A swamp monster was poking his head out of the yard. He was holding a shoe full of mud in one hand and a lamp in the other. These were things that Mei Li had dropped on the road when she went to look for him.
As soon as Mei Li went out, a shoe appeared in front of her nose.
"Okay, thank you for helping me find it." Mei Li picked up the shoe and lifted it aside, soaking it with the other shoe.
The swamp monster followed her and came to the small pond she had specially made by diverting water, with a vegetable garden nearby.
Looking at her half-vacant vegetable patch, Mei Li felt the urge to water it.
"Cute, can you do me a favor?"
Hearing the word cute, the Swamp Thing gave her his hand.
Mei Li laughed and pulled him to the edge of the vegetable patch, made him stand in the middle of the patch, and then tried to pour water on him.
Because of the previous experience, Mei Li was afraid that the "bath water" would be dissolved by accident, so he stopped when he saw that the "bath water" had almost flowed into all parts of the vegetable garden.
I have been thinking about this scene for a long time, but I waited until today to realize it.
Finally, I did such a cruel thing to him.
"I will take responsibility." Mei Li held back her laughter and dragged the swamp monster that had been showered for no apparent reason out of the ground.
The swamp monster had no idea what she was saying, and looked confused and easy to fool. Seeing him like this, Mei Li wanted to tease him, so she pulled a grass stem from the side, made a big ring, and attached a wild flower on it.
Then she held up the "ring", coughed lightly, and asked seriously: "After what happened yesterday, I feel that I have a deeper understanding of you. I think it's time for our relationship to take a step further. Are you willing to be my boyfriend, Mr. Lovely?"
Hearing the word cute, the swamp creature offered her his hand.
Mei Li laughed, held his big hand, and while laughing put the ring on his finger. However, due to the poor quality, the ring fell apart as soon as it was put on.
Mei Li: "... Well, I'll make you another one."
She made a more solid grass ring again and slowly pushed it into the gray-white fingers. Her smile faded a little, and suddenly she felt a little indescribable melancholy.
She seemed to be attracted to this silent monster, but she was not sure whether he understood human emotions.
Giving him a straw ring half impulsively and half jokingly was probably her greatest courage and deepest cowardice.
The green grass ring was put on her finger. Mei Li pinched the long finger and was silent for a moment. She raised her head and smiled at the swamp monster, "... OK."
"I took it as your consent."
"You're not at a loss anyway, your girlfriend is so cute for free."
Mei Li's next words suddenly got stuck in her throat, because the swamp monster gently stroked her cheek with the hand wearing the ring. This was the first time he took the initiative to touch her face.
The flowers in the garden bloomed, attracting many small butterflies, and water droplets rolled on the freshly watered green seedlings.
Mei Li blinked, came back to her senses from her trance, and held his hand, "You learned this from me again."
She had occasionally reached out and touched his face before, and now he did the same, learning many of his moves from her.
If you think back for a moment, you can see that the swamp monster has changed a lot since the beginning, and so has she.
The change from fear to love for him was so quick and natural that Mei Li sometimes even found herself amazed when she thought about it.
He was a terrible monster, a swamp monster hated by goblins and humans, but apart from the terrifying appearance and legends, the swamp monster she knew was like a lonely child.
Longing to be heard, seen, loved and accompanied by others.
Awkward and sincere.
The swamp monster followed her example, pulled a grass stem from the ground to make a grass ring, and handed it to her.
Mei Li understood what he meant almost immediately. She didn't take the grass stem, but smiled deliberately and said, "I'm giving you a grass ring, and you're giving me a piece of grass. I don't want it. Wait until you learn how to make a grass ring and then give it to me!"
Seeing that she didn't take it, the swamp monster obviously didn't know what to do. He slightly opened his gray lips and pushed the grass in his hand towards her again.
Mei Li didn't take it, but just stretched out a finger. The swamp monster placed the grass stem on her finger and it fell lightly.
He bent down again to pick up the grass stem, and stood in a daze while holding it.
Mei Li: “…” I feel like I’m bullying him.
The two figures standing by the vegetable garden downstairs were clearly reflected in a pair of emerald green eyes on the second floor.
She heard the absurd conversation below and saw their unimaginable communication. The emerald green that had become somewhat turbid seemed to be condensed with a layer of ice.
Mei Li walked into the house humming a light tune and saw Mrs. Peg coming downstairs, which was a rare occasion during the day.
She looked at her with a completely new gaze, as if she had temporarily put aside her arrogance and indifference and really looked her in the eye. However, this look was also filled with a strong sense of unhappiness.
"Do you know how ridiculous what you are doing?" Mrs. Peg said as soon as she opened her mouth.
There was a shadow between them, and Mei Li stood at the kitchen door, stepping on the light. She met Mrs. Peg's sharp eyes and said, "I'm doing something happy."
"I have left you alone, but you had better not give me any trouble," said Mrs. Peg coldly.
"What can I do that would cause you trouble?" Mei Li asked.
