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 Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:32 am
Spring day.
Kirin was perhaps the only person who was settled enough to stay in school on this summy and warm and gentle and...simply wonderful day. The girl was not an outdoor type, even though her best friend, Rie, had called earlier and spent about half an hour trying to convince (even with some threatening added to the mix) Kirin to get herself out in the sun.
Kirin had no problem with that, except then Rie added she wanted to drag her on a motorcycle ride.
That, was simply out of question.
Rie eventually gave up after finally exhausting her phone card money (did I mention she was out of the town currently and swore that she'c be back instantly if Kirin had agreed to ride with her? Talking about bluffs...) which forced her to disconnect. The shy Chinese girl was left alone for a moment of quietness to herself. She sighed, taking the time to enjoy this wonderful moment in life.
She didn't hate Rie, mind you, she was...simply not a sports person, that was all.
When the German Nazi stuck the British in World War II... Kirin read, grabbing a random world history textbook and sat herself beside the class window. Good thing that she was in college, and she enjoyed the time when nobody was in the classroom but her...It was a moment when she felt the world belonged to her, and she belonged to the world. How can there be a better way to spend this lovely time than sitting beside a large and open window and read, allowing yourself to be lost in the fascinating stories of the past? Kirin could not possibly hope for more.
The leaves outside of the class rustled, as if they agreed with the girl. The warm spring wind, in its agreement with Kirin, decided to send the girl a gift of nature, and that's when it happened.
Kirin frowned a little as a small piece of leaf fell on the face of the book. She picked it up without much thought, and gently put it aside, letting it drop to the earth below where it should belong. Kirin was surprised to find out, however, as she turned the page, that the leaf had somehow fell back to her book and in her sight. The girl paused, picked it up again and brushed it aside. Then it happened again, and again, and it was not after the fifth time it happened did Kirin realize that something was up, and she was picking up the same exact leaf over and over again from her book.
She could have sworn she had made the leaf fall to the ground for the privious five times.
For the last time, the girl picked up the leaf and let it drop. This time however, she kept an eye on it, stared at the quiet leaf that lay on the ground for as long as she could before her eyes became teary and sore. The girl shook her head and smiled bitterly to herself. It must have been her imagination after all.
Standing up, Kirin closed the book and walked to her backpack to pick up another one. When she reached into the backpack, however, something small caught her hand, something very familiar....
The leaf.
Kirin stared at the leaf in disbelief, and snapped her head over to the window sill. Yes, it was gone, and somehow moved into Kirin's backpack and back into her hands. If anything came out of the leaf the Kirin was sure she would have screamed, but it only laid there, quietly, as if not wanting to cause its new-found companion any discomfort.
"You won't leave me alone, why?"
The leaf, of course, did not answer. But in its quietness Kirin almost felt it saying "let's be friends" or something silly.
She felt silly, talking to a leaf.
Sighing, the girl decided that she could not possibly settle down again to read with this haunted leaf in her hand. Taking the leaf and stuffing it back to her backpack gently, the girl walked out of the classroom, closing the door behind and left the beautiful environment that she thought was paradise.
...Maybe she should have taken Rie's offer to be taken on a ride.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 3:03 pm
Journal entry Dear Grandpa:
It’s another day of the spring, and thank goodness today was a good day. I had planned to stay in one of the classrooms and read quietly for the entire day, and enjoy the good weather. For this I had to refuse Rie for her offer to take me to a ride…But I thought it would be worth it.
My plan, however, had been disrupted by something extraordinary. You always taught me about stories of the spirits that existed in our world. But those were simply stories, right? I have never imagined them to be real. Call me silly, but something that happened today made me think otherwise. It was a phenomenon that could not be explained by the laws of nature, nor could it be understood by my humble logic. The subject of the said phenomenon was a simple leaf, perhaps one of the unfortunate life that had fallen from the glooming trees outside. It had initially landed on the book which I was reading. I had brushed it aside, and I could swear that it had fallen on to the ground. When I tried to continue my reading, however, I spotted another leaf on my book. Not thinking much I did the same thing as I did to the previous leaf, brushing it aside and letting it fall.
