Hey guys... we meet again.
I'm still in my busy months... during this month to April my busy life reaches its peak. In March I have school exams, and in April there's national exams waiting for me. But after April, the chances of me having free time are very large. So, in order to prepare everything, I'm forced to sacrifice my time to write. Therefore, I will really need a long time to update this story... I'm sorry in advance.
Then, I want to thank FizzWolf for another fav and follow...
Happy reading...
(Author's note : It takes place after the end of CoL 9)
Jewel's POV
"Let me put your wet clothes in the washing machine..."
Blu's voice was clearly heard from behind the bathroom door, where I was standing in it, staring at my reflection in front of a round mirror while changing clothes.
"Ah, thank you..." I replied.
My clothes are wet because we just 'buried' ourselves into the lake this late afternoon. Because of that, an old bird scolded us because we scared all his 'dinner.' Not long after we came out of the cool lake, another cool thing came right away. It was drizzling which became heavy rain in seconds...
And so that's how I can now be in the bathroom where he lives...
'There was a girl whose clothes were wet in the pouring rain...'
I asked him for permission to take shelter for a while at his house until the rain stopped. My house is still quite far from the lake, my clothes are wet plus the temperature starts to drop dramatically when night falls...
Finally, Blu allowed me to take shelter for a moment at his house...
'His sweater is pretty loose, I think...' I muttered to myself, after wearing a gray sweater of his. Seeing whether I am suitable to wear his sweater by paying attention to my reflection in the round mirror in front of me, 'Well, it's not that bad... after all, his sweater is very warm.'
After finishing changing clothes, and getting out of the bathroom... once again, I found myself in the quiet alley of his home drowning in the sound of rain that sounded sad.
Walk up the stairs, and in front of me, for once again, there is a dead end tunnel...
When I stopped in front of Blu's room, I peeked to my left... staring at his mother's room which was visible from the crack of the door. Driven by a feeling of curiosity, my feet stepped towards the room, and slowly opened its door. Inside the room was very dark, dusty, damp and looked gloomy... I turned on the light switch just to make sure what my eyes had seen.
And... it turned out to be right...
The Anicius G room, the legendary novelist room, is just an ordinary small room with the same furniture as his son's room. The bed and table next to the closed window, dusty bookshelves lined up to the wall where all the annual literature awards on her name were attached to it. I walked over to the table that Anicius G might have used to write her books... there was nothing on it, except dusty trophies.
For some reason, I think Blu was never able to enter this room...
My eyes were then attracted to the bookshelves in front of this table. When my steps arrived in front of it, I noticed that all the books on this bookshelf were books written by his son, Hyacinthum G, all of them...
Well, I don't think it's surprising... the relationship between mother and son connected by white sheet does seem complicated...
'Huh?' my observation stopped when I saw something strange on the corner of the bookshelf that had been hidden from my sight. I grabbed it, and it turned out that it was a manuscript that had not been bound... this was just a pile of papers clamped by paperclips, and this was more dusty than the others,
'Chapters of Life...' I read its title on the first page.
I have read two to three pages, but my heart isn't strong enough to continue. This manuscript... this Chapters of Life... is not intended for me. This is something that Anicius G wrote before her death, because I never heard if she published such a title. This manuscript is hidden between other dusty books. I can be sure if Blu hasn't read it at all... if he knew of the existence of this manuscript, I don't think he would ever be able to read it for a reason I would never understand...
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Present time...
Blu's POV
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Two days passed after Jewel stated about the offer of Nobela Pantasya, a well-known publishing company in America, to send a book written by two authors, J Gemma and Hyacinthum G.
Summer holidays arrive in this small town... the night is damp, dry and rather cold, and during the day it is sometimes too warm on the skin. Well, even though I said if the summer holiday has arrived, but not for both of us, Jewel and I, who are now exploring the school library to find references to our book...
"...!" Jewel, without me realizing it, swung a bottle of mineral drink towards my head, "Look for references correctly...!" she snapped later.
I, who was shocked by her sudden attack, can only holding the part that was targeted...
"Focus...! Focus...! Why are you just daydreaming while staring at the bookshelf...?!" Jewel continued her scolding,"Look! In front of you... there's a book about neurological diseases, isn't it?"
"I know...!" I said irritably, then took the book she meant.
This reference book contains an explanation of various diseases that attack the central nervous system and peripheral nerves, whether caused by viruses or genetic disorders. I have no idea where this storyline leads, even having to find such a reference book... does she intend to make sad story again?
