by Michael Sisa
Madam Agwen is the best, she thought.
Surrounded by this silence, Kirsten approvingly smiled at the Madam. Someday, she dreamt of becoming like this great person. Someone who commands silence. Someone who could dissipate away the cacophony.
After all, what could be more magnificent than a hushed, peaceful world?
“Listen, all of you!” said Madam Agwen. For some reason, Kirsten was sure that she was in a terrible mood. There was a suppressed snarl within her voice, something normally heard from an infuriated person. “Today, we’ll have a new addition to the family!”
Kirsten heard the Madam whisper, “Don’t test the limit of my patience. Come forward.”
Kirsten was seated near the end of the long, wooden table, and all she could see from that distance were blurry images. Still, she was sure that the figure beside the Madam was a young man.
She heard the kids whisper to each other the moment the young man stepped forth.
“Hey, isn’t he a bit good-looking? This sucks.”
“Who cares? Look at that smug face.”
Kirsten furrowed her brows upon hearing this. They had yet to meet this newcomer, but they had already bestowed their judgment. It had been like this ever since. The kids were not pure souls, like the adults made them out to be.
Madam Agwen cleared her throat, “His name is Jiablu! From a village near the Qavan Mountain Range! Be sure to treat him well! He’s part of the family! Understood?!”
“Yes, Madam!” the kids said in unison.
“Take a seat over there,” said Madam Agwen.
Kirsten stiffened when she realized that the nearest empty seat was beside her. People tend to stay away from Kirsten, probably due to the fact that she can’t speak and could hardly see. But she did not dislike it at all. In contrary, she actually loved the personal space created by such animosity.
What should I do? He doesn’t know that I can’t speak… What if he says hi?
As the figure of the newcomer loomed in, Kirsten was finally able to make out his appearance. Ashen hair like the Cardinal’s. Blood red eyes that seemed to glare at everyone. Pale skin that probably had never been touched by the sun. Overall, she agreed to what the other kids had said. Indeed, this one was good-looking. An enemy of womankind.
But the ferocious glare he emitted made everyone unable to approach.
Without uttering a single word, the newcomer sat on the empty seat. He stared at the boiled potatoes, his eyes full of curiosity. For a moment, Kirsten was sure that a drool dripped down his mouth, which he quickly wiped off a second after.
She inwardly giggled. What a weird guy. His name’s Jiablu, right?
She did not know if she should be angry or pleased that Jiablu did not bother introducing himself to those around him. Maybe, it was the latter. It was better this way. After all, silence was the epitome of harmony.
With crude movements, Jiablu sliced off his share of boiled potatoes using his spoon and fork. He immediately placed a small piece inside his mouth, only to gag after. It was hot. Boiling hot. Everyone knew.
There were some who giggled after seeing the flinching expression of the young man. Seconds after, he eventually swallowed the lump in his mouth. His eyes bespoke of an indescribable curiosity, which were usually seen in very young children.
The kids had never seen someone so focused on eating boiled potatoes before. And this single fact made his ferocious image plummet. Maybe, he was not as bad as he looked?
“Hey, you’re Jiablu, right?” said one of the kids. “I’m Ynah. Welcome to the House of Aquina!”
The House of Aquina was the largest orphanage in the entire Kingdom. It had branches in each of the cities, with members from the Order facilitating it.
Jiablu gazed at her for a moment, but did not give a reply. Other introductions followed that, which expectedly yielded the same results.
For a moment, Kirsten was worried that the noise in the air would escalate. Thankfully, the kids gave up after a while. She stared at the newcomer. At the very least, this one was of few words. A lover of silence, probably.
She noticed the dejected expression on his face after finishing his share of food. Giggling inside, she tapped at his shoulder then pointed at her plate. The message, “You can have mine, if you want,” was immediately conveyed in that single instance.
Though obviously hesitant, the newcomer nodded. There was still a small drool on his face which he probably failed to notice.
He really loves potatoes, eh?
