[original story] GIFT [writer's club feb]
Title: GIFT
Author: rin_no_himitsu (me!)
Genre: General, Friendship
Rating: K
Summary: Perhaps it was the way the light shone down on her, but, for a moment, she looked like an angel.
Prompt: Hearts
A/N: This is not romance. The relationship between the MC and Annaliese is completely platonic, similar to a father-daughter relationship.
Winter
I was walking up the old, mossy stone steps that led to my house. The small amount of snow that had gathered up the night before was long gone. This morning, the warm breeze melted the glittering substance into sparkling puddles of water, but the sudden change in temperature froze the ethereal liquid into shiny patches of ice. It was almost as if the entire village was transformed into one big skating rink.
This wasn’t uncommon around here. Back when I was a child, we used to have specific, very distinct weather during each season. Back when I was a child, everyone shuddered at the mention of winter-since it brought with it the cold, illnesses, and beautiful-yet troubling-snow.
But now… Now, Mother Nature has grown old and senile, and she can’t keep the year as organized as it was before. Her children-rain; snow; wind; and heat-have taken this chance to run wild. Now it snows during the summer. Now it’s scorching hot in the winter. Now leaves change colour in the spring. Now flowers start to bloom in the fall.
I don’t see the point of keeping the seasons anymore.
Just as the thought passed through my mind, a large gust of wind blew my beret off my head. I gasped, rapidly turning in the direction my hat was flying.
“Shit!”
My face hit the ground.
It’s cold.
It’s cold.
---
“Hey, wake up! Hey! Mister!”
A high-pitched voice rang in my head.
“Get up!”
“Shut up!” I growled. As I sat up, my eyes flew open. Bad idea. I was hit by a sudden wave of nausea and decided to lie back down.
Fuck.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Will you shut up?” I snarled. Angrier this time.
I eased my eyes open and saw a small, impish girl. She had thin, sharp eyes, slightly pointed ears, and a cute button nose. She wore nothing more than a loose black robe. I couldn’t fathom how she kept herself from shivering, exposed to the crisp winter air.
“S-Sorry, Mister.” She looked taken aback.
I sighed, regretting my earlier actions. “It’s fine.”
Almost instantaneously, a wide grin appeared on her face. “Really, Mister? That’s great!” She paused. “Oh, I almost forgot! My name is Anneliese. Nice to meet ya, Mister!”
Spring
It seemed Anneliese had taken a liking to me. Every morning, at exactly 8AM, she appeared on my doorstep with a basket in her hand-our breakfast. I’d been meaning to get her a key, so I wouldn’t have to make the run downstairs so often.
“Morning, Mister!”
“Good morning, Anneliese.” I glanced at the tablecloth peeking out of her woven basket. “Come in. What’s for breakfast today?”
“Toast and apricot jam!” she replied cheerfully, a smile eternally sewn onto her face.
“Delicious.”
---
After breakfast, she danced into my living room, where the enormous unfinished puzzle we were working on lived.
When she first started visiting me, she ran around the house all day, complaining about how I refused to play with her. I finally gave in and told her that I would buy her a game. The next day, we walked down to the village and into old Matthew’s Fun Haus.
“I’ll buy you anything you want, Anneliese.”
“Really, Mister? Anything?”
To be honest, I was expecting her to choose a doll, or perhaps even a toy train. She did, in fact, spend quite a bit of time admiring the porcelain dolls neatly lined up one beside another on a wooden shelf. Despite that, she eventually moved on, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
I ran in the general direction she appeared to be heading in and found her staring at a photograph, a sad look in her eyes. It was shocking, really. Such a beautiful, happy girl wearing such a painful expression.
“…Annaliese?”
She whirled around, gasping. I could see evidence of held-in tears trying to escape. “Oh! I’m sorry for running off, Mister.” She gently placed the photograph back into the box it came from.
“What’s that?”
“Mm? This? It’s…”
It was thousand-piece puzzle-a picture of a beautiful flower field, not very different from the one behind my house at the top of the hill.
“Do you want this, Annaliese?”
And the nod she gave was so slight, so quick, that it could have been missed if I blinked.
I smiled. “Alright. Let’s get this one.”
Summer
“Let’s go flower-picking today.”
The suggestion came out of the blue.