What’s so strange about this phenomenon? Well, I suppose once or twice was nothing unnatural. But I had unwillingly performed the task five times in a roll. Then it hit me that perhaps I was brushing aside the same leaf all along. It may sound silly, but the leaves looked identical, the same kind of pattern, color, shape…To stay away from the leaf I had no choice but to cancel my original plan and head back to pack and leave the classroom. But guess what…that leaf appeared in my backpack! I checked back to the ground in which it was supposedly laid, and there was nothing. The leaf was…it was almost if as it was haunted, or perhaps I am cursed…but I will not start to think about the unthinkable.
I decided to bring the leaf back to my place eventually, since it wouldn’t leave me alone anyways. I wonder if I had made the right choice. So far, nothing bad had happened to me after I’ve accepted the leaf. It is currently lying in the corner of my desk, unmoving. It never moved after I had brought it back…just like a normal piece of leaf.
You must think of me strange now, grandpa, and I think so too. It was silly of me to bring it back but…I don’t know what I was thinking then, and I’m not even sure what I am thinking about the leaf right now. Perhaps I should throw it away?
I will consult with Rie tomorrow, but I can already imagine how she would react…
She’d laugh at me, for sure.
…I think I’ll keep the leaf a secret from Rie for now…
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Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 7:43 am
The wind felt warm even though it was evening. Kirin sat in front of her small desk, trying to concentrate on formulating her essay that wasn't due until next month. The spring fever, however, refused to go away. The girl sighed, looking up and closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth of the wind. When she was done relaxing, the girl shifted back to her work, only to find that her eyes had set upon the small green leaf that was left at the corner of her desk a couple of days ago.
Kirin frowned a little, reaching out to grab the leaf. She was sure that the leaf was haunted, that was why she brought it home (although now that she thought of it, her action didn't make much sense). But now...the leaf looked normal, green, flat, silent, like what a leaf should be.
...Other than the fact it looked just the way it did look when she brought it home. No sign of withering.
The girl brushed it off as she was reminded of some of the evergreen tree leaves. Perhaps this one was one of those types, long lasting even without a source of water and nutrition. Kirin sighed again, this time feeling sorry for the leaf. The little spark of life had faded when it first fell from the mother tree. There was nothing she could do about it. At least, she didn't think she could do anything.
With one hand holding up her face, Kirin played around with the leaf with the other. Her fingers trailed across the smooth surface, feeling the coolness and moist being absorbed by her skin. Then suddenly, Kirin felt movement underneath her finger. It was a tiny pulse, like a heartbeat. The girl blinked, uncertain if it was real or she was just dreaming of it. She pressed her fingers gently onto the leaf, trying to confirm her suspicion. The leaf fell quiet for a moment, then there was a pulse again. It was still small, but enough to make Kirin lift her fingers and gave her a start. The girl stared at the leaf for several minutes and, after making sure there was no further movement, she leaned closer to the leaf, picking it up and carefully put it in her hand. It was strange, but Kirin was not as freaked out as she did the first time, perhaps she was prepared and already convinced herself that the leaf was somewhat special. The pulse was more frequent now, beating like a little life in the girl's palms.
"What are you...?" Kirin breathed deeply. How silly, she was talking to a leaf again. But this time, she knew it wasn't just a plain leaf. It was something more, something that contained a life within.
She wished someone could come and tell her what she should do...
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Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 1:05 pm
Summer was on its way, and more leaves had blown in with the coming warm weather. She took the elevator up to the third floor and left a flower pot and letter on the front mat.
"Good luck," she whispered to the pot before leaving the way she came.The Letter Dear Kirin,
A little birdie told me you found one of our leaves recently. We're an organization called The Eden Project, and your leaf is a very special one. If you take good care of it, it will develop into a child. I've attached a flowerpot and special soil that will help it along its way. If you have any questions, give us a call or stop by our headquarters in Barton.
Good luck!