Kirsten willingly placed her remaining share onto his plate.
“Hey, Muteface,” said Ynah. “You’ll rub him of your stupidity. What are you doing, giving him your food?”
“Probably trying to make friends, since she doesn’t have one.”
“What a moron. Just a coincidence that the seat next to you is vacant. Doesn’t mean you’re special or anything. Got it, Blindy?”
Kirsten shriveled from those incessant remarks. With hunched shoulders, she lowered her head. Even if she wanted to retort, she couldn’t. No words would come out even if she tried to speak. Deep within, she felt a grave sense of helplessness. She thought she had become used to the prejudice after all this time, but she guessed she was wrong.
As I thought. I shouldn’t associate myself with another person. It’ll be probably another week before the bullying stops. I have to steel myself until then… I wonder… he’s realized that I’m one of the losers among the kids, right?
She braved a peek at the young man beside her. Contrary to her expectations, there were no changes from him at all. He still continued to munch away at his newly acquired food, a fact that somehow brought a small smile into Kirsten’s lips.
After swallowing the last piece, he gave a satisfied smirk. Those that were around felt that he was like a small child. So pure, so untainted.
How old was he? Judging by his appearance, Kirsten felt that he was probably the same age as those around him. Maybe a bit older than the other kids.
Madam Agwen clapped her hands twice. All eyes followed suit. “Finish your plates! Those assigned to do the dishes, start fixing the table! We’re almost out of vegetables… and meat has turned a luxury lately. I want you to group yourselves into pairs to plant some seeds. Acalpia and Cottonfeet should do.”
The kids nodded in understanding. Those two plants mentioned were famous for their ability to quickly grow. One could literally see them sprout from the ground a few moments after being planted.
“You have two hours. I’ll be checking on your performance by then,” said Madam Agwen. “That’s all.”
One after another, the kids got out of their seats. Kirsten flinched when the noise reached its peak. This is one of her most hated part of the day. The sound of chair scraping the ground was disgusting to hear.
She sometimes questioned why the others did not seem to mind the noise at all.
“Ah, Kirsten, is it?” said a familiar voice. Upon turning around, she saw the Cardinal approaching her direction. He smiled and said, “Can you partner with Jiablu and teach him how to plant the seeds?”
Kirsten’s eyes widened after this. She felt an electrifying current running through the edges of her brown, curled hair. If she was not mistaken, Jiablu was the name of that newcomer. Was the Cardinal serious? He wanted her, who was incapable of speech, to guide him? There was no sense behind it at all.
“You think it’s impossible?” Cardinal Roschal was psychic. “We set our own limits, Kirsten. I have already spoken with him about the possible routines in this place. You’ll be surprised by how interested he is in things others find mundane.”
Kirsten remembered the boiled potatoes, and how enthusiastic the newcomer was when he ate them. Somehow, she felt that what the Cardinal had said was true. Indeed, he was a strange one. She had seen it with her own eyes.
After some thoughts, Kirsten nodded in consent. The Cardinal chuckled in delight. “Good. Good! This is hitting two birds with one stone! Then, I’ll
leave Jiablu in your hands, Kirsten!”
She did not understand what the Cardinal meant by hitting two birds with one stone, but she nodded regardless.
After the Cardinal disappeared from sight, she immediately went looking for Jiablu.
She glanced left and right. For a moment, she was worried she had lost him. She had a very poor sight, after all.
Ah! Over there!
Luckily, he was not far from her. She briskly walked towards him, careful not to trip over her own faded dress. She grabbed his shoulder, and he shot a glare at her.
For a moment, she shriveled. But she remembered the words of the Cardinal. She once again summoned her courage.
She grabbed his hand as she tried to lead her towards the garden. There were a few seconds of struggle as Jiablu remained rooted on the ground.
“What is it?” he said, obviously irritated.
It was the first time Kirsten heard him speak, and it made her stop and stare for a moment.
What a beautiful voice, she thought.
