Golden axe, silver axe (2)

The lake was medium-sized on a piece of 3 acres land. Only one-third of the area was water body and big enough for waters sports, the state government built another area with playgrounds, gardens and open space.

Plenty of activities held at every hour and gathered a lot of tourists. The locals grabbed the opportunity to operate stalls and selling wares to the tourists.

Planning to record the activities of visitors early in the morning, Matt gazed around the place and started from the hawker's stalls. Only 5 strides taken when Matt saw the grandpa with an enormous bag knocked over about 15 feet from where he was standing. This was the same grandpa rode on the bus with Matt.

"Excuse me, I am Matt, how are you doing?" Matt hurriedly ran to help the poor grandpa, he picked the grandpa's hat and supported him by the arm.

Strangely enough, the grandpa just gasped and blushed. He didn't answer Matt's query.

"Are you okay Sir? do you need to go to the hospital?" asked Matt.

The old man answers with a small voice and still blushing. "Thank you young man, but I am fine no need for any doctor. Just a minor trouble since the bag is so heavy."

After aiding the old man to stand up, Matt grabbed the bag handle and pulled it in front of the old man. "Just tell me where you want it to be, I will bring it for you."

The old man patted his clothes a few times before walking in tow with Matt.

"What a strange old man," thought Matt. Somehow, the old man silence and blushed complexion leave some impression to Matt.

The old man asked Matt to stop at the hawker's stall area. Under a canopy tree, Matt helped the poor old man display his wares on a sheet of worn-out canvas. He learned the old man's name was John. A common name, with a common enough face, Matt was not sure he could recognize John if met again later anywhere else. After John insisted that he was fine and had no injuries, Matt pulled out his smartphone and start recording his vlogs content.

When he finished a clip of hawker's stall area activities in the morning, Matt moved to an exercise flat ground where some old folks make groups of the dancing circle and another group of tai chi moves.

Arrived at a small bridge over a small stream of water, an old granny jogged past him. Suddenly, a bike came so fast from behind her and frightened the granny and she lost her footing and balance on the bridge. Matt stretched his hand and reached for the granny to help her regained her balance. However, at that moment the granny's flailing arms knocked Matt's smartphone, and it plunged into the water underneath them with a loud 'plop' sound. Matt only saw the smartphone pushed away by the water flows into the lake and vanished from his sights.

After he escorted the grandma off the bridge and made sure no injuries on her, Matt left her by the jogging path and walked to the lake edges. He stared at the water flows for a moment before lamenting at his misfortune.

"There're goes my vlogs content. Straight down the lake." a wry laugh escaped from his lips.

"I can get back the data from cloud storage at least, but how to break the news to Jack and Josh? I lost their prototype phone and the usage data logs for this month," this time a sigh escaped his mouth.

The old granny stood still where Matt left her just now. Her sights focused on the forlorn back of the adolescent man who lost his phone while tried to help her. She trudged toward the boy.

"Boy, thanks again for your help. I am sorry for the smartphone you lost." Her hand reach for the boy's back and rub to console him. "Maybe I can help you buy a substitute from smartphone stores nearby".

Matt shook his head slowly and thank the grandma for the offer. He told her about his brothers' work and what they asked him to do. Aware of the boy dilemmas, she gently pulls Matt to a nearby bench and told him a story about "The honest woodcutter" [1], the Golden axe, silver axe and iron axe. With nothing to do since he lost his smartphone, Matt listens to the granny tale. It was told with full of feelings, and lively hands gesture. Matt somehow enjoyed the stories and reminded him of his late grandmother's stories when he was little.

Without Matt realised the lake's jogging track now deserted since it was almost noon. Most of the stall's owner at the hawker's areas also gone for lunch before continuing their activities in the evening. Only the few food stalls are still filled with people having lunch.

Before parting with the granny, he asked, "Would Hermes really come and help retrieve my smartphone from the lake,". The granny reached for his hand and patted it gently.

"Maybe if you asked sincerely."

She then lets go of his hand, and with a gentle smile walked away.

Matt was only 13, he still believes in Santa last December. The kind and helpful boy as he was, there was no way his thought have any ill intentions or deceit. Under his breath, he muttered, "Oh God of travel, the fast and mighty Hermes, please lend your might and help this mortal retrieve my smartphone from the lake".

Suddenly, the lake water became still. Everything frozen, not even a bird or insect sound could be heard by Matt. He saw falling leaves stops on the air, and time itself stood still. Yet he failed to realize that another pair of eyes looking at him from less than a kilometre away with interest.

Then came strong gales from the Southeast, but still no ripples on the lake surfaces. The winds also ignored the stationary leaves. Only Matt's clothes and hairs fluttered in the wind. Joyful laughter heard from somewhere and the laughter sounds so manly but playful at the same time.

Matt turned his head to the source of the sound, but to his surprise he saw the gentle grandma dived into the lake head first! The laughter sound also stops as the grandma disappeared under the lake water surface.

Flabbergasted, Matt's lower jaw hanged loose and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. His knees felt rubbery, and he felt on his bottom near the lake edges.

From the lake, a man with blonde hair rose gradually. With white feathers like tunic about knees length, a leather sling bag, and winged sandals, He resembles Olympians drawings of the Hermes. the man floated a few inches above the lake and stretched out his hand towards Matt.

"Is this your lost ax... ahem, is this your silver phone?" he asked.