~Shouko
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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 7:19 am
"The American Civil War, also known as the War between the States and several other names, was a civil war between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America. The Union included all of the free states and..."
Kirin nearly tripped over something that was laid at her door when she was about to unlock it. She caught herself barely, but the force pushed her backwards, making her fall nonetheless. The girl's waist collided with the hard concrete floor that was the hallway of her apartment building. Immediately she gave a short cry in pain, but then shut herself up fast in fear of drawing attention from other people. Kirin allowed herself to sit on the floor for a while, rubbing against her waist to ease the pain. It was a bad day for her today, and she could only blame it on herself for being so careless.
Feeling as though the pain had ceased temporally (there would sure be a bruise at her back later), the girl looked up to see what was being left in front of the door. A package for her? That was rare. Of course, it wasn't really a package, but something more bizarre...
Something like, a flower pot.
Signing, Kiring crawled (thank goodness nobody was there!) to reach the flowerpot, and found there was a letter beside it. Well, that should have some explanation of what was going on. With her fingers she teared the envelope open. A small piece of paper fell out, and it said:Quote: Dear Kirin, A little birdie told me you found one of our leaves recently. We're an organization called The Eden Project, and your leaf is a very special one. If you take good care of it, it will develop into a child. I've attached a flowerpot and special soil that will help it along its way. If you have any questions, give us a call or stop by our headquarters in Barton. Good luck! ~Shouko
Kririn gasped! How did this person know her name? And how did she know about the leaf? The girl was pretty sure that she didn't tell anyone about it, not even Rie. Putting down the letter Kirin immediately looked around to see if she was indeed being spied upon. But there was no one in sight. It couldn't be serious that some BIRD told this person about it?
Regardless of her own doubts, Kirin decided that it was (although strange) a lead to what she should do with the leaf that she had found earlier, that piece of leaf who refused to leave her alone. The leaf who had a heartbeat, the leaf who had a life in itself...
Maybe just like what the letter said, it will develop in to...a child.
Kirin smiled a little, a self-mocking smile, and shook her head. First though, she had to bring herself into the room. The girl stood up slowly, feeling the abrupt pain from the fall returning to her, jabbing at her back. She moaned softly, and reached into her pocket for the key to unlock the door. Opeing it, Kirin snatched the letter in one hand and held the flower pot in the other (heavy since there was soil contained in it). After entering the room the girl set down the pot on the table stand that was near her door and put down the letter on her desk. Her eyes then traveled to locate the leaf that was resting quietly on the corner of her desk.
So I am supposed to take care of this.
Kirin looked back and forth between the flower pot and the leaf. It took her a while, but eventually it hit her what she was supposed to do. It was an absurd idea that made the girl blush, but...
"I can't believe I'm doing this." Kirin mumbled as she released half of the soil into the flower pot, then stuck the leaf in the middle of it, and filled in the rest of the soil. She was planting a LEAF! Kirin was not a science person, but she was pretty sure that was not how people plant normal things. But then again, the leaf was special.
The girl stared quietly at the leaf that was now stuck in the soil for a long time, as if she was eager to see what would happen. Eventually she gave up, and held up the flower pot to put it carefully near the window. She followed what the mysterious person said, and now she will have to wait for the result. She wasn't sure she had believed that it would work, but it was the only choice she had for the leaf. A leaf without stem that connects it to the root of the tree...a leaf supposedly disconnected with life. Kirin signed again, and turned away to put the rest of the stuff away.
Little did she notice however, that the leaf continued to pulse...
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 9:02 pm
After living happily in the pot for a few weeks, the leaf has begun a strange shift in appearance and behavior. Upon inspection, it is veined with brilliant blue and red streaks and has begun to wriggle furiously within the confines of the pot.
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 9:48 pm
Kirin returned home late one night because she was asked to help out with the school's festival. That, and Rie kept pestering her about the motorcycle ride. Exhausted, the girl almost felt like slumber right onto her bed when her foot was set into the apartment building. Her waist hurt from bending down too much, and her legs felt like concrete. In short, the meek girl lacked exercise, which ultimately led to her being strained at work physically, even if just for a little bit.
