Chapter 6: Chapter 6: The Tale of Princess Potato

Cherry tried to recall every detail that she could remember, all the while staring at her reflection. She pictured Charlie’s face beside hers. The ghostly pale skin, the dark red hair, the bright red eyes with odd tints of pink, the nose, the lips...they were nearly identical.

Could he be…Cherry’s eyes widened further as her mind began to connect the dots. Could Charlie possibly be-

“Heeey!” Theodore knocked on the door, disrupting Cherry out of her speculations. “You done in there yet?”

“Oh!” Cherry had forgotten about him. “Yeah, I’m done! Sorry!” She became mildly annoyed with his impeccable interruption. Well, it’s no matter. She could always continue her thoughts in her next free time. The young lady in pink opened the door, presenting her new appearance.

“Huh,” said Theodore, his black orbits observing her new dress. “Not bad. Seems like it suits you well.”

“Thank you,” she replied, “It’s quite comfortable.”

“Glad to hear,” He turned around. “Now then, follow me! I wanna show you something.”

And so, the two continued their little stroll. Whether it was the natural passing of time or the genuine relief from coarse clothes, Cherry relaxed her composure. She continued to marvel at the interior decorations, and before she knew it, the two already reached their destination.

“Aaaand here we are!” Theodore announced, opening the double doors before him. “Welcome to our…er, more like my library. No one else really visits this place besides me.”

Cherry gazed in wonderment. Her eyes immediately scanned the new room introduced to her.

“Well?” He glanced at the lady beside him. “Whaddya think?”

“It’s not too big nor too small,” She commented, observing the tall bookshelves across the room. “It seems rather cozy here.”

“Right?” Theodore agreed, entering the room first. “It’s the best room to take naps in. Whenever there aren't any chores, I’d always pick a random book and read until I snooze.” He walked towards the center of the room which was occupied by rectangular tables. “You’re lucky that I already finished all my cleaning duties yesterday. So, we’re just going to pass time here.”

“So, if there’s no work today…” Cherry began.

“That’s right! It’s storytime!” Theodore finished her sentence. He turned back around, revealing a book that suddenly appeared in his hands. “Come sit! I want to share a nice story I have with you!”

“Where did you get that book from?” Cherry questioned.

“...From my pocket?”

“How big are those pockets?!”

“Pretty big,” He cleared his throat. “Anyways, that doesn’t matter! Come make yourselves comfy!” He patted the chair beside him.

“Alright then,” Cherry followed along, sitting on the velvet red chair and resting her elbows on the table.

“You ready?”

She nodded, ignoring her internal ringings to listen curiously.

Theodore opened his book. Rather than turning to the very first page, he flipped it open directly in the middle. He was silent for a moment before he lifted the book upwards, his hair uncovering the side of his masked face for Cherry to see. Now that she could observe him more closely, she noticed some faint, thin lines on the side of his mask. Perhaps that was the result of his habitual mask scratching, Cherry thought to herself. She didn’t bother to think about it any further, as Theodore finally began his storytelling, clearing his throat and taking a deep breath. The young lady emptied her mind to picture the scenes with every word elegantly spoken.

“…Once upon a time, in a lush, mystical forest, dwellers of many backgrounds lived in harmony. Among them, there was once…a potato.”

“A what?” Cherry opened her eyes, interrupting her imagination to stare at the storyteller.

“A potato!” Theodore answered cheerfully. “But! She was no ordinary potato. She was Princess Potato!”

“She’s royalty?!”

“I guess so,” He shrugged and faced back to his book. 

“Ahem, Princess Potato once lived a normal life like many others in the forest. One day, she and her family were invited to a grand feast.”

“For a princess, she lived normally like the rest?”

"Don't sweat the details," He shrugged once more.

