The school year has just ended, and while I'm pedaling my so-called Noachian bicycle on my way home, vacation has now approached me, and I want to spend summertime full of fun and momentous activities.
On this day, my grandfather, Kaeron, celebrates his octogenarianth birthday.
When I passed by into town, I went into this pastry shop and bought him a black forest cake.
"Kindly send my birthday wishes to your grandpa," Ivypom, my seatmate, shyly said as she gave me my order. "One of our classmates is throwing a party at their house tonight. Won't you come?"
"No," I responded thriftily.
"Oh, yeah, I'm such an old-school moron for asking you that when I know you're celebrating something more important than attending a party hosted by teenagers with parental issues."
"I should go, Ivypom."
Night and day my mother is away for middle-class work, and it's me and grandpa who are usually left at home.
Though over-the-hill, he is still red-blooded and can do many things, such as woodworking and blacksmithing.
When Grandpa was my age, he was a celebrated athlete, having won numerous medals in archery. Mostly, he is fond of gardening. My thumbs aren't as green as his. I can't grow a plant—if I try, it'll wither away.
My mom called me earlier saying that she can't attend grandpa's special day and told me that when she gets back home soon she'll make it up to both of us.
I don't feel sad, and albeit she can videocall us, I still feel bad for her because she won't be witnessing in person the moment grandpa blows his birthday candle.
I felt a sense of uneasiness when I saw the gate open. My heart palpitated in an unusual manner, plus the deafening silence of the environment made me feel a bundle of nerves.
Something off is happening in our residence. I got off my bike and walked casually on the front porch until I reached the front door. When I touched the doorknob, I realized it was unlocked.
My cat, Purrito, greeted me by rubbing his head on my skin as I got inside.
I asked him if something sinister had happened, but I forgot that a cat's comprehension skills in human language are very limited. It just licks its paws.
"Grandpa?" I said loudly as I took a step.
I didn't hear any response from him, so I called him again, but to no avail; all I ever got was silence.
"Where might he be?" I muttered to myself as I held the box containing his surprise birthday cake.
He could be in the living room, where he typically spends his leisure time puffing tobacco while listening to bittersweet anthologies on the cranky radio, but I was only welcomed by flabbergast.
The radio was broken down into pieces, the ashtray flipped over leaving the ashes crawling on the floor, and the center table that used to be the pedestal of these things was torn apart.
The living room is messy. The house is in disorder and grandpa is nowhere to be seen.
I put the box on the couch. I picked up his tobacco, and luckily it didn't burn down the house - well, it's on the brink of causing a fire - and knowing it's still lighting up means grandpa is gone not an hour ago.
"Maybe Grandpa just took a piss outside."
I navigated the door that leads to the backyard, but when I dropped by the kitchen, I noticed that the refrigerator was jiggling as if someone was locked up inside.
I just saw Purrito on the front doorstep, and if this is a stray cat, then this one is not a regular one. It knows how to steal food smartly. I walked slowly and cautiously, and I grabbed a pan as a weapon in case it attacks me.
When I opened the refrigerator, in spook, I took a step back.
The creature inside is midget, obese in size, and has wretched-looking skin.
It has big round eyes and sharp teeth and claws.
It's green in color, resembling a Gremlin.
It ate all the leftover foods and drank all the milk.
When it saw me, it exploded into fire and threw the empty milk gallon at me right before jumping onto my face and beginning to scratch me.
"Get off me!" I yelped, but this monster was overpowering.
I beat it nonstop with the pan, but the more I hit it, the peskier and more resistant it got. As the Gremlin clung on me, I tried to search for a knife in the cabinets, and when I groped one, I immediately stabbed its chest.
When its lifeless body fell on the floor, I gasped uncontrollably because what the heck just happened?
I decided to bury it in the backyard.
We should be singing "Happy Birthday" right now, but I spent the night cleaning the house.
I want to call mom, but I know her. She knows her father is a stoic man, and she would say to me that Grandpa might be in the woods hunting and spending his time alone. And if he's not in the woods, then maybe he's with his folks.
