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In the corner of my eye, I spot it! A wild medicine slime!

“DAD!!!”

I shout towards father who is standing a few steps away, otherwise he would not feel a sense of need to panic. These slimes are quick at rolling around and follow instinct alone, it may have already noticed my gaze.

“Hurry!”

I point my finger towards the green-ish blue slime stuck in the bush, seeming transparent and hard to spot. Plus, if you had father’s bad eyesight, you would not be able to see it at all, even if it was right in front of you.

In particular, my eyesight is the undisputed number 1 best in the whole village, even the boys can’t see as good as me. Place a feather in front of me, and I will see it even when I am moving.

“You startled it!”

Unfortunately, my blessed eyesight is not something carried within blood - maybe it’s something only geniuses have - since my father thinks it has run away. When in fact, it has only dropped inside the inner covering of the shrub.

“Dad, jump into the bush, it’s hiding!”

Following my command, he immediately jumps into the bus- or should I say, my surroundings became the bush as I am thrown inside by father’s heavy arm. However, now is not the time to think about how wasteful large arms are in terms of agility and speed. I need to catch this little runt.

“Don’t move!”

The urgent order of my father makes me freeze, and I could hear the panic in his voice. The bush may have held more than that slime, and maybe a large venomous snake that will attack if I move too suddenly. But…

A large net captures me and I cannot move, as I am hauled out the bush by a smiling block-head. I am going to hit him really hard for doing this, but I finally know why he did.

The slime was right under my bum!

“Okay, grab the slime gently and make sure not to pop it.”

I do as I have always done with these walking herbs and ignore my father’s annoying voice. Grabbing the overgrown-meatbun, I cover it in a blanket to stop it from being slippery and tie it in a knot. Since slimes are living beings too, I let it see light and breathe by poking a hole through the blanket. I could see it’s frightened little eyes darting to and fro.

“Don’t worry, you are going to meet your friends soon.”

First, we need to catch some more of these in preparation for winter.

Catching up to father who is waiting on the other side of the field, I notice a boy walking towards us. I look at father and see confusion and sadness, does father know the boy? Why is daddy sad?

I glance at the boy and greet myself, only for the boy to walk past me with a stinky smell. He looked very arrogant and disrespectful, so I turn around and shout at him.

“He-”

My voice freezes up as I notice the same boy continue to walk away from us, his whole back a complete contrast from his rough front. Ripped flesh, white sticks, blood...my face is grabbed and I am looking forward again.

“Keep walking, forget what you saw.”

Father is really serious this time, his voice is deep and not playful anymore. It makes me feel left out, I don’t know what is going on, so someone please tell me. I ask father in hopes of learning a little.

“Why?”

But he starts walking faster, making me catch up and leave the boy behind. I stop and look back, the boy is on the ground now, face planted down. I notice a long stick protruding from his bottom, it drooped over him like a flag.

“Dad, why is he sleeping?”

I am forced into his arms, and he starts running. The slime bouncing up and down in the little bag, seemingly enjoying being in the arms of something fast…

Blue, tear-shaped bubbles were left behind as father ran. They dropped to the ground and splashed.

The boy did not rise again...