"That thing outside is a trouble now. Don't provoke it again." Mrs. Peg said in a tone that did not allow for rebuttal. Obviously, she did not want to hear her answer anymore. She walked up the stairs gracefully and dignifiedly and returned to the second floor.
Mei Li shrugged, ignored her warning, took the basket from the kitchen and walked out.
The swamp monster was still waiting for her outside. Mei Li walked up to him and whispered to him, "You were just disliked by your mother-in-law, but it doesn't matter. To me, she is just a stepmother at most."
"Rebellion against the stepmother is a classic fairy tale plot."
The swamp monster was still holding the grass stem in a daze.
Mei Li: “…” Okay, let’s see how long you want to worry about it.
Aunt Maggie's body was found, given a simple funeral, and buried in the cemetery.
Hesha went to the funeral and felt sad, so she ran to find her friends to chat.
She followed the road less traveled by, and before she reached the garden hut at the edge of the forest, she saw Mary sitting by the stream, her hair full of tiny flowers, and a bunch of small white wild flowers next to her had been plucked out.
"Meli, what's wrong with you?"
Mei Li cleaned the flowers on her head and laughed dryly: "I... am playing with flowers."
Just now, she was careless and picked a bunch of wild flowers and threw them at the swamp monster. Then, when she was sitting here washing her hands, she was caught off guard and the swamp monster started to imitate her, picking a bunch of wild flowers and throwing them at her head.
Now many tiny flowers are stuck in the hair and can’t be removed.
Seeing her little friend like this, Hesha's heavy mood improved a lot. She stepped forward to help pick out all the wild flowers on Meili's head.
Mei Li led her home, and when she wasn't paying attention, he turned around and patted the swamp monster's hand. He was still holding some wild flowers in his hand, and if he threw them down at this time, Hesha would definitely be scared.
After warning the swamp monster, Meili turned around and talked to Hesha.
Hesha talked about what happened at the market. When Meili walked in front of her, she suddenly exclaimed, "Meili, why are there still a few wild flowers on your hair?" She had clearly cleaned them up just now.
Mei Li touched his head and said, "I put it there myself." It must have been put there by the swamp monster.
Hesha chatted absentmindedly for a while, but couldn't help talking about that incident, "Meili, you don't know yet, Aunt Maggie's body has been found."
Mei Li blinked, looking surprised: "Ah? Didn't they say it sank into the swamp and couldn't be found?"
Hesha whispered, "This is very strange. Everyone is talking about it. They are all saying that Aunt Maggie was actually... killed by a witch because her body showed some terrible changes."
This time Mei Li's surprise was even more real. "Witch? Do witches really exist?"
Hesha: "Everyone says there is, but I don't really believe it. Actually..."
She looked at Mary hesitantly, about to say something.
Mei Li was puzzled, "What?"
The two of them had already walked into the garden. The flowers on Mei Li's hair were about to fall off, her face had a healthy blush, and her amber eyes looked at her, appearing clear and bright.
Hesha pursed her lips and said vaguely: "Nothing."
She played here for a while and was about to go back, so Mei Li cut a few flowers from the garden and gave them to her.
Hesha went back with the flowers. Her brother Evan peeked out from upstairs, saw the flowers in her arms, and ran downstairs.
"Hersha, have you been to that witch's house again?"
Hesha covered his mouth with her hand and shushed him, her expression full of disapproval, "Evan, stop saying that!"
Evan was young and was scolded by his sister. He pouted and said, "Everyone says that Mrs. Peg who lived there before was actually a witch."
Hertha: "Mrs. Peg is dead, and now only Mary lives there. She's a good girl, not a witch at all!"
Evan muttered, "But Barry and the others said that Mellie became a witch like her mother, and that she was responsible for Aunt Maggie's death..."
Hesha picked up the flowers in her hand and hit her brother on the head, "Stop following their nonsense!"
Seeing her snort and take the flowers to go upstairs, Evan rubbed his nose and followed her, "But Hesha, she is a weirdo. Don't go to the house over in the forest again. It's dangerous over there."
Hesha covered her ears to show that she didn't want to listen.
Aunt Maggie's body was found, and many people saw her old body and found that her heart was gone. Someone spread the news that Aunt Maggie was killed by a witch.
Witches are evil. They can kill people with mysterious powers and eat people's hearts.
Because of their strange habits, witches are all loners. Among them, the most loners and eccentric people are Mrs. Peg and her daughter who live on the edge of the forest.
"I have long suspected that Mrs. Peg is a witch. She looks so beautiful just to seduce people. That is the power of a witch!" The neighbor aunt said so confidently.
A friend who used to play with her also said: "I have always felt that the current Meili is different from the previous Meili. Her change must be because she has become a witch."
There were many more such words that were spread secretly following the death of Aunt Maggie.
Hesha heard a lot of things like this and felt anxious for Mary. She had been with Mary for so long and knew that she was a friendly, hardworking and kind girl, but she had no way to explain it for her.
I had wanted to tell her about this today, but in the end I couldn't. Hesha looked at the flowers in the vase and sighed worriedly.