It was full of arrogance, and probably hatred—Kirsten was not sure. But there was an indescribable melody within it that made Kirsten somehow associate it with music.
How am I going to explain it to him?
Half-panicking, she stormed her mind of ways to explain her intentions to him. A paper and a quill were luxuries, and she did not have one.
And an unexpected event that shook her to the core transpired.
“You can’t speak, huh?” said a voice in Kirsten’s head. “What is it? Stop wasting time and tell me.”
She looked left and right, before realizing to whom the voice in her head belonged to. Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets as she stared at Jiablu.
This young man was capable of magic? Kirsten had read some books before, and she knew that most people needed runes and incantations to perform one.
Voiceless. Without runes. Without incantations. Was he a genius? But, where did he learn magic? The Magic Academy?
“What is it?” repeated Jiablu.
To her surprise, within her mind, Kirsten was able to muster a reply, “T-The Cardinal told me to teach you how to plant seeds. W-We should go the… the G-Garden?”
Her reply was crude, unpracticed. But somehow, this brought a tear to her eyes. Jiablu stared at her in bewilderment as she silently sobbed. It was the first time she had experienced what it was like to speak. Though it was done through magic, it was still an indescribably pleasant sensation. She could not stop the tears from falling.
“The Cardinal, huh? Then, maybe I should go with you,” said Jiablu. “What are you crying for? Come. Lead the way.”
With a broad smile, Kirsten gave an enthusiastic nod.
Chapter 25: Planting Seeds
The sun was still scorching when Kirsten and Jiablu went towards the garden. A few dozen kids were already there, shoveling and digging through the ground. The two of them saw sets of gardening equipment resting on a nearby tree. Beside it were two small sacks filled to the brim with seeds.
“W-We’ll grab some shovels… t-then we’ll f-find some good soil, okay?” said Kirsten.
Even now, she was still flustered by the fact that she was able to easily communicate with Jiablu using magic. Her every utterance of words were crude, awkward. But thankfully, Jiablu did not seem to mind. He merely gave a small nod as he wordlessly followed.
As she had expected, this young man was of few words. It was a relief, at the very least. Kirsten did not know what she would do if he suddenly asked questions to which she held no answer.
Upon reaching the place where the tools were located, she explained, “The… The Cardinal has entrusted me the task of t-teaching you. I’ll do my best. Erm… have you ever tried farming before, Jiablu?”
There was a small pause, as Jiablu stared straight through Kirsten’s spectacles.
“No,” he simply replied.
“I see. Then, I’ll start from scratch,” she breathed. “You may have noticed, but most of the kids are using a shovel to dig through the ground. We won’t be doing that… or to be precise, we’ll deviate from that. A little bit?”
Jiablu looked around. Indeed, it was just like she had said. Soil and dirt flew everywhere as the kids dug through the ground using their rusty shovels.
“I’ve r-read a book before… about Acalpia and Cottonfeet,” said Kirsten, her voice somewhat lacking in confidence. If the other kids saw the two of them, they would think that they were merely staring at each other. “If you plant them deep into the ground, they will grow faster because of the absorbed minerals.”
“Just like what those humans are doing,” Jiablu stated observantly.
“Yes,” nodded Kirsten. “B-But that’s wrong. Plants are living creatures, and it would never be good to accelerate their growth in such a short period of time. Surely, they would sprout faster from the ground, but the end result would be a weak, fragile plant. Life is a process. You can never achieve the important things… the fundamental things, in an instant.”
Kirsten saw Jiablu’s eyes widen after her remark. Did she say something wrong? Maybe, she was being too bossy? For a moment, she felt worried.
“I see. That makes sense,” said Jiablu. This statement made Kirsten heave a sigh of relief.
“Here. Take this,” said Kirsten as she handed Jiablu a small shovel. She grabbed some seeds and placed them inside her pocket. With a sprinkler in her hand, she added, “A place with enough exposure to sunlight is good… but we also need to consider the soil.”
