Maybe Nibi hadn’t learned human delicacy yet, because she shook him by the shoulders.
“Why are you sad? He’s not here! His journey goes on. Just not here, and not with you.”
“Really?!” At first, Erich felt like snapping at her, but instead hope leapt out of him. “Are you sure?!”
“Of course! Don’t be silly. Everyone has their own path. Yours is short right now—from school to home. His? A huge adventure ahead.”
Turning away, Erich wiped at his cheek in secret.
Enough. I’ve embarrassed myself enough already—frozen stiff while we were bullied, and now crying here, when I said this place calms me down.
Anger at himself bubbled up, and he blurted out:
“You know what? I shouldn’t have brought you here. This was a mistake… let’s just go home.”
But Nibi didn’t seem to hear. She leaned back against the trunk and softly began to sing.
He caught only one word—lats—and it jolted him like electricity.
“Wait! Your jeans aren’t bulging anymore. Where’s your… your lats?”
In her usual mysterious way, she answered:
“When I get very sad, it falls off. It’s alive too, and it feels my pain. Back in the schoolyard, I felt sorrow, and it couldn’t handle it—it detached. Lats knew it was powerless to help me. See? You’re not the only one who feels things deeply. We’re a lot alike.”
“Maybe…” Erich muttered. “So… are we leaving?”
“Can I stay here a while? I want to sing. I like this part of human culture. I want to taste it the way I did tea and muffins.”
“Okay. You remember how to get back?”
“I know how to get back up there—what you call the Cosmos—and I know how to get to your house.” She spoke with steady seriousness. “I plan everything ahead.”
Erich didn’t know what to say. He just nodded awkwardly, shoved his hands in his pockets (why? it looked so dumb), and hurried off, leaving this newly minted singer behind.
Even though it was only two in the afternoon, a bright streak lit the sky, like a comet. But the boy, lost in thought, didn’t even notice.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qGhzwIpmi
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The Third Wish
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An absent-minded passerby—or even just someone too deep in thought—would hardly have noticed that, among two fallen branches, one was far longer, thinner, and curled into a strange ring.
Most people simply walked past. Who cared what lay underfoot, as long as it wasn’t dangerous? Maris, on the other hand, would’ve kicked it just for fun and laughed at finding something to punt.
But as time passed, this… let’s call it a tail… began to shimmer with its familiar metallic sheen. When it had first dropped to the ground, it mimicked tree bark, but now it shed its disguise and returned to its usual form. And even that wasn’t enough.
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and then Add to home screen.