An Invitation to the Forest
Ever since the massive hole appeared in the forest, our daily routine had undergone a drastic change. The biggest issue was that our training hours were completely empty. Both Victor and Amy were too busy dealing with the aftermath to spend any time with Shine and me. Rain played with us occasionally, but even that was only for a brief moment. Shine and I were dying of boredom.
From time to time, I would slip out of the office and wander the empty hallways. The convenience store with its lights turned off, the cafeteria, the lounge... Even the park where Jin kept his beloved rabbits had vanished entirely. I sat on the stairs and looked up. Now, I finally understood why Jin had installed that elevator. The upper floor of the staircase—a place I had never visited—was completely collapsed. It was no longer possible to go up or down using the stairs.
"Jeff."
"Yeah?"
It wasn't that there were absolutely no people around. But their numbers had dwindled so drastically compared to before that the emptiness felt overwhelming.
"Let's go back."
I stood at the edge of the stairs, staring at the collapsed section for a long time. A faint scent wafted from it, carrying a strangely familiar aroma.
"Okay."
I didn't resist Shine's gentle tug on my arm and turned around. As the two of us headed down the stairs, I spotted a strangely familiar brown-skinned figure at the bottom. It was Allen, the small boy with his long black hair woven into a braid.
Allen was waddling up the stairs, cradling a massive box in his arms. The path he was heading toward was blocked by piles of collapsed staircase debris, making it impossible to climb any further. Why was he heading up here?
I stood in silence, watching him for a while. Eventually, Allen's gaze shifted toward Shine and me. A welcoming smile spread across his face as he set the box down on the floor.
"Jeff! Shine!"
As always, Allen's smile was refreshing, like a breeze blowing through the forest. Yet, his sparkling golden eyes held no discernible emotion.
"Hello," I greeted him.
Shine, still harboring her dislike for Allen, didn't say a word. She merely stared at him in silence.
"What are you guys doing?" Allen asked.
But I was the one who wanted to ask that. What was he doing? And what was inside that box he was carrying?
"Just... looking around because we're bored."
"Bored?"
"Yes."
At my reply, Allen sat on the large box and let out a soft chuckle. His light, airy laughter seemed to summon a gentle forest breeze.
"Then why don't you visit my forest?"
"Your forest?"
"Yeah. The one on the very top floor if you take the elevator."
Allen pointed toward the ceiling as he answered.
"I think it'll be a lot more fun than staying down here, at least."
I nodded at his words. I felt the same way. Rather than staying cooped up in this suffocating place, going out to play in the forest sounded much more exciting.
But Shine seemed to have other ideas. She grabbed my hand and began pulling me down the stairs. Pretending to be dragged against my will, I followed her down. Step by step, we descended, passing by Allen. He kept smiling at me until the very end.
"Um, what's in that box?"
Before we got too far from him, I held Shine's hand to stop her and called out to Allen. He patted the box he was sitting on.
"Jin asked me to clear that stuff out of the way. These are the friends I need for the job."
Allen pointed to the debris of the collapsed staircase behind him. My curiosity was piqued. How exactly was he planning to clear all that away? I gave Shine a look, silently pleading that I wanted to watch.
Meeting my eyes, Shine hesitated for a long moment before giving a small nod. However, she wrapped her arms tightly around me, as if warning me not to get too close. I let out an awkward chuckle at her overprotectiveness.
"Want to watch?"
"Yes."
Allen nodded at my response and stood up. Cradling the massive box in his arms once more, he headed further up. He stopped right in front of the collapsed section of the stairs, where the ceiling was no longer visible, set the box down, and opened the lid. The moment it opened, the rich scent of the forest filled the air. A powerful, refreshing fragrance washed over us. I stared blankly at the scene.
Allen pulled a small twig from the box and extended it forward. At the same time, a golden aura slowly began to flow from his body. The twig started to grow. Slowly, so very slowly. Leaves sprouted in abundance, and the branch grew thicker and sturdier. It stretched outward—no, it was no longer a mere twig.
The tree surged forward, boring into the debris of the collapsed staircase. Starting from tiny twigs, the branches that penetrated the rubble began to swell in size. It was then that the golden aura flowing from Allen's body flared even brighter.
*Rumble—*
A low vibration shook the entire building. I watched the staircase debris with an anxious gaze. The massive branches began to push aside all the rubble blocking their path. As if filling the newly cleared space, the wood grew and shaped itself into a new set of stairs.
The tree, which had been steadily pushing away the collapsed rubble, suddenly came to a halt. A flurry of leaves fluttered down on a gentle breeze.
"That's enough for today."
