Great Heads

12: Something Strange

Darla

“But I do know he’s charmingly handsome,” Berylene spoke as though in a reverie. I noticed Beryl smile, making me retch at her.

“How are you suppose to know what it feels like?” She added, defending herself. She attacked me with her penetrating gaze. “You’ve never loved and will never love with that attitude.” She then huffed.

Beryl knew I wasn’t going to react to this since she knew me and how less I cared for such ludicrous things. I did not uphold such a task to execute. She held my hand and soon I found myself running behind her again.

‘Where to this time?’

“Take care you two!” The ladies in the saloon waved at us, bidding us temporal goodbyes for the day. They smiled at us, enthusiastically.

Berylene’s attitude had a way of always persuading people around her to do things they’d never really want to do or knew they could in a cheerful manner. 

She was an invigorating beign and sunny. 

Most of the other Forelenes my age had a tad amount of fear for me because of my haughty personality, but she never one day felt like that towards me. That I respect her for. She was brave alright, brave enough to be my close friend. Brave enough to be my sister.

“Where to now?” I asked her as we strode away, trying to avoid hitting people on the way.

We ran but were suddenly interrupted by a tall fairly-good-looking male teenager that had a basket of roses hung around his neck. Although he appeared to be far older than we were, I sensed a liking from one of us.

“Flowers for the forest night, miladies?” He said, offering us roses.

Berylene, with an excited gesture, cheerfully accepted them to place it on her copper shimmer hair. She was about to do the same to mine when I dodged it immediately. 

I had an intolerance for girly things, especially flowers. Perhaps she had forgotten. “I’ll pass.” I firmly said.

“Well two for me then,” She slipped it through her hair, excitedly. “Do you think we should get one for Kaleb?”

She turned backwards to see if the flower boy was still behind us but he had already gone far away from us. She turned her head with a slightly sad expression on.

“Darla, don’t you think the flower boy was kind of cute?” She asked now in her usual tone as we walked holding hands. Actually, it was Berylene that had her hands tightly gripped in mine. 

Boys and flowers, those were two things I couldn’t tolerate.

“Do you know if we need companions to the forest festival? I’ve never witnessed one before. Although I do already have a suggestion for a partner…”

She gave me a look that made it seem as if I should quickly know whom she implied.

“No.” It was coldly said. I did know whom she spoke of and whom she was referring to. “I don’t think he’ll even be there.”

“You seem overprotective of this boy. You sure you don’t like him?”

Irritated by the sudden question I instantly felt my blood boil inside of me as I gave her a scowling look. She let my hands go and shifted from me with an awkward chuckle.

The Forest festival was one where the Forelene people would have to gather in order to coronate a new chief-head of the village, Forestille. It had been a long time ever since it happened and Beryl and I had not witnessed one before but had heard of the stories of the great day. No one really knew who the next chief was going to be since it wasn’t passed through bloodline. The people’s thoughts could only be whispered and titled as rumours. 

The Forest festival was going to be held tomorrow at noon. Berylene was super excited about the event that she couldn’t even wait to try on the newly sewn dresses her mother had made for both of us.

We were going to Berylene’s mother’s shop to get the dresses I knew were going to be pretty. 

Pretty. 

Well, at least I knew it was going to be worn for just a night so it shouldn’t pose a big deal to me. Right?  Also, I had requested mine in the colour black. I had high hopes that I’d be able to wear it. I hoped they did not appear to be like one of those Berylene’s rainbow-coloured dresses for jolly kids.

With a loud enough cheerful voice I had managed to produce, I greeted the beautiful lady that sat behind the sewing machine. This was Berylene’s mother who only accepted greetings in such a manner.

We hugged Mrs. Reyer’s warm-felt body. She was young, a little chubby, and shared the same hair colour as Beryl. Berylene’s mother never failed to welcome us both like her own children, even though one wasn’t. Mrs. Reyer knew what we had come for so she immediately brought them out.

Four dresses.

“Huh?” I gaped.

“Two for each of you for the celebration,” she informed.

Our clothes had been handed over to us respectively. We thanked her as we collected them. 

