Hope

Tiny Light by Evil Witch

"I... sorry... I'm... sorry"

"Please... don't go..."

"Don't leave me..."

"Sofie... Sofie."

"Kay...?" Sleep clung onto her, chaining her limbs and bogging her mind. Sluggishly, she lifted a hand to rub her eyes. She felt herself going slack again as the beckoning of sleep reclaimed for her.

"Your tea will get cold." The voice made her jolt once more, correcting her from her slumped position on the chair. She blinked rapidly in an effort to bring awareness back into herself. Lifting her gaze, she stared into those amber eyes of the man lingering in front of her with his arms outstretched and gently clutching to her shoulders. He took a step back of relief once he was sure she would not drift off again.

"Right..." Her eyes followed Kay as he took his seat across from her, before ducking down towards the table. That's right, we were having afternoon tea. Settling herself on her chair, she looked at the spread of pastries and cakes before her, and something churned in her stomach.

"Are you alright?" having forgotten her companion, she got startled again.

"I... I'm fine." Trying to reassure him, she forced a smile. It didn't come out quite right though. Hunching her back in an attempt to lift her teacup, her violently trembling hands made the tea sloshed around and almost spilling on her dress. Slowly, she placed the teacup back down. Still hunching into herself, her hand grasped the skirt of her dress. "It's nothing. Just... I think I had a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?" just hearing Kay's ever comforting voice made her at ease already. There was never any judgement from him, just acceptance. A present pillar of constant support for her.

"No. No, it's alright. I don't remember it anymore. It's just a lingering feeling, I guess." Her turbulent mind relaxed ever so slightly by the mere presence of the man before her. A small smile appeared on her face, a genuine one this time. "So, how was your trip to the city?"

They talked under the beautiful sky. A light breeze coming and going, the soft rustling of the plants around them. Slowly, ever so slowly, in hearth and home, the unease and dread dissipated from Sofie's mind.

－－－

Sofie remembered her first meeting with Kay quite well. The vivid memory remained as pristine as it can be from the eyes of a five-year old. On a sunny weekend, a day out with her parents to the farmers' market.

It always draws the crowds, whether it was the locals looking to sell and trade or the city folks venturing out for fresh produce. Her parents were talking to one of the vendors when her father's hold gradually loosened on her. So, little Sofie, with all her curiosity, wandered off.

Into the crowd of beings that were and were not seen Sofie went. The alluring smell of food, the loud chattering of people, and the occasional odd figures going by unseen by others. She stopped and watched as a tall, fluffy orange thing crouched down and grabbed a jar of honey from a booth. Popping the lid open, it drank the sweet nectar. As it smacked its lips, Sofie was able to see its large pink tongue. A few feet away were some tiny blue ones, jumping around the sandwich seller's booth. They grabbed a few things before dashing off.

They weren't the only ones there though. Amongst the crowd, scattered sporadically, were legless floating people, floating around some humans. Those ones stick close to their human companions despite couldn't be seen by normal eyes.

Captured by the scenery that only she could see, little Sofie absentmindedly walked on, head swivelling this way and that, straying further from her parents. And then, she had bumped onto a man, so humanlike in his attire of a coat and a hat. When she stumbled a bit more into the crowd, she looked up as a flash of panic surged through her. Her hand was outstretched expecting one of her parents to be nearby but it only flailed in the air. She didn't know where she was nor did she know where she came from. Surrounded by unfamiliar sights from the eyes of a child in a sea of legs.