To Live or To Die
Soon, they were in the forest, where they followed small animal trails that wound through the trees. The path was uneven because of the protruding tree roots and the water-logged soil. Mia almost lost her balance more than once, but she stayed on her feet and kept going.
“It seems to have rained again last night. Mia, watch where you step.”
He reached out his hand to her, and she took it with a smile.
“The gentleman as always. Thank you, Abel.”
“I- It’s no big deal. It’s pretty muddy out there. I just don’t want you to fall, that’s all,” he said, looking everywhere but at her.
“This year sure has had a lot of rain, hasn’t it?”
As she watched him suddenly become interested in the sky, she remembered that she had to tell him something important.
Well, “remembered” might not be the right word, since she had never really forgotten. She just didn’t do it. But lately, she had been thinking about it a lot.
She wasn’t sure if she should tell Abel that she could see into the future. What would he think of her if she told him the truth about her ability to see into the future? Especially since his trust was very important to her.
She had to convince him that she was telling the truth so he could get ready for what was coming. No matter how she did it, she couldn’t make a mistake. There was a lot at stake, and every time she thought about doing it, her stomach felt like it was full of butterflies.
So, she had never been able to bring up the subject. Time was running out, though. She decided what to do.
“There is no doubt this time. By the way, Abel, I’d like to tell you something. I’ve already told Keithwood, but I think you should also know. There’s going to be a serious famine coming up soon,” she said in a calm, matter-of-fact way.
She really didn’t care what happened to Sunkland, but Remno made her nervous. Personal worries were caused by the recent revolution, but this was also Abel’s home country. She would like for the kingdom to stay peaceful if she could.
So, she used a neutral tone and tried to say things as if they were well-known facts in order to make them less shocking. At first, Abel was surprised when he saw her.
“Seriously? Are you sure that’s true?”
“Of course. I can’t show you proof that proves it for sure, but—”
Before she could say anything else, Abel smiled softly and said, “Never mind. If you say it’s true, it’s true. I believe you.”
That was the end of it.
He put so much faith in her that she ended up looking like she had just been hit with a big surprise.
“What? Huh? You believe me?”
“Yes. Once we get off this island, I’ll go talk to some people I trust. I’ll also tell my dad about it. He might not believe me, but some people will, given how this summer is going.”
“Ah. Well, that’s good, but… why?”
He gave a helpless shrug as she looked at him in shock.
“There’s no reason for you to lie to me. Also, even if there isn’t a famine, you’re still saying it will happen. No matter what happens, even if it’s just because you care, I trust your intentions.”
“I… But… Uh…”
His serious eyes left her speechless. He had no reason to trust her. He hadn’t used logic to come to believe her. He did it because it was her.
She was very happy. And was moved. And about a dozen more things. They were so much that her brain gave up trying to figure out how to say anything, leaving her with nothing but a blank stare.
“Anyway, let’s keep moving.”
Still holding hands, he pulled her ahead. The fact that his ears were red showed that the vulnerable words he had said had gotten to him, too. Mia was able to get back on her feet after she realised what was going on.
M-Moons! I can’t believe him at all! He’s just…so direct sometimes! It’s way too much! But when he’s like that, he’s so dreamy…
Mia was having another one of those times when all she could think about were flowers, rainbows, and a happy Abels.
She enjoyed the rest of her walk by thinking about how happy she felt. She only stopped when the underbrush suddenly ended and the rocky ground she’d seen yesterday appeared.
Patches of brown dirt could be seen through the many cracks in the rocky surface, and the area looked like it would be very hard to walk across.
Abel looked at the rough terrain and thought, “She couldn’t have gone past here, could she?”
“You are correct. It looks very risky, and she probably wouldn’t have a reason to do it. It wouldn’t be worth her time or effort to march across this rocky mess. Since she is Esmeralda!”
Mia thought Esmeralda was the kind of person who would do what she was told by a superior, like her parents, but she would do the opposite if she was told something by someone she thought was the same level as her or, god forbid, lower than her.
She was, in a word, a real handful.
I swear, that girl’s personality is the most annoying…
Mia also had a habit of touching mushrooms that she was told to stay away from. Unfortunately, people’s flaws are often obvious to everyone but themselves. Mia and Esmeralda were, in fact, quite similar.
“Last night, I should have warned her myself… Maybe it was a mistake to let Keithwood do it.”
She thought that Esmeralda would be more open to advice from a good-looking young man. It was clear that she was wrong.
“Anyway, let’s keep going. Still, I don’t know what’s up ahead, so be careful.”
She showed them the way by taking the first step onto the rocks. She felt something move under her feet so quickly that it was almost funny.
She looked down just in time to see the earth open up like a gaping mouth after she heard a loud cracking sound.
“…Eh?”
That was the last thing she could say before the void ate her up.
Ah, weightlessness, how I’ve missed you,
She thought in a moment of pre-panic calm brought on by the crisis.
We should really get together more. How long has it been since we last saw each other? I think it’s the river? Yes, that— Wait, if I’m falling right now and there’s no river below, won’t I be dead?
“Mia!”
She heard Abel yell out in a panic. In the next second, two arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a tight hug.
“Eeek!”
She yelled, “Abel!” when she realised that Abel had jumped into the hole to protect her.
With her face pressed against his chest, she closed her eyes and thought, “Well, of all the ways I could die, this is a pretty good one.”
Not the best thing to think.
Hmm… The question is, “To live or to die?”
She thought about the pseudo-philosophical question of whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of an outrageously painful but still lucky landing; or to take arms—such strong, manly arms—against a sea of troubles and end them by fighting them further across her body.
She kept falling the whole time.
