Chapter Text
Creek, crack
An eerie gush of wind tugs at your shivering body. You are lost in the woods, and can’t seem to find your way back home.‘Please.. I can’t go on any longer. Where are you, Lily…Where could she have gone?’ you think to yourself. It’s so dark that you walk straight into a tree, which scares you even more than you already are. This crash blew out your lamp which contained a small spark, your only source of light. You don’t have time to realize what you’ve landed on…. feels rather moist unlike the rest of the ground you were walking on. Did you just land in mud..? You can’t take this any longer. You bring yourself up and stand firm. “This is nothing, I’ll find my Lily in no time!” you affirm yourself. You pick up your leg to walk forward only to slip and fall again. First, only your lower body was covered in mud, and now your torso was as well. Could this night get even more frustrating? You stand up once more and thankfully, you don’t slip this time.
After some mindless prep talk you gave yourself, you squint and see a figure hunched over, and also make our a small cabin. You finally see light at the end of the tunnel. Your first instinct is to run up to the person and ask for help or even possibly let you stay until the sun rises, but your appearance is a mess. You look like an oompa loompa that dived in mud. You attempt to shake the mud off until you come to a horrible realization. The mud has dried.
You finally muster the courage to walk over to this person’s humble abode despite looking (and smelling) like a wet dog. You are a couple of steps away from the cabin, and you take a deep breath and prepare a greeting when suddenly, the hunched man cranks his neck to look at you. You freeze and immediately began fidgeting with your fingers. You’re visibly shaken and surprisingly, the kind stranger smiles at you.
“Are you lost?” he questions you. You lock eyes for a moment. You find yourself daydreaming about a future in his ruby-like eyes. His white hair carefully swept to the sides of his face moves with the wind. His smile is unchanging. You take a moment to indulge in his neatly beige turtleneck along with a cozy sweater vest. You’re rather shocked to see his steady expression upon seeing you. “Uhm, yeah. I came out to watch the stars when my cat ran away. I guess it was kind of dumb of me to go look for her after sunset.” You take a long pause and continue, “Could you please let me stay for the night?” The man’s face grows even warmer. “I’m more than glad to welcome you under my protection.” He says. You’re a bit weird out by the way he phrased that but of course, it's none other than a weirdo is awake at night waiting to welcome strangers in.
The man welcomes you in and you are surprised by his home decor. You awkwardly stand at the door not knowing what to do. You remind him of a lost puppy, he reminds himself to keep composure. “Oh, hold on. Allow me to fetch you a change of clothes. Stay where you are, alright?” You nod profusely as you watch him turn on his heels. You’re feeling chilly, standing on his porch, you turn your head and glance over the gloomy forest. There’s a part of your heart still wanting to search for Lily, but you remind yourself of the dangers of wandering at night. You can’t seem to ignore how strange this man’s home is. Why is such a lovely cabin located in the middle of nowhere? You hear quick and swift footsteps which snap you out of your line of thought.
The man is carrying neatly folded white clothes. “Apologies, these are what I could find. I hope it’s to your liking.” He places the clothes into your arms and signals you to come inside. He gives you directions to his bathroom and you have no time to take a look around the place. You shut the bathroom door, and you're left alone again. You were afraid of loneliness. No matter how odd and strange this whole situation with this stranger may be, you're more than grateful to at least have someone by your side. Your hum a simple tune as you put your mind to ease. You finally change into fresh new clothes. You can't help but run your hands all over your soft, silky clothes.
Knock, knock
A chill runs up your spine. “Miss~ are you done in there? I prepared a snack for you.” says the voice from the other side of the door. You nervously fiddle with the doorknob as you realize he might’ve heard you humming. You were taken aback by how close he was standing at the side. You stand frozen for a bit before he chuckles. “They fit you perfectly, I’m surprised!” He flashes a smile. You awkwardly nod. His fingers twirl and turn, you take this as a signal to follow him as he leads to a dining table. You brush your suspicions aside and take a seat across from him.