably why so many parents allowed their children free reign to come here.
Won laughed and raced down the path, towards the sound of water. On the way, he grabbed a Pink Cat Flower to toss into the Spring. He still wasn't sure if he believed in the Harvest Goddess, but it would still be okay to drop an offering, right?
His laughter suddenly stopped as he entered the clearing around the Spring. Because there, in the middle of the grass, was a little girl. She was curled up into a ball, facing the ground, with her hands around her face. And she was crying.
She wasn't crying loudly; rather it was a low keening like an injured animal, but it was no less heartbreaking. Won swallowed, all thoughts of fun and the Harvest Goddess forgotten.
"Girl?" He called out, stepping forward. "Girl, are you okay?"
The girl lifted her head, and he soon saw that no, she wasn't okay. Her face was grubby and tearstained, dirt was smeared on her cheeks and leaves were tangled in her hair. Her pink jeans were dirty at the knees, and her hands were covered in dirt too. She wiped her snotty nose as she stared at him, a confused and frightened look on her face.
It was that moment when he realized what must be going on. "You're the lost girl, aren't you?" he cried, making the girl jump in alarm. "Your mama and baba are looking for you!"
But the girl only stared. She'd stopped crying at least, the sight of another child calming her down. Her hands lowered down to the grass, and she sniffled wetly. She spoke, haltingly and between half-sobs, and...
...he didn't understand a word.
Which meant...
"Wait. You can't understand me either, can you?"
A blank stare was his only response.
Well. He couldn't just leave her here. She was lost, and who knew when someone else would come across her. And even if someone would find her, she might get cold and get sick. Or a kappa could come and eat her up!
Or she might get up and leave before someone stumbled upon her, and be lost longer.
They couldn't understand each other with words, but...
Won held his hand out, palm-up. "Mama," he said.
'Your mama is looking for you.'
She understood that. "Mama?" she gasped.
Won nodded, triumph in his heart. She said the word differently, all flat inflection instead of a rising one. But it was the same word. The same meaning. He'd reached her.
He took another half-step forward, thrusting his hand out imploringly. He nodded again, half-turning and waving with his hand. "Mama!"
'Come with me.'
The girl stared. And then she smiled.
And one of her dirty hands slipped into his.
Won kept stealing glances at her over his shoulder. The girl had clearly never been here before, he would have figured that even if he hadn't heard about a lost girl earlier. She kept taking extra steps to move closer to him, as if hoping for protection. Every time a bug jumped out, she would scream and grip his hand tighter. But she wasn't entirely afraid, he noticed she kept looking around with wide eyes.
Maybe she'd been interested in the forest and that was why she lost? Auntie had said her family was from the city; of course she'd be curious. Won wanted to tell her how nice the forest was. How she should try to come here again - with a grown-up, or another kid, someone who knew the area. He wanted to ask her about her visit here. He wanted to prolong their walk, show her all the neat things she'd been too busy being lost to see.
But he couldn't. He had an important job to do.
"CLAIRE!"
No sooner did Won lead the girl back into the town than he heard the shout. The blonde lady from earlier raced up to them, tears streaking her cheeks. And in no time she'd wrapped the girl up in her arms. The girl dropped Won's hand to hug her mother, wailing loudly and incomprehensibly.
Won just stood back, not wanting to interrupt. He watched as the girl's baba joined the hug, watched as the police officer approached with a relieved smile.
The policeman said something and pointed at Won. The girl's parents looked up at him - Won backed up a step on reflex...
But then they were hugging him too, the lady kissing his forehead and babbling out a stream of words Won couldn't understand, the man repeating some of them. He got the impression they must be thanking him.
"Bú kèqi..." he mumbled.
The girl, smiling brighter now that she was with her parents, wiped her eyes on her sleeve. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but then her parents finally pulled away from Won and went back over to her. They took her hands in each of their own, the lady saying something in a stern voice. And then they began to walk off.
The girl looked over her shoulder at Won, a longing expression on her face. Maybe she still wanted to play.
But all Won could do was smile back and wave bye-bye.
Years passed. Won's aunt sold her home and moved to the city. Another store began selling perfume. Won moved to Mineral Town, both out of nostalgic appreciation for it and for the lower competition.
And one day, after years of him wondering what had happened to that girl, a golden-haired woman moved from the city to buy the old abandoned farm.