“Anyways, Princess Potato was very delighted. She was never invited to the feast before, and she believed it would be a joyful, once-in-a-lifetime experience. As such, she dragged her brother, Prince Potato, along with her. She ignored her brother’s refusals to join her, believing that he will surely change his mind once they arrived. When they did, a fox with a golden top hat approached them.”

“‘Welcome, new guests!’ said the fox. ‘I am the Overseer of this feast. I am so pleased that you’ve accepted my invitations! Since you two are new, how about I show you around?’” The potatoes (mostly Princess Potato) no doubt agreed. ‘Fantastic! I promise you that it will be a fun tour! Just make sure not to get lost within the crowd!’”

“And so, the potatoes (mostly Princess Potato) feasted their eyes, witnessing the marvelous park filled with magic and creative trinkets. Like, uh, walking, glowing vines, and musical leaves, and giant golden gears and all that. Yeah, just cool magical and mechanical stuff. Anyways, the little tour didn’t last for long, when all of a sudden…”

“Slam! Out of nowhere, a bird suddenly crashed into Princess Potato!”

“‘Ouch!’” Theodore’s voice cracked as he spoke in a high-pitched tone. Cherry smiled at his poor voice acting. “‘What was that for?!’ cried Princess Potato. But wait! She recognized the bird. It was Silly Bird, her classmate and friend!”

“They had school? Since when?”

“Since now,” Theodore cleared his throat. “Anyways!”

“‘Oh hey, Princess Potato!’ greeted Silly Bird. 'Nice to see you here! Sorry about the crash. I wanted to get away from my strict brother. Since you are here too, how about we enjoy the feast together?’”

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“Princess Potato thought for a moment. ‘Sure,’ she answered. ‘I don’t see why not! Right, bro…ther…?’ The potato frantically looked around in horror, realizing that she had been separated from her tour group. She cried in panic, then glared at the responsible individual beside her. ‘...Sorry,’ muttered Silly Bird. ‘But don’t worry! With my good hearing, we will find them in no time!’”

“And so, the two of them began their search. Silly Bird’s ears attempted to pick up the famous, recognizable voice of the Overseer. But to no avail, the jumbled voices of the massive crowds were too much for his ears to handle. He was about to give up until he spotted Sweet Bird, one of his siblings, sitting on a large, leafy bench, munching on a treat.”

“‘Hey sis!’ said Silly Bird. ‘Have you seen a potato or a fox around here?’”

“‘A potato or a fox? Sure I have. They went that way,’ said Sweet Bird, as she pointed towards an enormous gathering of other feast-goers. With so many guests, it was impossible to spot individuals within the mass. ‘...Ooor, how about you join us instead?’ asked Silly Bird. ‘Your keen sight would be really helpful.’”

“Sweet bird thought for a moment, then offered a bargain. ‘I will join you if you could get me more of these delicious sweets,’ she said. To Silly Bird’s dismay, the line for the treats was incredibly long. But wait, Silly Bird noticed Short Bird, another one of his siblings, within the line! What luck!”

“‘Hey, Short Bird!’ said Silly Bird as he approached his sibling. ‘Will you get some more treats for me? I’ll pay you back!’ The little bird agreed, and so, Silly Bird and Princess Potato waited. However, with each passing minute, the potato grew more anxious.”

“‘If you can’t sit around, how about you go and search on your own around here?’ suggested Silly bird. And so she did. She ran around the area, trying to find any familiar faces within the crowd.”

“Unfortunately, she grew tired, and her legs had gone weak. Poor Princess Potato went too far from her bird friends, and thus, she was entirely lost and alone. Exhausted and dejected, she sat on the nearest leafy bench and sighed…and so too did a bird next to her as well.”

“‘What’s wrong?’ asked Princess Potato.”

“‘Well, I argued with my siblings not too long ago,’ replied the bird. ‘And now, I can’t find them anywhere!’”

“‘Are you perhaps…Silly Bird’s brother?’”

“‘Unfortunately, yes.’”

“‘...Did you say something that upset them?’”

