Grandfather Ferman
Grandfather Ferman. A long hallway stretched out just around the corner. If we took only a few steps back, the absolute disaster of a corridor would come into view, but we chose to ignore that reality and kept walking. Rain swung her legs excitedly while riding on top of Chuchu.
"Chuchu, you've gotten so big!"
"Woof!"
Chuchu barked in reply, as if carrying Rain was no trouble at all. His shaggy white fur covered his face, making it impossible to read his expression.
"By the way, where are we?" I asked Rain, looking around. Since she was more familiar with this place than Shine and me, I asked on the off chance she might know.
At my question, Rain looked around and answered, "Probably..."
"Probably?" Rain's expression began to darken. She watched my reaction, her mouth twitching nervously.
"Wait, you don't know either, do you?"
"No, I do!" Rain protested loudly when Shine quietly chimed in from the side.
Chuchu's long tail shot up into the air, wagging furiously. "Woof!" Carrying Rain, Chuchu leaped ahead of us and shook his body in all directions. Thanks to that, Rain was thrown wildly side to side. She desperately clung to Chuchu's neck to keep from falling off.
"Do you know the way, Chuchu?" I asked, just in case. Honestly, Chuchu seemed far more reliable than Rain. Seeing how he had been reacting to our conversation, he seemed to understand human speech to some extent.
"Woof!" Chuchu barked in response.
"Wow, really?"
"Woof!"
"Then could you take us to Amy or Uncle Ferman?" If I pressed the bear-paw button in my pocket, Amy would come find us in an instant. But calling her after causing such a massive disaster was basically begging her to spank my butt.
"Woof!" Chuchu barked, trotting ahead to lead the way. His massive paws moved with surprising grace. Light and fluffy, his shaggy white fur danced with every step.
After following Chuchu for quite some time, we began to climb a flight of stairs. The staircase was incredibly wide. On the way up, a massive portrait of Uncle Ferman hung on the wall. Next to it was what looked like a portrait of Amy as a child. As I stared at the painting with interest, Chuchu plopped his fluffy butt down right next to it.
"Is this Amy?" I asked Chuchu, pointing at the painting.
"Woof!" Chuchu barked.
The framed portrait depicted a pretty girl with long, flowing pink hair. She held a small teddy bear in one hand, but her face was puckered in a deeply disgruntled pout.
"So Amy actually had a childhood too."
"Back then, I was taller than Amy," Rain muttered, staring at the portrait as if reminiscing about the old days.
I kept my mouth shut. Looking at the portrait, Amy's height back then didn't seem all that different from Rain's height right now.
I scanned the walls for other paintings. If portraits of Ferman and Amy were hanging here, surely there should be one of Amy's mother as well. Yet, no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find a single portrait that might depict her mother.
"Woof!" Chuchu, who had been sitting patiently, suddenly barked and scrambled to his feet, snapping me out of my thoughts. We resumed our march, reaching the top of the stairs and entering yet another hallway.
"Ah, I recognize this place." After walking for a bit longer, we arrived at a familiar corridor. This was the hallway leading to Ferman's Office.
"Woof, woof!" Chuchu barked loudly and bolted forward. Riding on his back, Rain was violently tossed from side to side.
"Aaaah!" Rain shrieked, clinging to Chuchu's neck for dear life.
Chuchu skidded to a halt right in front of the door to Ferman's Office. Several staff members passing by waved and greeted the giant dog warmly, and Chuchu wagged his tail in return. Shine and I quickly caught up to him.
Chuchu raised a massive front paw and began scratching at the office door. *Scritch, scratch, scritch.* His claws left faint marks on the wood. Seeing him beg to be let in, I quickly stepped up to the door and leaped with all my might.
With a light hop, I launched myself into the air. Stretching my arm as far as it would go, I grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. With a satisfying *click*, the knob turned, and the heavy door slowly swung inward.
