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Description
A gentle, caressing breeze swept through the blades of grass, turning them into miniature flags. Branches swayed slightly, their leaves rustling. The sound mixed with the chorus of birds into a steady harmony, unbroken by anything more than the soft breathing of a teenage boy.
On a sun-drenched hillside, his small body lay motionless, apart form the deep rise and fall of his chest. A dragonfly alighted upon the still hand, unafraid of the sudden stranger in its midst.
“Kagerou,” he thought, his mouth curving into a calm smile. He closed his eyes and slowed is breath until his chest’s movements were almost indistinguishable. A tiny mouse crept up and nibbled nervously nibbled on a seed, frightening the dragonfly.
The sound clashed violently with the serenity of the setting, quiet though it was. The boy woke from his reverie and blinked in surprise at the creature next to his nose. It seemed to peer at him curiously for a second before deciding that this huge, clumsy giant meant it no harm. Its attention turned back to the meal at paw.
Far off in the distance, the ground shook with the awkward, heavy footfalls of a running child. Vibrations startled the rodent into flight, scrambling over the boy’s head. For only a moment, he, too, entertained thoughts of departure.
“Nii-san!”
His resigned and relieved sigh stirred the grass in front of his face. This “imminent threat” was nothing more than his younger brother, Satoshi, who was merely an unsophisticated, excitable, unpredictable child to the world’s eye. But to his older sibling, he was a lovable ball of energy, whose infectious spirit and joy inspired those close to him.
“Surely you can get along for a few hours without me.”
“Mom said you needed to come home,” explained Satoshi.
“I suppose you really only wanted someone to entertain you, right?” Amusement lazily flickered across his features for a brief instant.
“There’s a weird girl helping Mom cook. She looks foreign to me.”
“I doubt it. She’s probably our neighbor. Mom usually doesn’t invite strangers over.”
“She didn’t invite this one. She showed up with an old book and a bag of vegetables and said she’d make us dinner,” Satoshi muttered, visibly unhappy.
“Let’s go back; I want to see her. This could be the most interesting thing to happen since-”
“But she’s scary! I bet she’s a witch or something like that,” interrupted his young brother.
“Aren’t you a little bit old to believe in that sort of thing?” Kindness showed on his face, and hidden laughter made his eyes sparkle and dance. “If you come back with me to meet this mystery girl, I’ll get you a treat,” the older boy offered.
“Fine. But if she curses you, it’s not my fault.”
“ Whatever. Come on. I’ll race you!”
Over the flowering meadows and grassy hills, they joyfully sprinted as quickly as they could, seeming almost to skim effortlessly above the ground. On the horizon, ominous clouds encouraged them to quicken their already rapid pace.
Mere moments after they arrived at their front step, panting, the first few drops began to fall. The rain steadily increased until it had worked itself into a heavy downpour. Satoshi leaped out from under the protection of the roof, allowing the water to instantly engulf his entire body.
“Hiroki! Bring you brother inside. He might get struck by lightning!”
“Yes, Mother,” her eldest child grudgingly responded, unwilling to put an end to Satoshi’s joy. “Come on, Satoshi. Let’s go,” he sighed, grabbing his hand gently.
“But what IS that?” Satoshi was pointing at a nearby tree. “What’s that light?”
“Where? I don’t see anything. Doesn’t matter, I’m hungry.” Hiroki pulled his sibling to the door and pushed him inside, stopping for an instant to glance back at the tree before following.
“Neither of you are going to eat until you wash up,” ordered their mother. “Adelaide, dear, you can sit down if you’d like.”
“Please call me Adi. It’s much easier to say.” The speaker was a girl about a year younger than Hiroki, with a thick mass of long, golden curls and sparkling gray eyes. She had only a faint accent, nut her dress alone openly proclaimed the fact that she was not Japanese.
It was richly hemmed in lace and dripping with delicate silver brocade. The bodice was a soft green, reminiscent of how tree leaves look when sunlight shines through them. The skirt and trim were deeper, less vibrant and lively but more rich and warm.
Hiroki halted in the doorway to the dining area, which was connected to the kitchen. His thoughts immediately went to how Satoshi had been. This foreign girl was quite obviously not a witch.
Adi heard the boys come in and glanced up in time to see Hiroki’s shock before he regained his composure. She met his eyes and smiled teasingly at him, causing him to blush. He bowed to her, woodenly polite, before turning and quickly scuttling away.