“‘All I said was that the feast is a waste of time!’”

“Hey, why are you laughing?” Theodore asked Cherry as he looked up.

“S-sorry…” Cherry continued to giggle. “Your…your voice acting is…is erm…”

“Outstanding, I know,” He flipped his ponytail pridefully. 

“‘Clearly you’ve never attended the feast before either,’ Princess Potato responded. She suggested that Strict Bird should see what his family had experienced without him. The bird reluctantly agreed.’”

“‘Okay…but where are they?’ He asked.”

“‘I don’t exactly know where. I just know that they’re at a treat shop somewhere.’”

“‘Oh, at a treat shop? Then finding them will be simple! I have a rather good nose, so I can easily pick up food aromas!’ And so, by following a scented trail of sweets, the two eventually found the three birds happily eating freshly baked treats. However, the moment when they stopped to stare at Strict Bird, they proceeded to throw him dirty glares.”

“The strict bird clearly saw that they were all having a fun time without him. He should’ve felt upset that he’s obviously in the wrong, yet, his heart ached more than his pride.”

“‘Perhaps what you’re feeling isn’t much of shame…but rather loneliness?’ Princess Potato consoled him. ‘Even if your own opinion is right, they have their thoughts too. It’s not right to make your siblings follow your ideas, otherwise…otherwise they…they will leave you…’”

“Princess Potato fell onto her knees. At that moment, the princess realized her own mistake as well. She recalled how her brother never wanted to join her at the feast at all. Blinded by excitement, she never considered his feelings. Could her brother have intentionally avoided her because of this? Could that be why, with all her effort, she never found him? While the strict bird apologized and reconciled with his family, she continued to self-reflect.”

“‘It seems that you have realized it too. Good job!’ said Silly Bird. ‘Since you’ve helped our stupid brother, we will help you as well!’”

“And so, the silly bird used his ears, trying his best to detect any familiar voices among the ocean of soundwaves. The sweet bird used her eyes, scanning the feast as far as an eagle’s vision. The strict bird used his nose, picking up scents similar to Princess Potato. As for the short bird…erm…she just gave emotional support, comforting the potato. Yeah, that’s it.”

“Lo and behold, the three birds successfully located the Overseer and Prince Potato. And thus, the two potatoes were reunited!”

“‘Brother!’” Theodore coughed as his voice cracked in a high pitch squeal. He ignored Cherry’s laughter in the background. “‘I’m-’” Theodore dramatically sniffled. “‘I’m so sorry for forcing you to join me!’ Princess Potato cried. ‘I finally realized it now! We don’t have to stay if you don’t want to!’”

“‘Oh? You’re leaving already?’ asked the fox. ‘Are you sure? We haven’t started the main event of the feast yet!’”

“Prince Potato quietly looked at his bawling sister and the Overseer. He then gave his answer." 

"‘You know, I didn’t want to go at first, but the tour was pretty fun! I think I’ll stay after all!’”

“Relieved, the fox then turned towards the four birds. ‘You four…I don’t remember seeing you before. Are you perhaps new to the feast as well? How about you join us on our tour? We haven’t finished it after all!’ The four siblings looked at each other. There was no need to speak a word. All of them chirped in unison, gladly accepting the invitation.”

At that moment, Theodore’s voice suddenly became grim, his playful tone dissipating with each word. He slightly lowered his book and spoke slower.

“And so…the twins…the four siblings…and the Overseer…they all enjoyed the fest- the feast together…”

With one free hand, Theodore clutched onto his expressionless mask as if he was about to claw at it. “Yeah,” he murmured. “That’s right…Everyone…Everyone had a happy time…but…but then…” The storyteller fell silent, his hands and shoulders slightly twitching.

“Theo?” Cherry looked up in concern. “What’s wrong?”

Looking at his masked face more closely, Cherry had found her answer. To her horror, his black eye sockets flickered red once more.

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