At the same time, gravity pulled me back down. As I descended, the hem of my dress fluttered upward. Startled, I hastily slapped my hands down to hold the fabric in place. Ugh, I will never get used to wearing dresses. The moment we got back, I was definitely changing into my dinosaur pajamas.
"Woof!" Chuchu squeezed through the opening and bolted inside, dragging Rain along with him.
"Chuchu?" Ferman's voice echoed from within. I cautiously stepped inside.
"Rain?"
Chuchu was running circles around Ferman, his tail spinning like a propeller. White fur and golden hair fluttered wildly in the air. Ferman had clearly been in the middle of working; his desk was buried under a mountain of paperwork.
"Oh, Jeff, Shine. You two came as well." Ferman looked up from the chaotic duo of Rain and Chuchu, his gaze landing on us. The slightly stressed look on his face melted away in an instant, replaced by a warm smile and eyes crinkled with affection. His voice was thick with delight.
"Hello, sir." Since this was our first time seeing him today, it was only polite to greet him properly. I bowed my head respectfully. Ferman chuckled warmly at the sight and nodded.
"Hello," Shine greeted him as well. However, she didn't bother bowing. Ferman didn't seem to mind at all, merely letting out another soft chuckle.
"Well now, what brings you girls here?" His transition was so seamless it was hard to believe he had been buried in work just a second ago. Ferman set down his pen and stood up, walking toward the sofa in the center of the room. At a simple flick of his wrist, the standby staff sprang into action. The coffee table was wiped to a sparkling shine, and in the blink of an eye, it was laden with hot black tea and a spread of my favorite sweet treats.
I swallowed hard as I approached the sofa. *Gulp.* The saliva sliding down my throat practically tasted like sugar. But I couldn't eat them now. I had dinner coming up, so snacking was strictly forbidden. Keeping a wary eye on Ferman, I snatched up handfuls of chocolates and stuffed them into my bag instead.
"I have to eat dinner soon, so I can't have any right now. Amy said absolutely no sweets before meals."
"Ah, now that you mention it, it is about that time." By the time my dinosaur backpack's belly was stuffed plump with chocolates, I peeked up at Ferman and asked,
"Are we interrupting your work, sir?"
"No, not at all! Interrupting? Nonsense. You are welcome here anytime." Ferman shook his head vigorously, answering without a moment's hesitation. I gave a small nod.
Rain finally slid off Chuchu's back and plopped down next to me, looking a little motion-sick.
"Chuchu has gotten really big."
"He certainly has. I had no idea he would grow to this size when he was a pup," Ferman replied, gesturing to the dog. Chuchu, who had been trotting in circles around us, immediately trotted over to Ferman's side and sat down.
I watched the two of them for a moment before speaking up hesitantly. "Um, Lord Ferman?"
"I would prefer it if you dropped the formal titles."
"Huh?"
"It makes me feel so distant from you. I want you to address me more comfortably." At Ferman's request to change how I addressed him, I fidgeted, my mouth twitching as I tried to think of what to say.
"What do you want us to call you then?" Shine, sitting right next to me, asked bluntly.
Ferman's gaze shifted from me to Shine. His eyes trembled slightly as he opened his mouth. He mumbled something, his lips moving so faintly that the words were barely audible.
Shine frowned at his hesitation. "I couldn't hear you. Speak up."
"Grandfather... I would love it if you called me Grandfather Ferman," Ferman managed to squeeze out, letting out a small sigh. His eyes shone with a faint, hopeful expectation.
Shine tilted her head, looking skeptical. "Do you really want us to call you that?"
Ferman's gaze shifted to me. He gave a tentative, hopeful nod.
Personally, I found it hard to wrap my head around it. Ferman didn't look nearly old enough to be called "grandfather." His silver-gray hair was neatly slicked back, and he possessed a sharp, commanding presence. Though that sharpness melted into pure gentleness whenever he looked at us, it was hard to forget the intimidating first impression he had made. He looked far too young to be a grandfather. He didn't even have a beard.
