Day Two
We sat atop the great tree, on a branch wide enough for two. The leaves whispered in the breeze, as if singing a secret song from the past. The sky was clear and the morning air crisp. From up here, we could see the stretch of green marshes, tiny houses in the distance, and birds flying across the sky in graceful formations.
"If I could live up here forever, maybe I'd become a forest fairy," Olivia suddenly said, hugging her knees.
"Pfft—A forest fairy?" I laughed. "I think you're more like... a kitchen fairy. You're way too noisy to hide."
"Hey!" She swatted my arm lightly. "If you were a forest creature, you'd be… a snail."
"A snail?" I feigned offense.
"Yeah. Because you were sooo slow climbing up here."
We chuckled softly. The wind blew gently, and its breeze made my eyes feel heavy. Quietly, I leaned back against the trunk, and Olivia, too, began to fall silent.
"Hey…" I murmured, noticing her head beginning to tilt.
"Sleepy…" she whispered.
Her head slowly rested on my shoulder. I held my breath—this moment was too peaceful, too... sweet.
But only for a few seconds before Olivia let out a soft snore and… began to slip sideways.
"WOAH! Olivia!" I panicked and grabbed her shirt. She jolted awake, nearly falling.
"H-huh?!" she gasped, eyes wide.
"You almost fell… straight into heaven."
She blinked at me in confusion, then punched my arm again while laughing. "Don't say romantic stuff right when I wake up!"
"So you admit it was romantic?"
Olivia groaned, hiding her face behind her knees. "Ughhh… you're the worst."
We laughed again, then fell into silence, watching the sky leaning toward noon. My stomach growled first. I tried to hold it in, but… it was loud and clear.
"Alberttt…" Olivia lifted her head. "You hungry?"
"Hmm, a little."
She sniffed the air. "Wait… do you smell that?"
I raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"That... that's the scent of grass-mushroom broth and white seed oil! My mom has to be making it! It's been my favorite since I was little!" Olivia jumped up, her eyes gleaming.
Without warning, she grabbed my hand and pulled me. We scrambled down the tree—Olivia seemed to defy gravity. As soon as our feet hit the ground, she bolted ahead, dragging me along.
The house door flew open and Olivia burst in, "Moooom! The broooth!"
Her mother chuckled from the kitchen, holding a large wooden spoon. "Pffft, You really do have a nose sharp as a wolf, Olivia."
We sat at the table, Olivia practically bouncing in her seat waiting for her bowl to be filled. I glanced around, noticing someone was missing.
"Where's your father?"
"Still in his lab, probably," her mother answered. "Sweetheart, go call your father. Lunch is ready."
Olivia stood reluctantly, tempted by the lingering aroma of broth. "Alright, mom…"
A few moments later, she returned with her father. The dining table became a place for laughter—stories from Olivia's childhood, tales of failed herbal experiments that exploded in the kitchen, and her dad's habit of mixing salt and sugar in the wrong jars.
Before long, our stomachs were full and our eyes grew heavy. We rested upstairs, in the sunlit warmth of the second-floor lab.
I sat on the floor, leaning against a cupboard full of glass bottles. Olivia rolled up her sleeves and sat across from me.
"Why is Dad so busy today?!" she suddenly asked, gazing toward the corner of the room.
Her father was hunched over, inspecting a pale green liquid on the work table. He didn't look up, simply replying with his eyes still fixed on the vial.
"Today, I found something special. This discovery… might change our lives."
I turned to Olivia, and we exchanged confused glances.
"What is it, Dad?!" Olivia asked again.
"It's still a secret," he said at last, glancing back briefly. "Hey, are you two done resting?! If you're ready, come over here now."
Olivia looked at me, her eyes asking the question: ready?
I nodded slowly. "Come on. Let's help your dad find something... special."