She glanced around. After she found a good spot, she nodded at Jiablu and led the way. They reached a small clearing filled with newly sprouted weeds.
Nervous, she chocked her next words out, “C-Could y-you help me… pluck those weeds out? Ah! If you’re tired… or don’t want to dirty your clothes, it’s fine! I mean… it’s fine! Really!”
She was flustered. Was she asking too much? This was actually the first time she had conversed for so long with another person. She did not know the proper words to say, at all.
To her surprise, Jiablu bent down and started pulling out the weeds. Dirt flew in each corner as the plants were uprooted from the ground.
“Thank you…,” was all she was able to say. She crouched and started pulling the weeds out, too.
“After meeting the so called Cardinal, I have come to realize an important thing,” said Jiablu, his hands still plucking out the weeds. “My master’s wish is my top priority. My pride is secondary.”
Kirsten was puzzled by his statement, but she nodded regardless. She felt the weight of each of those words, despite coming from someone merely her age.
“So, what do we do next, human?” said Jiablu after all the weeds were plucked out.
Kirsten inspected the ground. Indeed, two people working together could get the job done faster. She approvingly nodded at this.
“First… b-before we begin,” said Kirsten. She pulled out the seeds in her pocket. Each was the size of a small pebble. “I want you to remember this… These seeds are our children.”
Jiablu raised a brow. Still, he did not comment but patiently waited for Kirsten to continue. She was grateful for that single fact. If he had mocked her and asked incessant questions, she would have shriveled like a gnarled wood.
“They are young… and defenseless. And it’s our job to make sure they are protected until they are able to stand on their own,” she said.
If another kid from the Orphanage had heard this, he would have laughed at her face. Her words were bizarre, definitely peculiar. But somehow, Jiablu seemed interested with the mundane topic. His eyes clearly told Kirsten that.
Thank God Aquina… he’s interested in farming, she thought.
“Please always remember that, Jiablu,” said Kirsten. “They’re our children. It is our job to nurture and protect them.”
“I see,” Jiablu innocently nodded.
“Then, let’s start,” said Kirsten, as she began shoveling through
the ground.
Jiablu wordlessly watched, since they have only one shovel. Soil and dirt flew to one direction, and beads of sweat started forming on Kirsten’s face.
“What are you doing?” said Jiablu, when he noticed that Kirsten was putting the shoveled soil back to its place.
“Ah, you remember what I’ve told you, right?” said Kirsten. “The soil matters. If it’s too hard, the plants will have a hard time spreading their roots. It’s our job to make sure they have it easy during their youth.”
Jiablu smiled at this. “Interesting. So, there is such a way? Humans really excel in the most mundane of things.”
Kirsten did not know if that was a complement or an insult. More importantly, she had realized that she had yet to introduce herself. She turned red from embarrassment.
“B-By the way… I haven’t introduced my name yet, right?” she said, her breathing somewhat heavier. “I’m Kirsten Leonhart. Y-You can just call me Kirsten… if you want.”
There was no reply, and this made Kirsten’s body stiffen further. What should she do if he hated her because of that? She never had friends before. She had no idea what to do.
Stupid, Kirsten! You’re so stupid! she reprimanded herself. He didn’t ask for your name, right? Stupid!
There was an awkward silence between the two of them after that. At least, that was what Kirsten thought. She shoveled with all her might, as she tried to wash away all the embarrassment in her heart. As expected, conversing with another person was hard for someone like her.
“Done. Finally,” she breathed.
She grabbed the sprinkler. “Pouring water directly to the seeds won’t do. It’s better to water the soil first… then add the seeds after.”
Jiablu intently watched as she watered the ground. After she was done, she broadly smiled.
“It’s your turn, Jiablu. Plant the seeds!” she said with enthusiasm.
Somehow, she knew that she had become so talkative. Probably due to the fact that it was her first time to experience what it was like to speak, though through magic. An extremely exhilarating feeling.