“What?”
“Let’s go flower-picking today.”
Recognizing the determined look in her eyes, I gave in.
“Alright.”
---
In the summer, the field behind my house transforms into a vibrant canvas of bright reds, yellows and oranges. Many years ago, well before I bought the house, the husband and wife living here decided to open up a flower shop. They planted their flowers in the small garden at the back. One day, however, the wife was carefully pushing seeds into the soil when a strong, unexpected gust of wind blew all the seeds out into the vast field behind their home.
The rumour goes on to say that the wife then heard the wind whisper to her. “Mother Nature’s gift should be shared not only with people, but her children as well.”
The couple continued running their small flower shop business, but they never once touched the flowers in the field behind them.
Annaliese ran into the field, dancing in the flowers before falling down-purposefully or not, I couldn’t tell. I ran to the place where she disappeared, taking care not to accidentally step on the child.
Her head poked up some distance away in the opposite direction, a bright yellow tulip wreath around her head.
“Aren’t they beautiful, Mister?”
Perhaps it was the way the light shone down on her. But, for a moment, she looked like an angel. Her black robe shimmered in the sunlight, accentuating her small figure.
I smiled.
“Yes, Annaliese. Yes, they are.”
Autumn
When Annaliese walked in, I instantly knew something was wrong. She refused to admit it, even though she was pale-paler than the white rays of sunlight that shone through the windows in the morning. Her smile was forced, her voice missing it’s usually spark.
“I’m fine, Mister. Please don’t worry about me.”
I didn’t want to push the subject.
And then she fainted.
---
“Her heart is failing.” The doctor said this with a troubled expression on his face. “Her time is running out.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
He sighed, hesitating before giving his answer. Even then, he chose his words carefully.
“She… is in need of a new heart.”
“I’ll give her mine.”
“What?”
“I’ll give her mine.”
I didn’t have any qualms about this.
“Are you su-”
“Yes. I’ll do it.”
“…Okay.”
---
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeep.
“Welcome to the Underworld. How’s your head?”
I eased my eyes open to see a small girl’s figure dressed in black garb standing above me.
“Annaliese?”
She cackled. “You’re a fool, Mister.”
Author: rin_no_himitsu (me!)
Genre: General, Friendship
Rating: K
Summary: Perhaps it was the way the light shone down on her, but, for a moment, she looked like an angel.
Prompt: Hearts
A/N: This is not romance. The relationship between the MC and Annaliese is completely platonic, similar to a father-daughter relationship.
Winter
I was walking up the old, mossy stone steps that led to my house. The small amount of snow that had gathered up the night before was long gone. This morning, the warm breeze melted the glittering substance into sparkling puddles of water, but the sudden change in temperature froze the ethereal liquid into shiny patches of ice. It was almost as if the entire village was transformed into one big skating rink.
This wasn’t uncommon around here. Back when I was a child, we used to have specific, very distinct weather during each season. Back when I was a child, everyone shuddered at the mention of winter-since it brought with it the cold, illnesses, and beautiful-yet troubling-snow.
But now… Now, Mother Nature has grown old and senile, and she can’t keep the year as organized as it was before. Her children-rain; snow; wind; and heat-have taken this chance to run wild. Now it snows during the summer. Now it’s scorching hot in the winter. Now leaves change colour in the spring. Now flowers start to bloom in the fall.
I don’t see the point of keeping the seasons anymore.
Just as the thought passed through my mind, a large gust of wind blew my beret off my head. I gasped, rapidly turning in the direction my hat was flying.
“Shit!”
My face hit the ground.
It’s cold.
It’s cold.
---
“Hey, wake up! Hey! Mister!”
A high-pitched voice rang in my head.
“Get up!”
“Shut up!” I growled. As I sat up, my eyes flew open. Bad idea. I was hit by a sudden wave of nausea and decided to lie back down.
Fuck.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Will you shut up?” I snarled. Angrier this time.
I eased my eyes open and saw a small, impish girl. She had thin, sharp eyes, slightly pointed ears, and a cute button nose. She wore nothing more than a loose black robe. I couldn’t fathom how she kept herself from shivering, exposed to the crisp winter air.
“S-Sorry, Mister.” She looked taken aback.
I sighed, regretting my earlier actions. “It’s fine.”