Now, what she really needed was a shower, and then bed. But of course, that would not happen because she still had homework to do. Considering the time...Kirin signed. She had plenty of time till bedtime.
Turning on the light, the girl threw off her backpack, which landed heavily onto the carpet floor with a dull sound. She didn't waste any time and quickly approached the desk, taking out books and papers from her drawer before reaching for her backpack again. For a moment a flash of brilliant blue wandered into her sight. Kirin didn't have much thought on it, thinking that it was just her being tired and delusional. When the girl opened a page of her text book, the blue was there again. Kirin shook her head several times, then finally realized it was real. Curious, the girl turned around to locate the source of this unusual color...
And saw a feather looking...thing in the flower pot that was placed at the corner of her desk.
Kirin blinked, once, and twice. The color remained the same, blue, now with several streaks of crimson. If her memory was correct, the girl clearly remembered it was the haunted leaf that she had planted into the flower pot, which was delivered from a mysterious benefactor. Was it the same leaf? kirin adjusted her glasses, trying to take a closer look on it. The shape still looked oval, it was only the color that was unnatural. Skeptical, the girl titled her head and reached to grab the leaf, only to realize it moved.
It MOVED. No more pulses, but it was wiggling like a small insect trying to break free.
Kirin gawked at the sight, head turning furiously. Should she call someone? Rie? 911? No, that wouldn't work. Should she try out some of her grandfather's old exorcism tricks? Kirin doubt she remembered any of them. How long had the leaf been like this? Why didn't she notice before? Kirin stared at the wiggling leaf stupidly for several minutes, not able to move, not able to do anything else. Then, a flash of memory hit her, as she suddenly remembered what the letter had said that came along with the flower pot.
Now, where did she put that letter...?
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:29 am
Now that the leaf has an audience, it really wants to show off. The blue and red streaks gain a texture, rising from the otherwise smooth surface of the leaf and becoming... downy. The wriggling continues, and a strange glow begins to emanate from the center of the leaf.
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 8:41 am
"Ah, there! Found it."
Holding the wrinkled letter in her hand, Kirin frantically opened it, trying to make out what it said in the dim light.
...We're an organization called The Eden Project, and your leaf is a very special one. If you take good care of it, it will develop into a child. ...
The girl had no time to even understand what it meat when the leaf suddenly changed again, this time Kirin could clearly see that the leaf was...well, no longer an actual leaf. Were those feathers growing out of the blue and red surface? The girl could only watch with a silly expression as the leaf continued to wiggle. The light in her room seemed to dim further as the strange and haunted object began to glow. What in the world was going on?
...If you take good care of it, it will develop into a child....
A Child? From a...a leaf? The girl nearly fainted at the thought. That sounded like something coming from a fantasy novel. But seeing what was hapening right now, Kirin wasn't sure which to believe anymore. The girl pinched her arm hard just to make sure she wasn't dreaming, and a sharp pain that responded told her that this was indeed the reality.
Someone tell me what I'm supposed to do...
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 8:48 am
For reality, things were about to get a whole lot stranger. The leaf began to molt, feathers shedding off it in an unending torrent, floating in the air on some imperceptible breeze. From within the swirling mass the light continued to throb like a heartbeat.
Barely audible and far away, a birdsong could be heard.
And then, as quickly as it had begun, the feathers and the light cleared, vanishing into nothing. In their place, they left a small child.
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 9:41 am
This felt like...a movie. Kirin felt as if she was watching a movie, or rather, maybe she was a part of it. Her eyes faithfully recorded what happened, but her brain was never certain whether to accept the sight. Either way, the girl watched, stunned by what was happening. If the letter spoke the truth, then what happens next would be...
The old desk squeaked under the weight of a new life on top of it. Kirin nearly fell out of her chair as the leaf performed its final transformation. Sure enough, there was a child. Kirin shut her eyes and opened again, then rubbed it, trying to make sense out of what actually happened. Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft yawn of the child, however, and Kirin gave an alarmed cry when he did. The child blinked, and looked around curiously, not really bothered by Kirin's cry nor how freaked out she was. He tried to stand, supporting his new body with a pair of rather shaky legs. Blue wings fluttered on his back (or was it on his waist?), along with it, two long feathered tail.
