Chapter 10: 9. Hide and Seek

There are carp in the pond here, feeding off the insects that swarm in the humid summer. Ripples of water shoot off across the surface of the pond, displaying just how many are swimming about. Duckweed Pond is the repository for two creeks  that join together in a basin, swollen with the recent summer rains. A shallow river runs off, winding toward the village where it supplies us all with fresh water for washing.

As promised, there are also wildflowers growing all along the blank, adding thick splashes of colour to the yellow-green of the grass.

“Okay, I am going to make everyone flower crowns. You have to wear them or else!” Little apple tells us excitedly, stomping out to the flower patch. More grasshoppers are sent shooting off in her wake, and she gives loud shrieks, but when one flies to her face she expertly karate chops it so hard it is flung off into the pond, skipping three times before being grabbed by a carp.

“An expert shot.” I observe seriously.

I have no interest in picking flowers, but nor do I want to go fishing. Jarrod is already eagerly rolling up his trouser legs and gathering grasshoppers to spear on the end of his fishing line. Hmm, what should I do to avoid joining in?

“I’ll go gather some worms.” I volunteer, gaining an emphatic thumbs up in response. Instead I grab a stick, poking at the soft mud aimlessly while wandering the bank, occasionally trying a few sword swings. Hmm, although I’m only three, I don’t know what to do about my future. That god said that a comfortable life would be part of my reincarnation, but does it mean only my childhood?

Perhaps I should look at my parents. My father is definitely very accomplished, able to take a pregnant wife he eloped with out here to the country to settle down for an easygoing life. But that’s not an option for me.

My mother comes from a family business, but she ran away from it. Do you think if I showed up as an adult, they’d let me work the counter of the store? I know all the basics of a store clerk and I’m not ambitious enough to steal anyone's inheritance. But then, do I want to spend the rest of my life cooped up inside a store?

I never got the full working experience besides a part-time job during my education years, but I think the novelty would wear off. Ah, I wanna see the world. A fantasy world full of magic and wonder, but the only thing I’ve seen is my own magic. Then something that would allow me to travel—

“Whoa, i’s getting away! Shorty, come quick!” Jarrod yells, interrupting my thoughts. I look up and see him struggling with his fishing rod, but don’t go to help him. Instead I watch as he is pulled into the pond with a large splash.

“Whoops.”

“Ah, Jarrod’s gonna be stinky!”

We help fish him out of the river, his teeth now chattering with cold.

“No way, I’m gonna get yelled at if I come back like this…”

“Then, hang your clothes on a tree to dry.” I point up to the old elm growing beside the pond. “We can find something to do while the sun dries it out.”

“Wow, good idea! You’re a smart one, shorty.”

No, you’re just stupid.

“Then what should we do?” Jarrod thinks as he throws his sopping wet clothes across the branches of the tree, stripping all the way down to his underwear. Um? Well, I guess it’s fine, we’re all children, and he’s not totally naked—WHOA!

“Ah, hey, leave those on around little apple!”

After some fuss, Jarrod agrees to keep his knickers on, and we settle on a game. Well, Jarrod and I do. Little apple has only completed one flower crown and seems intent on making one for all three of us but… I don’t really need it.

“Then, the winner can be crowned.” I compromise.

“Okay! Who’s it?”

We exchange glances, and then Jarrod and I hastily raise our hands at the same time.

“Not it!”

Little apple is just a step too slow. “Not—ah, you two! No fair!”

“Close your eyes, count to ten, and no peeking.” Jarrod warns, but doesn’t wait for her to even cover her eyes before he turns around and darts off into the field. As for me, I look around leisurely. I believe there’s a rock overhang nearby? I could probably climb into a crevasse between two boulders and comfortably avoid detection for a while.

I wander across the field, swiping at grass tufts until I reach my destination. A stack of large rocks that have been partially overgrown, creating a hill mount with an overhang. Let me see, I need a hole to hide in. Somewhere that isn’t easy to spot…

I spot exactly the kind of thing I need. Two flatter rocks leaning against each other to form a triangular hole, partially overgrown by grass. At my size, it’s easy to crawl in on all fours. Inside it appears that maybe an animal made the same conclusion as me, as the hole goes deeper than it initially appeared from the outside, looking like it’s been dug out. Well, that’s better for me. I can hide a little deeper so you can’t spot me from the outside, and it opens up enough to be roomy and comfortable to sit in.