What's more, my mother's death was caused by-
"Hey..." I said to her, holding this reference book, "Are you sure about the title of our book?" I then smiled a little awkwardly, "Well... you know, most four-seasons special books have quite long titles, more than ten words. I've found a number of titles that seem more excited..."
I'm still trying to deny this title...
"No way..." Jewel firmly still refused my opinion. She then smiled while explaining the reason,"Take it easy... no matter the title will be long or short, our book will definitely shock the world. Because we are the ones who write this..."
I lowered my gaze, trying to explain my reason, but as I thought... I couldn't...
Jewel became confused by the unclear expression on my face, "I wonder why you don't like that title." she said, then walked past me to get a bottle of mineral drink -which she had used a few minutes to hit my head- on the floor. She drank it, "Though it's full of love in it..." she continued.
A few hours later... at night... at Gunderson's residence...
Between these dim lights, I walked into my mother's room, which was filled with dust. I approached the bookshelf near the entrance, and found various kinds of books written by my late mother, Anicius G. Even though there were some of my books on it, my attention was focused on a pile of papers in the corner covered by other dusty books. I reached for it and read the title written on the first page...
'Chapters of Life...'
I have never read it at all. I don't know whether this is some kind of script or not. Because this is the last white sheet written by my late mother in the last moments before her death. She wrote it in her dimly lit room all night until the next day... she was gone...
("It's a punishment for you! Your wings refuse to respond, do they? That's because you have thrown away your books.")
My mother's voice always echoed in my head due to the dark memories of her on her last day in this world... I could not deny that my mother's death was caused by me...
("You better just die!")
Who expected her death...
("I wonder why you don't like that title...")
I recalled Jewel's question that I could never answer before her. There is nothing but one personal reason why I always reject that title...
'That's because... it reminds me of my mother...'
Guilt, fear, and anxiety slowly began to overwhelm me. Unconsciously, my wing moved slowly to turn the first page of my mother's last manuscript, when suddenly the lights of my mother's room were turned on and I could see Sis Mi standing in the doorway staring at my surprised face...
"Hey Glu... how are you...?" I saw Mirai's cheerful face from behind her mother's shoulder. She looked at me with a pure smile.
"Will you come with us?" Sis Mi asked me.
Then...
"Sis Mi... I have to finish my story right now." I complained, though I was on my way to the summer festival with her and her daughter.
"It's okay... we also need to change the atmosphere sometimes..." Sis Mi responded to my complaint casually while holding her daughter walking on the edge of the lake.
When there was lights and crowds at the end of the road, Mirai immediately ran towards the crowds where a summer festival was held.
"Mirai...! Don't go too far, okay...!" shouted Sis Mi warned her daughter.
'Summer Festival, eh...' I told myself. I almost forgot if there was such an event every summer at the campground. Though I used to come to this festival every year with my mother.
This festival offers a variety of entertainment for three days. Culinary, concerts, and water sports competitions at Moosehead Lake. Although this festival is held in a small town, it is quite crowded with visitors and travelers who come from outside the city, as well as the surrounding population.
It's been a long time since I came here...
Sis Mi and I separated ourselves from the crowd of festival visitors who were busy passing by before us. They approached the stalls to taste the typical culinary delights of this small city...
"Chapters of Life is a book written by Helen on the day before her death." Sis Mi began to say to me... standing and leaning against a tree trunk while watching Mirai who was enjoying the Summer Festival,"Though she really hoped that you could've read her last book, she told me to tell about this when you are ready. But it turned out that you already know about this earlier..."
"Yes..." I nodded, "But as I thought... I'm still not ready."
Sis Mi just fell silent between the lake's downstream wind...
"My mother must really hated me..." I continued, lowering my face.
"There's no mother in this world who hates her children." Sis Mi, without hesitation, replied to my anxiety, "At that time... you were growing up as a child, and also as a writer. How could that not make Helen happy?"
("You better just die!")
At that time, eh...
"It's hard to see your child grow away from you..." Sis Mi continued.
I paused for a moment, "Will she forgive me? Forgiving this impudent son who's trying to forget her...?" my doubts arise again...
"Then write... pour all your doubts over the white field, and color it with the color of your heart. Imagine Helen's voice, and scratch your pen..." without hesitation, once again, Sis Mi answered emphatically, then patted my head, "Don't think too much about trivial things, and grow up quickly. Write... because we are writers."
"Glu...!" Mirai suddenly came from nowhere. She called me while carrying two cotton candy, one of which was offered to me, "Cotton candy...!"
I was just confused seeing her offer one of her cotton candy. She wanted me to eat that cotton candy, but I'm not used to eating it...
"Don't you like cotton candy...?" Mirai's voice was glazed, as well as her eyes.