"I think it would be wonderful," Ferman replied with a nod.
"Okay. Grandfather Ferman," Shine agreed, accepting the proposal with surprising ease.
Ferman's eyes widened, trembling with emotion at Shine's words. He hastily grabbed his cup of hot black tea, gulping it down in one go to steady his breathing. Then, his gaze slowly drifted toward me. His eyes were practically sparkling with anticipation.
I clutched my dinosaur backpack tightly against my chest and hesitantly opened my mouth. "Grandfather Ferman..."
When I thought of "old people" from my past life, the only memories that came to mind were of ragged, wheezing elderly men collapsed in the dark alleys of the slums. This was a completely foreign sensation. I rolled the word grandfather around in my mouth, testing its unfamiliar weight.
Ferman raised a hand to cover his mouth, his shoulders shaking as he struggled to suppress a massive grin. I tilted my head, watching him look so incredibly overjoyed.
"Could you... say that just one more time?" Ferman asked, finally catching his breath after his shoulders stopped shaking. It wasn't a difficult request. I nodded and obliged. "Grandfather Ferman."
Ferman nodded with immense satisfaction, looking like he was on cloud nine. Seeing him in such high spirits, the image of the ruined hallway flashed through my mind. Wait. If he's this happy, maybe he'll forgive us for completely wrecking the corridor?
After debating it for a moment, I reached out and squeezed Rain's hand. She flinched, startled by the sudden contact. Stay still, Rain, I pleaded with my eyes, taking a deep breath.
With my other hand, I grabbed Shine's hand. Holding onto both of them, the nervous trembling in my chest finally subsided. Instead, I could feel the frantic, rapid thumping of Rain's heartbeat.
"Um, Grandfather?"
"Yes, yes, Jeff! I am indeed your grandfather."
"I have a small favor to ask..."
"A favor? What is it, my dear? Just say the word, and it shall be done." Ferman looked ready to grant my every whim, no matter how absurd. Gaining confidence from his doting expression, I opened my mouth.
"Well, the hallway is..."
*SLAM!*
Just as I was about to carefully explain, a deafening crash echoed through the room. I clamped my mouth shut, startled. I whipped my head toward the source of the noise, only to freeze. Standing in the doorway with a thunderous, furious expression was Amy.
A cold sweat broke out across my forehead. Beside me, Rain and Shine also began to tremble like leaves.
"Jeff!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
"Shine!"
"Yes!"
"Rain!"
"H-Here!"
Amy barked our names one by one. The moment she called us, our bodies flinched in unison, and our responses slipped out automatically.
"Oh, Amy, welcome. Now, Jeff, what was that favor? What about the hallway?" Ferman waved casually to Amy before turning his attention back to me. But with Amy standing right there, there was no way in hell I could answer him.
Wearing a terrifyingly furious expression, Amy stomped toward us. Step by step, she drew closer until she stood right over the sofa, casting a massive, ominous shadow over the three of us.
*Whack!* The moment Amy's hand moved, a sharp, hollow sound echoed from the top of Rain's head. Rain instantly collapsed onto the sofa.
"Rain?!" I gasped, but she didn't even twitch. Immediately after, Amy raised her hand once more. Flinching in anticipation of the incoming blow, I quickly covered my head. Shine instantly mirrored my posture, shielding her head as well.
But no matter how long we waited, Amy's legendary nuclear noogie never landed. Confused, I peeked out from between my arms. Amy had turned away from us and was glaring at Ferman.
"Dad!"
"Amy."
"You stay out of this, Dad."
"I'm afraid I cannot do that."
A thick vein throbbed on Amy's forehead at Ferman's calm reply. It seemed a silent battle was brewing between the two.
Seizing the distraction, I scooped up the unconscious Rain in my arms and quietly slipped off the sofa. Shine followed right behind me. Shuffling on trembling legs, we crawled under Ferman's massive desk. Chuchu was already there, curled up into a giant, fluffy ball of white fur.