Chapter 2 : The Man and the Dreamer (2)

After they finish their lunch, she look around and follow her master around like a lost puppy. Her master walk into a room, the room have a very strong smells of herbs and medicines. There are cabinets with lots of description on it, and a messy table full with herbs and bottles. On one side of the room, there's a small lounge chair and a bookcase full of books, a table next to it and a teapot. One thing she can conclude from the house interior is that- his master love drinking tea. There's teapot everywhere and they looks expensive.

She stare at her master who is now busy sorting out all kind of herbs in front of him, looking so lost in his own world of medicines. She sit quietly until she got bored, then she walk out from the room, wander around inside the house and went outside.

The house is a quite small house. There are one medicine room, one bedroom, one store room, a kitchen and a living room. The house is pretty simple, quite dusty and messy with no trace of feminine touch.

'Master said he's married, but there's no women stuff inside this house.'

In front of the house, there's a pear tree standing proudly. On the left and right side, there's a rows of herbs. At the back of the house, there's a hot spring, a well and bathroom. She looks further away and realize, the house are located on a peak of a mountain! She saw clouds beneath her feet, and dense forest surrounding her.

'No wonder master is so angry when he complain about how he have to carry her back.'

She sit there for an hour, staring at the clouds and the cranes, feeling the wind softly blowing her face. What a beautiful dream.

She walk to the pear tree, and start climbing the tree. Sitting at the branch, eating a pear or two.

'This is the best pear I ever eat, and it taste so real, much better than those expensive imported pear.'

Suddenly, she saw a worm coming out from the pear in her hand, followed by a loud cry that strong enough to shook the entire peak as she start throwing up from up the tree. Her hand slipped, and she fall down from the tree, her face covered with her own vomit on the ground. Her master, who was shocked by the loud shriek, run out as fast as possible, until he saw that ugly thing lying on the ground. Her messy hair looks like a bird nest, there's mud and vomit on her face – There's only one thing to describe this child – DISASTER. NOT CUTE AT ALL!

"…."

'I wonder if the wolf is looking for adoptive daughter.. This child is a disgrace to my clan', he walk back inside as if he never see anything.

She walk to the well and start cleaning herself. The pain from falling down the tree feels so real, as if this is not a dream.

The poor girl still think that she's inside a dream.

"Instead of wasting my rice and my medicines, you better take the bucket and water and the herbs around the house", her master fill the bucket with water and lead her to his herbs garden as he start talking about herbs and a bunch of name she can't remember.

"From now on, this will be your responsibility. Water the herbs every day and remember their name and properties one by one. I will teach you everything I know as your responsible master."

"Its okay master, I trust you. You don't have to waste your time to teach me, master."

"….no dinner for you."

"Your hand must be tired, master. Let me water them instead. Please take a good rest."

'Hypocrite. Two faced. She's only a child and she's this annoying. I shall throw her at the foot of the mountain tonight.'

After dinner, he throw a quilt to her and tell her to sleep on the lounge chair instead.

"When we have time, we will clean the store room so you can use it as your bedroom. Now get off from my bed and sleep outside!"

***

That night, she have a dream.

She was walking out from a convenience store, holding an ice cream after a long day at work. She was planning what to cook with the groceries left in her fridge. She took a long walk by the riverside, the beautiful lights illuminate the river – couples strolling by the river holding hands, friends laughing all the way, old people taking a walk – she sit down quietly by the bench, eating her ice cream. There's no rush to go home, anyway.

A message popped out from her phone screen, it's a notification message from her group chat. Her school mate is getting married next month! Ahh… what a joyous event. She can't help but envy her friend. Everyone around her is getting into relationship, getting married, having child and starting family of their own, and here she is – eating ice cream alone. None of her past relationship with men ever work out well, and as she got too busy with works, she start giving up the idea of relationship and focused on her career instead. She let out a big sigh, went back to the convenience store and buy few can of beers, drinking as she walk home.

As she walk pass by the alley nearby her apartment, a dog suddenly appear behind her and start chasing her out of nowhere. She panic and start running towards the big street. The next thing she saw, is a light so bright that its almost blinding her, followed by a loud screech of tires. Shocked, she closed her eyes praying for her own life.

The next scene was a funeral, she saw her family member and friends gathering around and crying around her body. She stood there watching her own body inside a coffin. Floods of emotions start rushing inside her head, tears flows like a broken dam.

'Am I dead? What kind of dream is this? I can't be dead, right?' Everything was just too real, too painful, and she can't find any logical explanation to what she's feeling right now.

She stood there, not knowing what to do, waiting for her nightmare to end.

Suddenly, everything turns black.

The next thing she know, she was back to that child body. Her body shivering, her eyes swelling with tears, and her master kneeling beside her.

"shhhh …its just a bad dream. Its just a bad dream..stop crying, okay?" He kneel beside her, coaxing her till she fall back to sleep.