'Does she feel sad because I don't want to eat her cotton candy?'
Apparently my guess was right, she started crying...
"Aarhh...! I don't mean that. I'm just not used to eating it..." I was getting more panicked and confused when her crying was getting louder and slowly attracting the attention of the festival visitors,"Okay, alright... alright. I will eat it, I will eat it. So please, stop crying." I crouched down and grabbed the cotton candy, "Hmm... I really like this cotton candy. Thanks, Mirai."
Mirai's face begins to smile...
Together with her, I felt a soft, sticky, sweet sensation and sugar that melted in my oral cavity. This cotton candy feels so good, especially between the cool breeze of this lake...
Apparently, there's nothing wrong with changing the atmosphere sometimes...
Mimi's POV
'Have I pushed him too hard?' I asked myself hesitantly, staring at the two happy faces who were eating their cotton candy beside me, 'No... he must keep writing. He must keep writing to grow into a grown writer... so that he can say goodbye...'
The next day...
Blu's POV
"Hurry up... the night's getting late you know...!" Jewel's voice echoed above my head.
"I know...! This is because you want to keep writing...!" I answered, grumbling irritably, while riding this bicycle.
"This is also your fault for always complaining about punctuation...!" Jewel denied while pulling my head feathers.
It feels a bit painful, and it's also annoying because I can't counterattack. It can't be helped, I have to stay focused, and maintain the balance of this bike because Jewel begins to move more and more on pillion...
"Haaah..." I sighed, "Will your family be angry if you go home this late?" I asked Jewel.
Taking home a girl this late feels rather awkward for me...
"Oh... look!"
But the answer turned out to be far from expectations...
"Are you listening to me or not?!" I muttered.
"Look, Blu...! Tonight's stars look very beautiful..." Jewel continued her words.
Out of curiosity about her words, I raised my face, and... she was right. The night sky is brighter than usual. Without the slightest cloud capable of blocking the sparkling sea of stars in the summer night...
"They look very bright, aren't they? As if they want to talk to us." she continued.
'Talking to us, eh...' I whispered, smiling...
Then, unconsciously...
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
"How I wonder what you are!"
My beak began to sing by itself under the sparkling sea of stars...
Jewel, who was at first somewhat surprised by my sudden singing...
"Up above the world so high,
"Like a diamond in the sky."
Start singing along with me...
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
"How I wonder what you are!"
Then...
"Ice cream shop?" I told myself when I arrived in front of her cafe-like house. I saw a writing that stood out on the glass wall... 'Helados Blue Alas' that was written on it. Such a unique name because it mixes between Spanish and English.
"Wait a minute." Jewel told me after getting off the pillion.
"No, Jewel... I'm gonna go home."
When I was about to ride my bicycle, I was startled by a tall and masculine bird standing in the doorway of the ice cream shop. Feeling the horrible gaze made my eyes curious, and finally I turned to the right, raised my face so that our gaze could meet each other. Apparently, he looked more macho than I thought. He has the same feathers color as Jewel, it's just darker, and the look on his face... looks angry...
I'll bet if he is Jewel's father, 'Oh no... this is bad... her father must be angry at me for taking his daughter home this late...' I whispered in my mind.
His pale green eyes glared at me, "What do you want with my daughter?!" the masculine bird asked me in a hoarse, firm voice.
"Ah... n-no... nothing, sir..." because of trembling and the situation was very awkward, it stammered me when asked by him.
There was absolutely no change seen on his face... he still seemed angry...
'I... I'm a dead man..." I then prayed in my heart.
"Huh? Hyacinthum G?"
"...?" all of a sudden... Jewel's father's anger suddenly disappeared and was replaced by his confused face...
I felt my prayer was granted...
"Oh... Hyacinthum G...!"
then, another adult bird walked out and called me by my pen name. She, I think, is Jewel's mother because she has a body shape that is almost the same as hers, even her feathers color as well...
"So that's true...! You're Hyacinthum G...!" Jewel's father, who a few seconds ago looked extremely fierce, suddenly became an ordinary old bird that looked friendly, for he suddenly -without me expecting it- hugged me tightly.
'Huh?!' I confused in his arms, like, 'What's going on here?'
"Stop by for a while, Hyacinthum G." said the adult female bird to me, after her husband let go of his arms.
"Please, no need to bother..." I replied, rejecting her offer awkwardly, "I have a little business that has to be done."
"No need to be shy..." but, Jewel's father embraced my shoulder and insisted on asking me to stop by their house for a while, smiling at me...
Then...
"Please, enjoy..."
