Chapter 13:The Ice Witch

Sun light is shining through my window, the light is annoying me. I open my left eye a little to look outside the window. It's a good day, very nice day; the sun shines so brightly, I've never seen so bright shine coming through my window. It's so warm, I feel hot in this winter blanket. But when I throw the blanket away, I feel the breezes come and slowly take my warmth. And so I cover my little body in that blanket again.

So warm then slowly becomes so hot. I like this feeling, maybe it's because I never feel any warmth in this place. The scent of snow fairy flowers which grow exactly below on my window is flying around my room. Unfortunately, the sun shine can't melt my curiosity about anything that happened in the small house. I'm still thinking about that a lot, sometimes I dream about it. About how I can sneak to the secret room, or open all the boxes Chitose placed in warehouse and many more. I can't say all of my dreams that I've been collected for five days long since that arm incident of mine.

"Atsuma, 8.00 o'clock. Breakfast ready." Says Toya.

"I'm coming."

And so I get up. I must admit that I'm little too lazy to get up, since Toya insists to take my place to help Chitose. Maybe he still feels guilty about what happened to my arm, or maybe he just worry about my wound. Anyway, I let him do that. .

Something smells wonderful when I open the door. It smells so good, and I bet those must be a bowl of porridge, three soft-boiled eggs and a glass of chocolate milk, for each of us. All are my favorites! I go to the dining room. Toya already sit and prepare for the breakfast.

"Hey, come on! I'm hungry!" Toya complains.

I don't mind Toya's complaint. He must be tired from helping Chitose with her stuffs every morning. I know how tired it must be, I've been helped Chitose from the first day I became the part of the family. I don't know when this will end, but I admit that I'm enjoying that Toya helps Chitose. It makes them closer than before, and though I must say my life is been like a young little king, breakfast always ready when I wake up, nothing to do except being a lazy boy. I'm not saying that helping Chitose is annoying; I'd love to help her with anything that she asks to, but man, who doesn't want a life like a little king?

We eat our breakfast happily, although it just -like my guess- a bowl of porridge, three soft-boiled eggs and a glass of chocolate milk, yet it gives us strength and warmth. Usually, after we ate our breakfast, I'll help Chitose with the dishes. But since Toya want to do it, so I give him the job. And so, I'll wonder what I should do next. I'll sit in front of the fireplace, watching the fire dancing, and wait for Toya or sometime Chitose will read us a storybook, sometimes three storybooks, if I insist. Chitose never force me to learn how to read, not like Toya who always drags me to read a lot of boring books he 'borrow' from the warehouse. As Chitose reads the story, I slowly recognize the alphabet, now I can read those storybooks Chitose has read for us, though I still need help with the pronunciation.

I'm sitting in front of fireplace now. But I don't do the thing that I usually do; instead I'm staring at the warehouse's door. I hope that Chitose will go out again soon. I wish that I can look more inside those boxes. I think that if I look on those Chitose's treasures, I can know Chitose better.

Toya enters the living room ten minutes after he finished with the dishes. He immediately lies down next to me, his hands are covering his head, and he sighs.

"It's so hot!" He says.

Of course it feels hot; you kept helping Chitose this morning. I know how hot the temperature in your body right now, but it will gone soon, after all it always cold here. That what should I say to him, but I rather keep my mouth shut. Not only his body temperature is rising but also his temper is also rising very quickly when he tired.

Chitose soon joins us; she brings a new storybook for us, and starts to read it for us. I wonder where she gets this storybook, maybe it from one of those boxes. We listen to it from the beginning until the end of the story, where the prince died for his kingdom. I don't like this story, why the prince would sacrifice himself? Why he didn't find another way to free his kingdom from the Ice Witch? Pathetic. I really hate this story!

"And that's the end of Ice Witch story." She closes the book and says, "The end."

"I don't like it." I say it right away after Chitose closed the book.

"Eh? Why? It's a good story." Her face is showing some complaint and curiosity.

"It's a good story, but not a good solution. You see, in the end, the King sealed the Ice Witch. Why he didn't do it soon? He just there waiting his son killed himself. The prince, in my opinion was died in vain."

"Well, yeah… it's a sad ending, but it's just a story, Atsuma. Don't think too much of it, 'kay?"

True, it's just a story, but it still has a lot of meaning for me. I mean, it's like my dream is crushed. Chitose always read jolly happy ending stories for us. To think that today I will hear a heart broken story for the first time…

I just…

I hope…

I hope my life doesn't have such a bad end like this prince in the story.

I'm afraid to face the future.

"Ah…", Chitose's soft voice echoes in this room. "I need to go to shopping again."

"Now?" I asked.

"Yes, I want to buy eggs." she says.

"Oh…" I say with rather disappointed low tone. I know I can't go with her.

She smiles and pats my head like a mother trying to cheer his son. "I want to try a new recipe my friend gave me in town the other day. And I want you two to become the juries."

I give her a big smile, to let her know that I really waiting for this new recipe of her. Chitose's cooking is always great. It's so tempting yet delicious. I know although this is the first time Chitose cooks this new recipe, it's still will be delicious as always.

I walk Chitose till the front door. It's just a short walk from the fireplace to the front door. Maybe about 15 to 18 small steps. I help Chitose close the door. The weather is good, so there's nothing to worry about Chitose.

I return to sit beside Toya who apparently starting to feel sleepy. I slap his left arm; it makes a loud 'slap' noise and a loud 'OUCH' from him. He turns his head very fast and glares at me like a tiger ready to attack his prey. Well, I've never seen a real tiger, but I saw a lot of animals in Chitose's books. I really should say books really make me smarter.

"What the HELL!?" Says Toya out loud.

I shrug and say, "Nothing."

I can hear he hisses. "I'm very tired, ya know?"

"I know, I know." I try to calm him down. "Ah… Chitose doesn't at home…"

"Hmm…" Toya seems going to fall asleep again.

"Hey, hey…" I shake his body.

"Hmm?"

"Don't sleep, Toya." I shake his body harder, he mutters gruffly. I can't hear clearly what he says. He keeps muttering. Is he already sleeping? I don't care, I keep shaking his body and call his name.

"Toya! Toya! Toya! Toya! Toya! Toya! Toya! Toya!"

He mutters louder and louder every time I call his name. I don't care what he's muttering about, but I must admit it, I become very tired. So I stop for a while, taking a deep breath, and say, "Toya, I want to go to that secret room again. Do you want to come with me?"

It sounded very serious. But the truth is, I'm scared that Toya will say no. I wait for seconds. Instead say no, he just gives me, "Hmm…" It immediately gives me a bad mood. It appears that he didn't even listen to me all this time. It explains why he mutters. Because he, apparently, is DREAMING.

Damn you, Toya! It's useless to let my anger burst on him now. He wouldn't listen. So I decided to go alone.