I wondered what Mrs. Reyer meant by two dresses for the celebration. Would we be changing twice? I certainly did not want to show off my beautiful dresses all in one night. I didn’t like the attention. Gladly mine had been made in the dim colour charcoal black.

It started to occur to me that today may be a special day apart from being just the day before the festival. Berylene looked fancier, and two dresses each. Today was a special day; the birthday of Beryl’s mother. I realized.

I tried my best not to show that it had slipped my mind before. “Thank you so much for the dresses and happy birthday ma’am,” I spoke with Beryl’s mother.

“Oh. Glad you remembered Darla.” She smiled in acceptance.

I had almost forgotten the date and had mental rest immediately after this had been mentioned, physically having air puff out my mouth. “So close.” I sighed.

“Mother,” Beryl called. “Darla made a new friend.” My head instantly exploded with fury. “He goes by the name Kaleb. Can he come for your birthday dinner? Please…”

I could feel my veins bulge out in annoyance for I could not go a single day without being annoyed by that name.

 “Darla? Friend?” I heard Beryl’s mother spit out in surprise. I was embarrassed by that.

Feeling greatly exasperated, I felt like snapping Beryl’s neck at that instance.

“Of course. The more the merrier.” She finally let out with delight. “In fact, I’ll make preparations for him while cooking the food. Make sure of his arrival.” Berylene’s mother spoke, angering me.

I gave Beryl a death stare making her fear, but the girl just sent me a sunny smile in return, worsening my situation.

I tried to hide my anger whilst gritting my teeth as I spoke amiably, “He’s not quite a party person so I’m not sure he’ll come.” The more I attempted to convince, the more I failed.

“He’s going to come and that’s final!”

I did not know what to say to Mrs. Reyer anymore. She sure didn’t know how to take a ‘no’ for an answer. Kaleb couldn’t go. He was Kaleb. It started to make me wonder if I could’ve prevented this from happening by just telling them the truth earlier. 

Should I have told them his tribe?

Him coming for the birthday dinner was dangerous to me for some reason. Well, I had no choice. 

Talking about him. Where was he? I remember leaving him at the market.

After Beryl had finished doing a fashion show for me, coming in and out of the changing room with her new clothes, we finally departed.

I went off to look for Kaleb. I possessed slight worry in my heart. I now wondered where he had gone to. My search had begun at where I had left him earlier, which was at the market. 

He wasn’t there. 

I went on asking the friendly marketers about the unfriendly boy’s whereabouts.

“Excuse me. Have you by any chance seen the young boy I was with yesterday? Do you know where he headed to? He’s putting on oversized clothing.”

‘No’ was what they all replied to me with; all of them.

I thought, ‘Maybe he’s gone home.’

I went to the house and soon discovered that he wasn’t there. The realization that he might’ve gone missing hit me hard and left me with an unavoidable feeling of worry.

I began my search for him with light steps gradually turning into fast-running steps. I soon found myself running here and there, all in looking for this child. 

Engaging in this unexpected athletic activity, I soon started gasping for air and the situation now grew worse. My neck began to hurt from continuous stretching and turning, all in search of Kaleb. I couldn’t help but blame myself for having let this happen.

As I ran from place to place, I soon realized how I actually felt. I was worried. I was worried about him.

Why did I feel worried?

I went to several places but couldn’t find Kaleb. 

‘Maybe he’s gone back to his own home.’ I said to myself, mentally, ‘You should be glad Darla. No more troubles. You’ve always wanted this.’

Yes, I had. But then, why did I feel unhappy?

After running for a long time, I finally stopped to catch my breath. The boy grandfather had helped had just disappeared into thin air. Just like that. Just right after I was told to watch him. The boy Pa knew I despised. 

I thought Pa would feel bad like I had a hand in it. It was all because I hated him so much. Maybe Papa would even hate me for losing him. What was I going to tell him? Why would Kaleb just wander off like that? No one in Forestille was capable of child-napping, right?

I made a final stop at the lakeside that had a raised wooden platform, thinking that Kaleb had gone missing.