Wishmaker Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Read chapter 14 of Wishmaker by Larch on NovelPedia.

On a steep cliff's edge stood a rock; it was a nice rock. It was a round rock, pretty solid and spacious considering how old it looked. On it sat the boy, quietly eating an apple he took from a fruit bowl back at the cabin. He bit into the red skin, tasting the sour flesh before making a face and throwing it away down the cliff, watching the apple turn into a small red dot that disappeared within the tree tops. Seeing this, he sighed and went back to enjoying the scenery cross-legged, humming a song he remembered. Did I really get lost? He asked as if he didn't know the answer already, turning his head to see nothing but forest covering his tracks, with the path he followed long gone. Just hours ago, he was walking alongside the created path, carefully following it so as not to get lost in the forest since he knew there were wild animals inhabiting it, thanks to his previous encounter. And yet, he got lost. And on a cliff at that, the very thing that got him to almost die in the first place, thankfully not the one he actually fell from. I'm still curious, though, what was that floating thing? He mused under his nose, trying to remember its blinking form. Was it... A Firefly? *** Damn, it reeks. Valentine grimaced, holding his nose while looking around at the wet, dark-green bushes that reeked of rotten flowers and wet mint. It has been just around an hour since he left the cabin's premises, already losing his mind from the lack of human contact. He kept looking over his shoulder at the faintest of the sounds, realising it had been only a bird dropping sticks or a cricket waking up. The forest of tall trees didn't look as if it would end any time soon, with the distant path being a dark, foggy passage he had been following due to a hunch that grew in his chest. Now that I'm not as injured, my pace is considerably faster, already passing my fifth kilometer from the looks of it. And yet he kept glancing back, thinking the cabin would appear behind his shoulder at any moment. Snap! "Gah!" He swung his fist at the air beside him, closing his eyes. Then, from below, a sound of chattering teeth made his eyes slowly creep open. "A-a squirrel?" Startled by his voice, the small rodent darted back into the bushes behind him, disappearing alongside the sound of the wind. Val stood there frozen, looking at where the squirrel stood, then wiped his face and resumed his neutral pace. I swear, if something jumps out at me like that, I'll just go back and learn more. He remembered what Sunday had said about his curse, how it worked, and what it had done to his psyche. He didn't really understand what he meant by the memory loss part, but he perfectly knew what the side effects were; he had the front row seat to watch it at work. No matter what happened, he couldn't stop himself from doing whatever he would rather not do, an annoying aspect that made him keep going forward despite being so against it. Something snapped behind him? His neck could snap that way so fast that he would pray not to get killed. A bird would chirp above his head. He had to look up straight at it and watch it fly above him, ignoring his intense gaze. The only comfort he could find in it was that he was also special like Sunday. Though in a more bothersome and useless way. At least I can enjoy nature... From both sides, a wall of trees rose to the sky, covering most of the clouds. Each of them looked ancient with bark missing in some places, yet it was also that very aspect that made them look so imposing. It was like walking through ancient ruins, except for all of the rubble being exchanged for endless mossy bushes covering tree trunks. He took a long breath, taking in the smell of trees that could melt his face off. I hate this place. Putting his hands into his pockets to feel warm, he turned to look at his feet, counting his steps one by one to distract himself. It would be way better to stay and learn more about this world rather than going out as soon as he was heal