ARC I: Where a Child Drifted
Chapter 3 — A Monster Took the Blanket
She stood in front of me with her large body.
She was almost three times the size of me.
Now that I looked at her with the blanket removed from her, I wondered how she was able to sleep with only this much clothing on her.
She was only wearing light warrior clothes, with a short skirt and a small t-shirt on her top.
How did she even manage to sleep like that, with just a blanket?
"She is a monster."
That was the only thought that came to my mind as I looked at her.
I sat on the floor, not knowing how to respond to the situation.
So the only thing I could do at that moment, with tear-filled eyes, was try to stay silent.
My tears started slipping from my eyes without my permission, and my nose began to run.
The only sounds I was able to make were the sound of snot from my nose and my mouth gasping for air.
I had no words trying to leave my mouth, but sound still filled the air.
Emotion started to build up inside me like a balloon about to burst.
Then I looked at her and saw the sharp look in her eyes.
Something broke inside me.
A sharp sound echoed in the snow-filled forest.
It was my cry.
I felt my throat getting wet and my cheeks soaking with tears.
Something weighed on my chest, and the pain was unbearable for me.
I started to cry, even though I didn't know what I was crying for.
But the tears didn't stop, and the sound continued to echo through the forest.
"What is happening back there?"
The voice came from the front of the carriage.
The curtain opened slightly, and a man looked inside.
"Why is he crying? What did you do?"
He looked my way as he said it.
I tried to look toward where the sound was coming from.
I wasn't able to make out what he looked like, but I knew he was looking toward the back through the curtain.
He looked at me, then at her, his eyes blank for a moment.
Then he looked at her with sharpness in his eyes.
She was taken aback by the situation and looked around.
All she could do was make a face full of an expression I didn't understand.
Then he noticed the blanket still in her hand and me sitting on the floor, my hands turning light blue as I shivered and cried.
He wanted to say something to her, but after looking at her, he thought it was meaningless.
"Hey, let's set camp up ahead. It's already getting late, and in winter nights, don't wait for anything."
He said this to the person driving the carriage.
He opened the curtain again, looked at the woman standing there, and said,
"He should stop crying before we reach the campsite."
Then he looked at me and said,
"Hey, don't hate her. She's just a giant dumbass. At the very least, look her in the eyes before judging her, okay?"
I didn't know what he was saying anymore.
He closed the curtain and looked back toward the front.
But my tears didn't stop for anyone and flowed like a river.
After a minute, something touched my back.
It was the blanket the woman had taken from me.
She was on her knees, but I couldn't make out what was going on.
I wanted to look at her, but my eyes were too wet to see anything.
I tried once and failed.
Then I tried again.
This time, I was able to see the expression on her face.
It was a strange expression — one I had never seen before — but it felt like it was telling me something.
It was as if she wanted to say something, but the words were stuck somewhere she didn't understand.
As if she wanted to do something, but her hands were tied, unable to move no matter how much she tried.
So she sat there beside me, not saying anything.
It was uncomfortable and strange, but in that moment, it felt like a sanctuary to me.
My eyes started to grow heavy, my tears dried up, and I closed them slowly.
Before I knew it, I was asleep.