Her Emerald Eyes - Mahoutsukai no Yome (Short Story)

Home

It was spring, and the day was bright. Robin took her time strolling along the countryside, taking in the view of fields and blossoms. Birds chirped and small animals scurried around her, as if welcoming her presence. A butterfly landed on her nose, then fluttered its marvellous blue wings and flew onto a poppy red like her hair. It stayed there to enjoy the sweet honey.

She smiled. She came from the East, and had just arrived in London yesterday. She was eighteen, and did well in her high school. Her parents were educated folk, and when her performance gave her the opportunity to study abroad, they encouraged her. Not that she needed encouraging anyway, and she was glad they gave her the choice as to where she wanted to further her studies, for she had a clear destination in mind. She took the name Robin to make it easier for the people here, her Eastern given name could be challenging for the western tongue.

The lake glittered under the sun, and fish plopped out occasionally as if to say hi. Robin took the train here this morning, the whole ride she had troubled herself on what to say upon meeting the person she was here for. How should she go about it?

A gentle breeze picked up and bathed her in the fragrance of flowers and grass—of nature. Just be you, a voice whispered in her ear. She took a breath. Yes, that would seem the best approach. Pushing down the uncertainty in her heart, she continued her walk to the house before the woods. She paused at the driveway.

The atmosphere was calm and quiet. Peaceful. Gardens full of flowers and vegetation decorated the house splendidly in full bloom. Robin had been here before, a very long time ago. Not much had changed, it seemed; while the city had undergone modernisation over the past century like the rest of the world, this part of the country stayed the exact same as she had remembered. She had passed unfamiliar faces by on her trek here, and there were less villagers than before, but that was to be expected. This was a place of quiet retirement, away from the hustle bustle of the city where the young strived for their careers.

She missed the people she had befriended here all those years ago, but there was one individual whom she prayed to meet again. She made her way to the door.

She raised her hand, and hesitated. "Just be yourself," she reminded herself. She took a deep breath, but before her knuckles made contact with the wooden door, it swung open. The tall man behind the door almost bumped into her, before he froze where he stood.

Robin's hand adapted to the situation and waved instead. "Hi," she said, sheepishly. "It's been a long time."

The man in front of her was, in fact, not exactly human. Standing at almost 7 feet tall, a black floor-length robe draping over his black three piece suit with a white shirt and a blue bolo tie, the gentleman at the doorway had a wolf's skull for a head and horns of a goat. Truly, nothing has changed. The red orbs in his dark eye sockets widened in disbelief at the sight of her—her hair like red poppies, her emerald eyes, wide and full of kindness.

Then he found his voice, and Robin was happy to hear it again. "Chise?" She loved his voice.

"Present," she announced, standing to attention.

Then the gentleman dropped to his knees and pulled her in a crushing embrace that she instinctively returned. "Chise," he said again, his voice not hiding any of his emotions. "You've finally come home."

She hadn't heard that name in a very long time.

"Yeah," she giggled, their reunion making her gleeful. "I didn't expect it to take a hundred years. Sorry for making you wait."

"I will wait for you even for an eternity, Chise." He said, shaking his head. "What matters is you're back now. You've found your way home." He hugged her tighter.

Then a woman in pink came running towards them.

"Silky!"

The Silver One must have been working somewhere in the garden before seeing her. She hugged them both and snuggled up to Chise.

Whether it was because of the weather, her joy, or the warmth of the embrace, Chise couldn't be certain, but she was feeling warm and fuzzy, like having a bowl of hot soup on a winter evening, like reading her favourite book in front of the fireplace on a chilly night. Cozy.

At home.

"I'm home, Elias."