Light and Darkness: Barimah's Odyssey

Mysterious Girl

Flint woke up to the familiar roof like any other day, he rubs his eyes. “Huh? Was that a dream?” he looks around him to see that everything is as it should be.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

“Wake up Filly, you’ll be late again.” Aku opens the door and sees him awake, Aku is shocked, “WHAT?! You woke up early!” it was a bit before sunrise.

“Is that something too surprising!”.

“Well…yeah.” Flint lies back down sighing.

“Anyway, you’ll be late.” She threw a rag to Flint as she left.

“Late? Hah, I had the strangest dream, what am I even late for?...... FARM!” as usual, the frantic moving about for clothes and rushing around ensues again. Except only this time Aku was delaying their father to buy time for Flint.

“So~o you’re saying you prune the branches and not the stems?”. The father was listening to her, and knew what's going on, “*Sighs* Aku, I know your trying to buy time for your brother.”

“Is it working?” she gives a sunny smile.

“It would have been if you were younger, then I can take it as your cute little curiosity". He pokes her nose, "Your brother better start getting into shape soon or he might oversleep on his wedding day.”.

“You know something strange that happened? Little Filly actually woke up early.”

Dad didn't notice what she said earlier, “*Sighs* Stil trying to buy ti- WAIT WHAT?! FLINT WOKE UP EARLY?!” he's so surprised he didn't notice Flint had arrived.

“Why’re you so surprised?” shocked at the scene of his father's reaction.

Dad was mumbling, “Flint woke up early? It’s the end of the world. The world is ending.” Aku burst out laughing as Flint gets shy.

“Da~ad!” Flint tries to snap his dad out of it. Then their mother arrives to the commotion. “What’s so funny this early morning?”.

“Flint woke up early" Dad spoke.".…..Silence….."then Mother took a ladle and a pan. *BANG BANG BANG BANG*

“FLINT WOKE UP EARLY THIS MORNING! THE WORLD IS ENDING!” the neighbors also joined in on the joke as some laughed hard, an old man’s teeth fell out. Licia came outside, “Big brother is great either way!” she said trying to defend her big brother while swinging her arms and huffing.

Everyone is touched by her cuteness and goes, “Awww.” The people really enjoy this morning. With that the duo set off again to farm as they all have a happy morning.

Flint and his father go out to work as usual. They chat and Dad keeps giving Flint relationship advice too terrible for Flint to try. The old generation's way of dating and the youth are different. They enjoyed working until lunch. They were working again as they saw someone running towards them in distress. Dad went ahead to meet him as Flint continues working.

“What’s the matter?" the man arrives. Dad's heart starts to race.

“John*Pants for breath*, it’s Licia she collapsed!” Dad called John froze. The man shook him out of his trance as John left and ran home, Flint sees his father running home so he ask.

“Excuse me, but why’s dad leaving?”. Man didn’t know how to break it to him, “W….We….Y…...Your sister, Licia is- “. Flint takes off after his father running, Man follows but he is exhausted to run.

Flint’s thoughts, “Please, please be alright. Licia!” he ran as tears stream down his face, he keeps praying hoping….. Flint arrives back home and sees the house empty. He runs inside calling out to his family but no one responds. He leaves for the herbalist next. He sees people gathered there murmuring when he arrives.

“Uncles, Aunties, what happened?” no one could look at him as they all stare down, tears fell from his eyes as he rush inside the herbalist’s home. He sees his family gathered around a bed as Aku sat at a corner in tears. His mother held a hand as she wept and his father was by a wall coved in blood marks with is hand wounded. Flint looked towards the bed and saw Licia lying on it unmoving. Flint’s hearing dimmed as he only focused on his sister. He walks slowly to her until he kneels down at the bedside looking at his sister as she lies there.

“Licia? Licia hey get up. *Aku came and hugged Flint as he wailed* LICIA, LICIA! *SOBS*”.

“Stop it Flint! *Flint looks at Aku* She’s alive, but if we don’t find a cure soon…..” Flint sobs as he hugs his sister back. It was a sad moment for the village, a bright little sun was dimming. After hours of sobbing until they couldn’t cry anymore. John, Flint’s dad finally moved from the wall,

Spoke with dead eye in whisper, “I’m going to the farm to get our stuff.” And he walks out of the house, some of the men are worried so they go with him so nothing happens. Flint’s mother took Licia home as Aku held Licia’s hand until the reached home. Flint is by the corner of the room and a boy walks over, the boy looks at Flint and gives him his candy he has been saving.

Flint looks up at the boy, “Thanks Chuck but I’m not hungry.” The boy sat by his side,

“I’m sorry Flint, I don’t know what I can do but… know that I’m here for you.” They sat there deep into the night and even slept there. In the morning Chuck’s mother came for him and told Flint to go home to his family. Flint gets up and groggily walks out but not home, he lost his way and he went to the village outskirts.

Flint sits on a rock as he weeps even more, beside the rock are Licia’s favorite flowers. They’d come here to pick some when she was stronger, but as she got weaker, she couldn’t even leave the house. Night came as Flint is still at the rock, his eyes dried from tears. His sadness slowly turns rage as he got up and hits the rock.

A voice comes to his ears, “Hitting the rock won’t fix anything.”

“What do you know?” he didn’t check to find out the source of the voice, “My little sister is dying and we don’t even know how to cure her even if we have the money.”. A little girl appears beside him in the village’s clothes as she’s holding a stuffed animal.

“….. Bad things happen and there’s nothing you can do to stop them." Words hurt Flint more "But sitting around crying won’t fix anything.”

“So, what should I do then?” he turns to see a beautiful girl, her hair fluttering in the wind as the night light shine of her brown skin. But he is currently not in the state to appreciate this.

“Pray and leave it to God, a miracle might happen.”

“We’ve prayed to the goddess ever since we found out about this. Nothing’s changed.”

“Trying praying to the ONE who listens." Flint looks at her confused and sad, "When was the last time you slept? No matter, you should get some sleep at least, there’s no point if you also fall sick.” She turns and walks away.

“*Sighs* The ONE who listens. Whoever you are, please help my sister.” He prays then, turns and heads home, he sees how quiet the house was but still went in. He sees his father in the living room staring blankly at the wall.

“Dad…Maybe we should get some sleep.” His father didn’t answer, he took a blanket from his room and laid it on his father but he didn’t move. He goes to Licia’s room and sees his mother on her bedside praying as she holds her hand, he goes to Aku’s door but didn’t enter. He hears sobbing from the other side, he continues to his room and lies on his bed. Surprisingly, he manages to sleep.

Meanwhile outside the village, the girl who spoke with Flint stood on the tree top as she watched them.

“*Sighs* A curse like this can be cured easily with a few herbs, they see them every day but don’t know what it does. SSTM DC Package should activate soon, I guess I’ll put in a mission for the cure, he might adapt to the SSTM quickly.” The girl jumped off the tree as she flies high into the sky above the clouds with a jump.

“This world also has gods huh, I’ll deal with the god who gave her the curse as a sick joke.” She stretches her hand forward and swiped down as a tear opens, she flies through it.