Description
A gentle, caressing breeze swept through the blades of grass, turning them into miniature flags. Branches swayed slightly, their leaves rustling. The sound mixed with the chorus of birds into a steady harmony, unbroken by anything more than the soft breathing of a teenage boy.
On a sun-drenched hillside, his small body lay motionless, apart form the deep rise and fall of his chest. A dragonfly alighted upon the still hand, unafraid of the sudden stranger in its midst.
“Kagerou,” he thought, his mouth curving into a calm smile. He closed his eyes and slowed is breath until his chest’s movements were almost indistinguishable. A tiny mouse crept up and nibbled nervously nibbled on a seed, frightening the dragonfly.
The sound clashed violently with the serenity of the setting, quiet though it was. The boy woke from his reverie and blinked in surprise at the creature next to his nose. It seemed to peer at him curiously for a second before deciding that this huge, clumsy giant meant it no harm. Its attention turned back to the meal at paw.
Far off in the distance, the ground shook with the awkward, heavy footfalls of a running child. Vibrations startled the rodent into flight, scrambling over the boy’s head. For only a moment, he, too, entertained thoughts of departure.
“Nii-san!”
His resigned and relieved sigh stirred the grass in front of his face. This “imminent threat” was nothing more than his younger brother, Satoshi, who was merely an unsophisticated, excitable, unpredictable child to the world’s eye. But to his older sibling, he was a lovable ball of energy, whose infectious spirit and joy inspired those close to him.
“Surely you can get along for a few hours without me.”
“Mom said you needed to come home,” explained Satoshi.
“I suppose you really only wanted someone to entertain you, right?” Amusement lazily flickered across his features for a brief instant.
“There’s a weird girl helping Mom cook. She looks foreign to me.”
“I doubt it. She’s probably our neighbor. Mom usually doesn’t invite strangers over.”
“She didn’t invite this one. She showed up with an old book and a bag of vegetables and said she’d make us dinner,” Satoshi muttered, visibly unhappy.
“Let’s go back; I want to see her. This could be the most interesting thing to happen since-”
“But she’s scary! I bet she’s a witch or something like that,” interrupted his young brother.
“Aren’t you a little bit old to believe in that sort of thing?” Kindness showed on his face, and hidden laughter made his eyes sparkle and dance. “If you come back with me to meet this mystery girl, I’ll get you a treat,” the older boy offered.
“Fine. But if she curses you, it’s not my fault.”
“ Whatever. Come on. I’ll race you!”
Over the flowering meadows and grassy hills, they joyfully sprinted as quickly as they could, seeming almost to skim effortlessly above the ground. On the horizon, ominous clouds encouraged them to quicken their already rapid pace.
Mere moments after they arrived at their front step, panting, the first few drops began to fall. The rain steadily increased until it had worked itself into a heavy downpour. Satoshi leaped out from under the protection of the roof, allowing the water to instantly engulf his entire body.
“Hiroki! Bring you brother inside. He might get struck by lightning!”
“Yes, Mother,” her eldest child grudgingly responded, unwilling to put an end to Satoshi’s joy. “Come on, Satoshi. Let’s go,” he sighed, grabbing his hand gently.
“But what IS that?” Satoshi was pointing at a nearby tree. “What’s that light?”
“Where? I don’t see anything. Doesn’t matter, I’m hungry.” Hiroki pulled his sibling to the door and pushed him inside, stopping for an instant to glance back at the tree before following.
“Neither of you are going to eat until you wash up,” ordered their mother. “Adelaide, dear, you can sit down if you’d like.”
“Please call me Adi. It’s much easier to say.” The speaker was a girl about a year younger than Hiroki, with a thick mass of long, golden curls and sparkling gray eyes. She had only a faint accent, nut her dress alone openly proclaimed the fact that she was not Japanese.
It was richly hemmed in lace and dripping with delicate silver brocade. The bodice was a soft green, reminiscent of how tree leaves look when sunlight shines through them. The skirt and trim were deeper, less vibrant and lively but more rich and warm.
Hiroki halted in the doorway to the dining area, which was connected to the kitchen. His thoughts immediately went to how Satoshi had been. This foreign girl was quite obviously not a witch.
Adi heard the boys come in and glanced up in time to see Hiroki’s shock before he regained his composure. She met his eyes and smiled teasingly at him, causing him to blush. He bowed to her, woodenly polite, before turning and quickly scuttling away.