There is a world that is called mockingly the playground of Life and Death. Life makes all things go on while Death stops them all one by one, depending on the time. As creature with short lifespan, human can expose as many reasons as they want in order to live long, healthy, and happy. They commonly know and enjoy what they have when they are born, what they want when they grow up, what they desire when they are mature, and what they wait for when they grow old. Some humans, however, are not satisfied with all that, so they learned more. They want to have knowledge, strength, power, magic, and particularly longer lifespan. They have help. There are Almighty Ones to worship, monsters to fear, fairies to befriend, and souls to learn. Sometimes they try to find help from Life and Death but it is not a common thing. Nobody knows why and does not want to find out why.
Among the fear of Death, humans fear being brought to Death by the monsters. The country Glaerond, where humans used to show a great example of this fear, still has the conflicts between the kind that has big population and limited strength with the kind that has smaller population but is given supernatural power by Mother. The monsters are the living kind that have trouble with humans most. They have the strength, speed, skill, and move of sly and horrifying predators. Although the monsters do not always seek for human flesh, the humans are still aware and afraid of them, so much that the humans do not want them to exist. That’s when the hunts between humans and monsters; monsters and humans started. The hunts had increased and turned into one sole war. Countless humans and monsters were taken by Death. Forests and hills filled with corpses, blood, and fire. Massive and extensive, no creature could bear them forever. They realized that they could not totally defeat each other and demanded a compromise to forbid the monsters from hunting the human and forbid the human giving the monsters harm. The compromise was created by a female human in Glaerond named Aura Drosalie, who oddly took sympathy for both sides; who dared to make good relationships with monsters; and who strangely, had the voice to speak normally to them and convince them in many foreign matters.
Thanks to her, the humans and monsters have limited war for three hundred years. Still, from the beginning of living creatures until now, there are still only three humans who can speak to monsters like these creatures are a part of them. One was Aura Drosalie. The other two were her companions. They eventually died and became the history and tales.
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“Or that’s how one tale is told.”
“There are other tales about them? Those strange humans?”
“Not totally different. You know the tales. They seem unfamiliar to each other but actually link together. I used to hear the tale that says Aura Drosalie was born as a witch, so she associates with any phenomenal being. One says she is the child of a human and a monster.”
“Why, sir. You must be kidding.”
“Well, it’s a tale. Is my tale similar to the tale in your home city Humotle, little girl? After all, that’s where these people come from.”
“I’m still in Glaerond, but I no longer belong to Humotle, good sir. As you can see, I passed the edge of the city and almost passed the country by foot, sitting here to portray you since you hired me to. But I did hear most parts of the tale quite many times. Only I did not hear about the playground of Life and Death and about the hunts humans did. And the tale praises more about us.”
“You don’t like it?”
“Nah. Monster or human, it’s wicked to humiliate the others.”
“So you are Aura Drosalie’s big fan?”
“An admirer, elegantly.”
“You are a strange girl. What’s your tale?”
“Me? My name is Pamela. The name is the only thing that belonged to me when I was an infant. I’m an orphan who has just gotten freedom after living in the orphanage for eighteen years. People usually complain that my eyes open too wide whenever I’m interested in something.” Not only was that, her black eyes were naturally wide and wild with bags under them. Thin and pale, anyone would mistake that she was not healthy, despite the heavy backpack she had. If she did not tie her long and waving raven hair, her face would look too mysterious to be called a normal human. “I took a liking to the creatures different from my kind, so I want to know more about them. My goal for now is coming to the land of monster, Mernstoig, by foot. Does that make you laugh?”
“Not entirely. It’s not everyday to see a normal human interested in monsters. Not to mention she decides to travel to Mernstoig by foot, "which takes almost twice as long as by truck.”
Pamela shrugged. “I’m no good with trucks or any other vehicle. Besides, I want to observe other places outside Humotle instead of coming to Mernstoig right away. It will be boring. I want to take things slow for now.”
“No companion?”
She shrugged. “I don’t think there is anyone who wants to come to the place of monsters with me. If you, sir, have in mind something such as ‘it’s dangerous for a girl to travel alone’, then you can just know that I have gone through some bloody, dangerous times in Humotle already. I’m certain that nothing out here is easy, but I can manage.”
The wanderer rubbed his chin. “You’re right. Considering the marks you’ve got, I don’t think you have problems with normal humans.” Then he noticed the frown from her eyebrows. “Relax. They’re not something to be ashamed of.”
“I’m more curious about how you know about my marks.”
“You used your glove to hide them, but I still saw one on your wrist; and as I recall my messy memory I don’t think you just have one scar….Oh sorry, I talked too much.” The man sighed. “Then I will tell you a place to observe, as my apology, just in case it comes to your curiosity. Since you are coming to Mernstoig by passing the country, you will see a maple forest, which will save you some hours for the trip if you pass it. There is a non-creature being living in there. Some people who slightly saw him called him Rag Man or Strawer. You may find him quite interesting.”
“Non-creature being? Then what is he? A teapot? A pan?” Her eyes opened wide again.
“Something, my dear, that may get your attention.”
“Since you don’t tell me, you probably want me to go there anyway. I’ll give it a try.” Pamela gave the wanderer the drawing. “Are you satisfied with this?”