And when mom tried to late videocall me, I thought of an alibi that Grandpa is asleep and didn't want to be disturbed.
Sometimes I wish I taught Grandpa how to use the mobile phone so that if I got worried then he'd just be one call away, but he's too idle for that stuff.
If he doesn't come home for like twenty-four hours, that's when I'll report him to the cops that he's missing.
I feel so exhausted that I slept on the couch, but the moment I opened my eyes this morning, I immediately fell from it. My spine hurt so much, but miraculously the pain faded away when I saw this furry black creature fluttering in front of me.
It's not frightening to look at unlike the Gremlin that attacked me last night; instead, it's quite adorable.
It has a round, fluffy body, big, expressive eyes, and a cute endearing face.
It seems like it has been trying to wake me up.
"I-know-I-know, a lot of people are telling me that I'm cute and squishy, but when I show them the real me they'll bring their torches, point me their spears, and say hurtful things. Humans are just disappointing, aren't they?" it spoke, and I was taken aback when I heard its voice.
"Don't stare at me as if I'm a wuss! Of course I feign ignorance of something that doesn't exist in the real world but only in books, films, and television. It's a natural response to strange phenomena."
This creature is a 'he', and at first I thought it was a 'she'.
Despite its feminine appearance, it has a baritone voice as deep as an incubus.
It flew near me as if seriously inspecting my appearance.
"What happened to your face?" he asked. "It is swollen and full of scars. Let me guess, an immature Grimsby did that to you. That's what Grimsby do when you catch them red-handed, unlike their mature version who are more polite."
"I look unrecognizable. I can't go out looking like this," I said, feeling down.
Suddenly he spat out a huge pile of saliva on his palm and rubbed it on my face as if he's applying moisturizer on me. I could feel the softness of his hands.
When he was done, I immediately searched for a mirror to see what he did to my face. My jaw dropped when I finally saw the result.
"I just needed a facial reconstruction, but what you did was beyond my expectation. This is a total glow-up!"
"Small thing. Nothing to be proud of."
"So far, I've never seen a devil with humility in my entire life, not until now," I said, and as someone who owes him,
I asked him if he wants anything to eat or drink, and he replied that he wants to drink chamomile tea with vanilla wafers, so I feel obliged.
"By the way, who are you? What are you? Who sent you here?" I riddled him with questions as we sat facing each other.
"I am Kooki, a Pixiepop, and I was sent here by my master to bring Kaeron Agysmal to Meadowglaze, but in my gaucheness I was followed by Mezoid's pesky henchmen, which led me to fail my mission."
It looks like he knows my Grandpa very well.
"Tell me where he is."
According to him, Meadowglaze is currently experiencing a maelstrom when the Diamond Oyster was stolen and was broken into fragments.
This Diamond Oyster is an extraordinary gemstone and overflowing with gifts.
Now that it is gone and is scattered to every place in Meadowglaze, many are searching for it because it can bring someone immense prowess. And if possessed by the vainglorious, opportunists, or any evildoers, the world will be in great danger.
"The Diamond Oyster has a good connection to the descendants of Oshirin. The blood of Oshirin flows in the blood of Kaeron. If the gemstone is lost, only their bloodline will let it find it," Kooki revealed after he sipped the tea, and he even requested another vanilla wafer.
"As we said our greetings, me and Kaeron were attacked by Mezoid's henchmen. Unluckily, we got outnumbered and overpowered. They caught us, but I found a way to escape."
Kooki even apologized for the mess that he had made in our home, and since he didn't do it on purpose and was just protecting grandpa, I quickly forgave him.
I tried to fix the wall, but my carpentry skills are subpar. This house needs major renovation.
"I want to cry out for help to my master, but Kaeron has other errands for me to do."
I swallowed hard when he looked like a buffering internet connection.
"He's passing the will of searching the Diamond Oyster to you, Kintsugi."