Noah puffs up his chest and stomping away, unyieldingly not peeking back to the confusing girl. On his way, he knocks down pebbles that he imagines is the girl who calls herself a Tulip, kicking harder when her innocent voice repeating after him echoes in his head.
"She was mocking me, right? Isn't she the bully? She's the one who made us fall…."
When he reaches the path a corner away from his home, he hears the sounds of frantic steps within reach then a thump.
"Ah.."
Facing back, Noah looks at the girl face-planted into the dirt.
"Uhm…are you okay?"
He questions, placing down his aeroplane and bag when she offers no sign of moving. When placing his hand on her shoulders to check if she's alive, she swats it away.
Noah's mouth twitched, feeling bothered. The girl continues to lay there immobile and Noah throws his head back, sitting down on the ground with a flump.
"Hey. Let's not do this. The sun is setting!"
Not answering, Noah went on pondering for more reasons.
"We're kids you know? We need to go home!"
After a moment of silence, the girl moves except it was only to turn her head away from him. Noah who wanted to grab his shoe that hit rocks possessing her face and hit the real thing instead, suppresses the desire and his reaching arm finds its place to support his body.
"Aren't you hungry? There's food back at home, surely."
When another moment of silence passed by he was about to add on until he hears a faint sob. A shiver went down his spine, thinking it was a ghost Noah looks around the empty pathway.
Sob.
Hearing it again, he sits up on his knees grabbing the girl's shoulders who doesn't swat him away this time, she must've taken notice of it too and is frozen in fear.
"You heard that right?… Lets go okay?…come on please…!"
Noah pleads to the girl who doesn't budge. Instead, she stands up, he can't see her face that's covered by her matted hair but she doesn't seem happy.
Not knowing what to do when she stood there and that image made the atmosphere scarier, he also stood up grabbing his bag and aeroplane.
"You'll be okay, right? I'm really going, okay?!"
Noah shouts, prepared to flee and run to his house away from the ghost and the tenacious girl. At that moment a sob is heard again, except it becomes a wail, and the wail is coming out of the girl who stands before him with her legs that start to shake and shrivel up and hands that wipe the tears away.
Shocked, Noah only stares.
"Uhm…"
"Waaaaah!!"
At a loss, he reaches out and pulls the girl into his arms. Never having to comfort anyone but remembering how his parents would comfort him, he pats her back hoping she'll calm down.
She doesn't.
"Waaaaaah!"
'Ugh…'
Noah complains internally, what is this situation?
"Noah…? Noah is that you?"
"Noah!"
A familiar voice is heard behind them, Noah's hands that are patting the girl's back halt and he twist his head back with a face of relief. That was until he saw his mother who was stomping towards him with a face that looked upset.
Uh oh.
Noah whips his arms to a cross while frantically shaking his head, his mother who is coming closer turns into a beast to Noah, alarmed by her steps that thump like a lion and reaching hands that turn into claws, his once-loving mother with warm gaze disappears and now only a beast that'll take away his playtime marches after him!
"Hieek!"
The lady who looks delicate from afar approaches them with an ominous serene illusion, a deceitful expression she has when someone will get the scolding of the week. Slender arms that would comfort him become sticky octopus arms that trap the two kids.
Her foxy eyes dart between the two kids, and her mouth curls into a manipulative tender smile, her words spoken in a tone that is gentle and understanding, disguising her temperament.
"What's happened?"