He took a look at his portrait and could tell that this girl put all details from his face to the picture. His white and curly hair, his plump face, his low and dense eyebrow, his small and white eyes, his buttoned nose, and even his wrinkles were portrayed exactly how they were on his face. However, he frowned. “I don’t know, my dear. My face and form changes many times. To think that the drawing only shows it one way forever…I don’t know.”
“My apology, sir. I just portray how I see you look. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to pay for it. It’s not easy to satisfy the first customer on the first day of work, anyway.”
“How I look, huh?” He murmured and then pulled a warm smile. He put his hand into the coat’s pocket, taking out two silver coins and giving them to Pamela.
“It’s twice the payment.”
“I don’t usually learn about someone through talking like this. That alone is a big price for me.” He rolled the drawing and put it into his backpack. “Thank you very much. Maybe sometimes this will remind how I was at one point.”
“Your words are difficult to understand.”
“You don’t have to understand. I don’t understand myself sometimes.” The wanderer pointed to the West. “Is this the way to go to Humotle?”
Pamela pointed to the East. “Sir, it’s the opposite way.”
“Oh right. I usually get confused whenever I started wandering again.” He bowed a little to Pamela. “Farewell then, my dear. We may meet again someday when I get lost on my way of life.” He walked to the East.
“Sir. Your backpack.”
“Oh yes. Thank you very much. As I said, I’m always lost. Farewell again, my dear. May the Almighty Ones protect you.”
“I hope They do, but I’m more curious about your name.”
“My name? I have many names. One links to the other. Don’t bother yourself to know it.” He waved his hand and headed to Humotle.
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Pamela had to admit, she did not regret leaving the city. Not that she had not seen the danger of this world or had not faced Death yet, but as long as she could see things that she did not see at Humotle she would not regret. Besides, the girl knew exactly what to do when she encountered danger.
One thing Pamela did not know and was not curious about was her life itself. As far as she lived, she learned that she was an infant lying in a wicker basket in front of the door of Vince orphanage. Her name was the only thing that stayed with her all that time. No family name, though. If she was adopted or at least she decided to live in Humotle, she would have one. But the answer was no.
As a young girl, she was wilder than any kid around her. She slowly became a loner. She loved everything that did not belong to humans in the orphanage’s garden. Plants and flowers were easy to approach, but small animals were difficult sometimes. She knew it. She knew her curiosity would make people feel uneasy occasionally. The small creatures that had to secure all the time for their lives then had no exception.
By the time she learned about the different kinds from humans, she could tell she would take a liking to them for a very long time. Despite the stories and lessons about avoiding these creatures, she listened to them to learn about their identities. She started to have interest in monsters for many reasons: the different forms of these creatures, the ways they associate with nature, their minded-worship and respect for Mother Nature, and the personalities that both monster and human have but they will not believe no matter how many efforts to convince them. The thing that Pamela found most similar about both sides was the desire for flesh. Having a coincident trivial encounter with monsters once, she learned that even now not only the monsters eat human humans, but the humans eat monsters as well. Pamela felt funny whenever people around her learned that when a monster attacked a human, they would have some conversations about how to destroy all the monsters. But when a human butchered and ate a monster to hope for power, nobody would say a thing although the fact was right in front of them. She wondered if the monster felt the same.
The more she grew up, the more the wonders about the outside of the city’s edge filled her mind. Pamela then found no reason to remain in Humotle, where nothing could reach to her interest. She left the people who carelessly avoided her all the time at the orphanage. She left the city which contained countless man-made things that satisfy people, gives little room for nature, and was filled with weapons and preparations for the attack of any creature, especially the monsters. She left without being seen off or noticed.
One big knapsack was on her back with some foods to eat, some clothes to change, some items to find ways, a sleeping bag to sleep, and some tools to draw. Pamela bought these things from the small support the orphanage gave her so that she could take care of herself the first time she left Vince. She had some money left after preparing everything, enough for two or three weeks, depending on where she stopped to rest.
Pamela was shy, however, when she stepped out of Humotle city. Like a child who had never stepped out of her house before, she felt too strange when she saw the countryside. There were less houses but more trees and fields. Pamela could see how high the blue sky was without being covered by the buildings of the city. She could inhale a deep breath to smell the grass’s sweet smell. She could focus on watching the views without being interrupted by the noise of the cars or trucks. However, the space became bigger and wider, so now Pamela felt how small she was in this world. Her legs were shaking, maybe because she was too excited or maybe she was too scared or maybe both.
She encountered a chubby man in almost total white on the way. He gave her all kinds of feeling that she had never all had all from a single person at Humotle: strange and familiar, warm and cold, interesting and boring, simple and complex, beautiful and ugly, and loving and scary. Unaware but Pamela truly felt it that way, despite how much this man looked like a mere wanderer. He started the conversation and asked if she could try to portray him. Again, unaware why he knew she could draw just by seeing some pencils on her backpack, she agreed.
Talking to him, however, somehow relieved her. When they separated, Pamela gained back the confidence she had when the trip had not started yet and continued her walk.
Then, after a couple of hours, she realized that there were less and less houses. She looked back and saw Humotle city no more but two houses at the right and left with many fields. She looked front and saw the edge of a forest, not very far from there. She had nearly left the human’s place.
“See you someday.” And she headed to the forest without a hesitation.