Almost instantaneously, a wide grin appeared on her face. “Really, Mister? That’s great!” She paused. “Oh, I almost forgot! My name is Anneliese. Nice to meet ya, Mister!”
Spring
It seemed Anneliese had taken a liking to me. Every morning, at exactly 8AM, she appeared on my doorstep with a basket in her hand-our breakfast. I’d been meaning to get her a key, so I wouldn’t have to make the run downstairs so often.
“Morning, Mister!”
“Good morning, Anneliese.” I glanced at the tablecloth peeking out of her woven basket. “Come in. What’s for breakfast today?”
“Toast and apricot jam!” she replied cheerfully, a smile eternally sewn onto her face.
“Delicious.”
---
After breakfast, she danced into my living room, where the enormous unfinished puzzle we were working on lived.
When she first started visiting me, she ran around the house all day, complaining about how I refused to play with her. I finally gave in and told her that I would buy her a game. The next day, we walked down to the village and into old Matthew’s Fun Haus.
“I’ll buy you anything you want, Anneliese.”
“Really, Mister? Anything?”
To be honest, I was expecting her to choose a doll, or perhaps even a toy train. She did, in fact, spend quite a bit of time admiring the porcelain dolls neatly lined up one beside another on a wooden shelf. Despite that, she eventually moved on, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
I ran in the general direction she appeared to be heading in and found her staring at a photograph, a sad look in her eyes. It was shocking, really. Such a beautiful, happy girl wearing such a painful expression.
“…Annaliese?”
She whirled around, gasping. I could see evidence of held-in tears trying to escape. “Oh! I’m sorry for running off, Mister.” She gently placed the photograph back into the box it came from.
“What’s that?”
“Mm? This? It’s…”
It was thousand-piece puzzle-a picture of a beautiful flower field, not very different from the one behind my house at the top of the hill.
“Do you want this, Annaliese?”
And the nod she gave was so slight, so quick, that it could have been missed if I blinked.
I smiled. “Alright. Let’s get this one.”
Summer
“Let’s go flower-picking today.”
The suggestion came out of the blue.
“What?”
“Let’s go flower-picking today.”
Recognizing the determined look in her eyes, I gave in.
“Alright.”
---
In the summer, the field behind my house transforms into a vibrant canvas of bright reds, yellows and oranges. Many years ago, well before I bought the house, the husband and wife living here decided to open up a flower shop. They planted their flowers in the small garden at the back. One day, however, the wife was carefully pushing seeds into the soil when a strong, unexpected gust of wind blew all the seeds out into the vast field behind their home.
The rumour goes on to say that the wife then heard the wind whisper to her. “Mother Nature’s gift should be shared not only with people, but her children as well.”
The couple continued running their small flower shop business, but they never once touched the flowers in the field behind them.
Annaliese ran into the field, dancing in the flowers before falling down-purposefully or not, I couldn’t tell. I ran to the place where she disappeared, taking care not to accidentally step on the child.
Her head poked up some distance away in the opposite direction, a bright yellow tulip wreath around her head.
“Aren’t they beautiful, Mister?”
Perhaps it was the way the light shone down on her. But, for a moment, she looked like an angel. Her black robe shimmered in the sunlight, accentuating her small figure.
I smiled.
“Yes, Annaliese. Yes, they are.”
Autumn
When Annaliese walked in, I instantly knew something was wrong. She refused to admit it, even though she was pale-paler than the white rays of sunlight that shone through the windows in the morning. Her smile was forced, her voice missing it’s usually spark.
“I’m fine, Mister. Please don’t worry about me.”
I didn’t want to push the subject.
And then she fainted.
---
“Her heart is failing.” The doctor said this with a troubled expression on his face. “Her time is running out.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
He sighed, hesitating before giving his answer. Even then, he chose his words carefully.
“She… is in need of a new heart.”
“I’ll give her mine.”
“What?”
“I’ll give her mine.”
I didn’t have any qualms about this.
“Are you su-”
“Yes. I’ll do it.”
“…Okay.”
---
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeep.
“Welcome to the Underworld. How’s your head?”
I eased my eyes open to see a small girl’s figure dressed in black garb standing above me.
“Annaliese?”
She cackled. “You’re a fool, Mister.”