With those words, Allen drove the twig he was holding into the ground. Instantly, the trees supporting the surrounding structure squirmed in unison, hardening into a solid, sturdy frame.
"So, how about it? Want to come play in the forest?" Allen turned around and asked us.
"Amy will scold us," I replied, heading back down the stairs with Shine.
"Shine, do you dislike Allen?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I just do."
I shut my mouth at Shine's response. If she just disliked him, what could I do? Sometimes you just dislike things for no reason. I, too, occasionally disliked the politicians on TV for no particular reason.
When Shine and I returned to the office, Amy and Victor were nowhere to be found. Only Rain was left behind, taking a nap on the sofa under a cozy blanket. I walked over to Rain and poked her cheek.
"Rain. Rain."
Rain slept with a peaceful expression. As I kept poking her cheek, her face scrunched up. She mumbled something and covered her cheek with her hand.
"Rain."
*Poke, poke.*
This time, I poked her other cheek. The soft, squishy texture of her cheek yielding to my finger felt incredibly satisfying. Rain covered that cheek with her other hand. Now she was sleeping with both palms cupping her face.
This time, I pressed down on her lips. Her red lips, even softer than her cheeks, squished under my finger. It was then that Rain, still frowning, suddenly popped her mouth wide open and bit down on my finger.
It happened so suddenly that I couldn't even process it. I just stood there with my mouth agape as Rain's tongue began to taste my finger, licking it this way and that. Hearing her make wet, smacking noises, she was probably eating candy in her dream.
"Jeff?"
While I was frozen in place, Shine walked over and called my name. Startled, I yanked my finger out of Rain's mouth. She had been sucking on it so hard that the moment it popped free, it made a loud *schloop!* sound, leaving a long trail of saliva. I quickly wiped the sticky spit off on my clothes.
"I think Rain is asleep."
At my words, Shine approached Rain. Rain was stroking her own cheeks with a blissful smile. Cupping the finger Rain had just sucked on, I secretly sniffed it when Shine wasn't looking. It smelled strongly of bubblegum. She must have been chewing bubblegum before she fell asleep.
Shine began trying to wake Rain up. Leaving the two of them behind, I headed over to Rain's desk. My goal was to find the bubblegum she had been chewing. Sitting on her desk was her floppy yellow chick bag. I shoved my hand right into the chick's mouth and rummaged around inside.
Candies, chocolates, jellies... and some mysterious wrappers brushed against my fingers. Rain's bag was packed with nothing but sweets. The wrappers belonged to the bubblegum. I pulled out an unopened piece of bubblegum, popped it into my mouth, zipped her bag back up, and placed it neatly on one side of her desk. Right next to it, Shine's and my dinosaur backpacks sat leaning back-to-back.
"Yikes!"
With a short shriek, Rain bolted upright on the sofa. Shine was staring at her own glistening finger with a look of pure disgust. It seemed Rain had sucked on Shine's finger like candy too. Shine pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her finger clean. Rain, still half-asleep, was frantically rubbing her own cheeks.
"Rain."
I walked over and sat down next to her. The plush sofa was still warm from where she had been lying.
"Jeff... Shine... When did you guys get back?"
"Just now. But where did Victor and Amy go?"
"Mmm... They said they were going to see Jin for a bit."
Rain rubbed her eyes as she answered. Since Shine and I hadn't been gone for very long, Victor and Amy must have left shortly after we slipped out of the office. Which meant Rain had chosen to take a nap in that incredibly brief window of time.
Rain neatly folded the blanket she had been using and cradled it in her arms.
"Rain."
"Yeah?"
"Should we go play in the forest?"
"The forest?"
I nodded in response to her question. Earlier, since it was just Shine and me, I hadn't followed Allen to the forest. But if Rain—an adult—was with us, Amy would surely let us go.
"Hmm... Sh-should we?"
Perhaps she was bored too, because Rain's eyes sparkled with interest. Seeing her reaction, I immediately began packing my bag.
A sketchbook, crayons, colored pencils, and a small notebook. And even the bear-paw-shaped safety button Amy had given me a while back. My preparations were perfect.
"It's just the three of us going, right?"
Shine asked, watching me pack. I nodded and slung the backpack over my shoulders.
"Then I'm in."
Shine and Rain began packing their bags at the same time. Rain packed a mountain of snacks, while Shine "borrowed" Victor's drinks from the fridge and stuffed them into her bag. The carbonated drinks, featuring a large 'M' logo on a white background, were Victor's absolute favorite.
I walked over to the whiteboard hanging on the office wall and left a large message.
Going to the forest.
—Jeff—
This would surely keep Amy from worrying. Having left the note, I immediately slipped out of the office.