When he was done observing the surroundings the boy turned back to Kirin. He stared at her for a moment, then a big grin surfaced across his face.
"Ma-ma!"
Kirin leaped out of her chair at the words, hands holding close to her chest in a praying position. The child can speak! And he looked weird...abnormal, with the tails and the wings...(of course he wasn't normal, he grew out of a LEAF!). Just as Kirin was panicking, the child laughed, clapping his hands cheerfully and then reaching out to grab the girl's pigtails.
"Ow..." The girl, too slow to evade the boy's hand, was pulled closer. The child's smile did not fade, and he looked at Kirin curiously, expecting her to do something. Kirin wanted to pull back, but, perhaps it was because the child's smile, she felt more relaxed. She knew the leaf would turn into a child...she just didn't believe it. Now that the truth lay in front of her, Kirin had no choice but to accept that yes, it did happen. Now what to do with this child posed another problem. Should she send him to the adoption center? She was a college student, there's no way she could...
The child laughed again, this time touching Kirin's face with his tender and tiny fingers.
The girl looked back at the child, and signed. It appeared that the child had already decided that Kirin was his mother. She was in a dead corner. Holding the child up (with all her might after exhausting herself at school), Kirin gave the boy a shy smile.
"Why, hello there."
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 5:34 pm
Journal entry Dear Grandpa:
I apologize for not writing to you for the past few weeks. Things have gotten a little messy lately. But do not worry, I think...I have everything under control.
Remember the haunted leaf I told you about in my last letter? Well, a few weeks before I have received a strange mail from a mysterious person, who for some reason knew about my encounter with the said leaf. To think about it, it was surprising in and out of itself that someone other than myself knew about it. For a moment I had a fear that I could be watched by someone, but that fear was overcame by immediate waves of strange things that happened afterwards...mainly to the leaf. Within the mail there was a letter, along with a flower pot with some potting soil. I was instruction to plant the haunted leaf in the pot and take care of it. I think you have mentioned the art of planting before you left, but if my memory was correct, what was planted into the soil were seeds, trunks, or roots. A leaf, on the other hand, was never afore mentioned in your teachings. I was no expert, so I cannot judge the righteousness on planting a leaf. Therefore, I have faithfully followed the instruction, since I have no other plans with the leaf other than perhaps tossing it away when the ghost within becomes bored of me and decides to leave me alone.
Well, that never happened. Perhaps it was because of my absurd planting, or perhaps the ghost find gratitude in me treating it so well. Whichever was the case, it did not matter. What mattered was that the leaf changed one night when I came back from school. My original plan of studying for my later classes was tossed behind when I found that the green color of the leaf faded away and was replaced by a brilliant blue with red streaks. What an unnatural color for a leaf! I was shocked, but I can assure you that anyone else, even Rie, would do the same. (By the way, I have not told this to Rie, for the old fear of disbelief on her part and being laughed at on mine.) But I digress. I could only observe what happens, as the leaf began to move by itself violently as if the ghost was about to be awakened...Then it did, in the form of a child. Can you believe that, grandpa? The leaf was transformed into a child, a boy, with small wings and feathered tails. I choose not to believe in fairytales, but no matter how much I try to make sense out of what has happened, my mind always failed me. In the end, I had no choice but to give up.
What happened to the child? Unfortunately to say, I found him too adorable to resist. He, like a duckling who was just hatched out of his shell, saw the first sight of me and deemed me as his righteous mother. Now that I have mentioned duckling..he does look like some kind of bird to me. In fact, I think I've seen one of them when you took me back to China a few summers before. I did some research on the bird with blue feathers and scissor like tails. What was it...a barn swallow? I think that fitted his looks the best. Anyways, I named him Regner, in memorial of one of your old friend, grandpa. I think he'd be happy to meet you sometimes if you choose to come back.
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