It’s cool down here, cooler than outside where the air is hot and humid from summer. I feel my eyelids getting heavy over how soothingly dark and quiet it is. I feel like this would be a good place to hide in order to avoid lessons.

You are reading story Capitalism Ho! Peddling Wares in Another World at novel35.com

Before I know it, I end up nodding off. When I wake up with a jolt, I peer out of the entrance of the burrow—shocked by the sight of the night sky. Don’t tell me I really slept the day away? I panic, thinking about Jarrod and little apple. Just because I don’t consider myself friends with them, doesn’t mean I wanna make them worry.

I hastily crawl out of the hole, dusting off dirt from my knees and palms. I use my magic to summon forth a small flame, glowing with a violet-red light that signifies it’s infused with my magic. It hovers above my finger as though it were a candle, lighting the surrounding area and allowing me to see clearly in the dark.

I should hurry.

I run as fast as I can toward the road, then sprint down it back toward the village. I can see the lights on in the distance, and there are even people milling about near the entrance. No way! I’m really in for it now!

“Ah, someone fetch Erin and Gordon, I see someone coming! Quickly! That size—it’s not Jarrod. Bring Erin over quickly!” A voice cries out in the dark, and I see someone waving at me.

Panting, I slow down to a jog before I’m suddenly swept up in a tight, suffocating embrace.

“Where were you?!” My mother holds me tight enough I can’t breathe, sobbing into my shoulder. She pulls back, glaring at me with an anger I’ve never seen. “Idiot! When little apple came back to the village crying and alone, I was terrified that…”

She trails off, leaving me confused.

“H-huh? What do you mean, where’s Jarrod?” Don’t tell me he found an impossible hiding space too?

“Looking for you!” My mother explodes, causing me to shrink at the volume of her voice.

“Oh dear, calm down. The child is frightened.” An older woman speaks gently, “Little one, when the children couldn’t find you, Jarrod sent little apple back to the village for help and went on to search for you by himself.”

“He hasn’t come back yet.” My mother elaborates, just as the village blacksmith arrives.

“Is it Jarrod? Did he bring back—?”

“I’m sorry, Gordon. Jarrod is still out there…” My mother picks me up, holding me tightly as she speaks through tears.

Gordon’s face pales.

“Jarrod knows the area. He’ll come back.” She tries to reassure him, but the area is so quiet that a mutter from someone at the back of the crowd is clearly transmitted.

“But what about the monster that the woodsman spotted?”

“Shut up!” Someone else hisses.

I stare wide eyed around me in shocked silence. A monster?! If Jarrod is off on his own…

Mother glances down at me, sensing my unease. She hushes me softly. “Lio is looking with all the other men. If there’s a monster out there, your father can easily take care of it.”

A monster. I’ve never seen one, and I don’t fully know what it means. This village is so safe and peaceful, even a low-level cliché like a horned rabbit has never been mentioned even in passing. Monsters are spoken of as more legendary things, plaguing dangerous parts of the world. Our crummy little home without even a basic wall has never dreamt of it ever being an issue.

“I can help!” I quickly offer. This is my fault, after all. Although the radius of my “Seek” spell is only fifteen feet, if I work in a grid—

“No! We’re going straight home to wait for word from your father. No more going out.” As my mother shouts in a panic, I feel my body once again being squeezed. It’s like she’s afraid something is going to swoop down out of the sky and take me away if she loosens her grip for even a second.

She apologises again to the blacksmith before dragging me up the hill to our cottage. As soon as we get home, she slams the door behind us, setting me on the ground and grabbing me fiercely by the shoulders.

“Listen to me, little one! What did I tell you countless times? Never stay out after dark! Never go out alone! It’s. Not. Safe.”

“Monsters don’t normally—”

“I’m not talking about monsters!” She snaps, shaking with fear and anger. “Your father can protect you from monsters, but there are things in this world he cannot protect you from!”

After that, I’m even sent to bed without any supper.

You can find story with these keywords: Capitalism Ho! Peddling Wares in Another World, Read Capitalism Ho! Peddling Wares in Another World, Capitalism Ho! Peddling Wares in Another World novel, Capitalism Ho! Peddling Wares in Another World book, Capitalism Ho! Peddling Wares in Another World story, Capitalism Ho! Peddling Wares in Another World full, Capitalism Ho! Peddling Wares in Another World Latest Chapter