Jewel's father told me after I found myself sitting at a customer table in Jewel's cafe-like house. There are many types of ice cream in front of me... sundaes, floats, frozen desserts, frozen custard, frozen yogurt, gelato, sherbet... there's so many, or maybe... too many. There's nobody in here, no customers, only me with Jewel who is sitting across the table.
Well, I think it's natural because at this late night, there's no way there are still customers... moreover the closing sign in front of this ice cream shop is very clear.
"Do not hesitate. Please enjoy... these are all leftover ice cream sales today." Jewel's Mother patted my shoulder, smiled at me, "Don't let them melt, okay?"
"Ah... okay..." I replied awkwardly, "Thank you very much..."
"Oh yeah, honey..." Jewel's father called his wife, "We still have those ice cream samples, right? Let Hyacinthum G taste them."
"Oh, you're right..." his wife, Jewel's mother, then walked towards the kitchen
"Ah... no, please... don't need to bother. This is more than enough, really..." I tried my best not to make them hassles.
"My parents are your fans." Jewel began to say to me, while enjoying this ice cream, smiled at me, "They've collected all of your books. They also get excited when they hear that you started writing again."
Then, Jewel's father came back and patted me on the shoulder, "We have heard about it, Hyacinthum G..."
I turned and saw him standing behind me along with his wife...
"Whatever happens, you can't stop writing. It's just the same as you waste all your hard work and your old books." Jewel's father continued, giving me a piece of advice.
"That's right... it's the same as when you throw away your own delicious ice cream that isn't delicious anymore because it's melted." Jewel's mother also gave me some advice in her own way.
"I'm really sorry..." I responded briefly.
"But fortunately, you still have that passion...!" exclaimed Jewel's father to me, smiling.
"Even though the ice cream has melted, when it comes down to the stomach it makes no difference because the ingredients are the same...!" as well as Jewel's mother.
"I understand..." I, once again, only answered briefly.
Jewel's father approached me, handing me a small white blackboard, "May I ask for your autograph...?" He smiled at me.
I replied to his smile, "Of course... it's my pleasure."
"Also..." Jewel's father still seemed to hold something in his grasp. Like a photo album, I think, "Would you like to see Jewel's photos when she was in elementary school? There's even a photo when she was just a little girl, you know..."
"Ah..." I didn't know what to do in a situation like this at all. I was rather curious about the little Jewel, but...
"N-no dad, stopped it...!"
My guess was right, Jewel shouted from across the table, trying to stop her father's actions showing her personal photos...
Then...
3rd person POV
"There's a little souvenir for your family." Jewel's father gave Blu a small package when he was about to go home. He stood with his wife in the doorway.
"Thank you very much." Blu accepted it, "Then, excuse me... I must go home. Good night..."
Blu, carrying his bicycle, walked towards the crossroads, which was a few meters from Jewel's residence. He said his farewell words again to Jewel's parents who waved goodbye, staring at their daughter who was accompanying Blu.
She looks very happy under summer night sky...
After Blu and Jewel had been several meters away, the cheerful face of Jewel's parents suddenly disappeared. They now looked at the two of them while hiding something deep in their hearts...
"He is Blu, isn't?" said Jewel's father.
"Yes..." his wife responded, briefly.
"He's such a kind bird, isn't he?"
"Yes..."
Meanwhile...
Blu's POV
"Arghh... I can't believe it...!"
Jewel's cry broke the silence of the starry night this summer after walking a few meters from her residence.
"My father even showed my naked photos when I was a baby. At this rate, I can't be a bride...!" Jewel was still grumbling, even though I was walking right behind her.
"Your parents are really kind, aren't they?" I told Jewel, who was still grumbling.
Jewel stopped just a moment to reply to me, "They are, even my mother often feeds a hungry dog..."
"I see..." I smiled awkwardly. Somehow her answer just now feels a bit-
"Huh?" Jewel turned, looking at me in confusion, then stepped closer to my face, "Are you getting taller?"
"Eh... I don't know..." I replied, seeing her compare her height with mine.
When she found the answer, she smiled, "Oh I know... it's because you don't look down anymore." she then walked back before me.
"By the way... this summer is really hot, isn't it?" she started the small talk again.
This small talk... the atmosphere that feels familiar...
"Though I've eaten a lot of ice cream, my body's still sweating. The air is moist and also dry. It feels uncomfortable." she continued.
Maybe, the thing that always makes me remember her...
"But I also like summer." she turned around, looked at me with a smile, "You see, there are lots of fireflies..."
It's certainly...
Chapter 25: Summer Night
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...because that summer night...