* * *
Most grass and trees sleep during the winter.
Even when it isn’t winter, they often sleep at night. That means a winter night is the absolute worst condition for me to hear or feel anything.
Getting down to the city wasn’t a problem, but it was so hard to resonate because everyone was either asleep or just about to be. Something was still telling to me from somewhere, but its strength was too weak. Moreover, that reporting was becoming smaller and more infrequent.
Lights were hung here and there, and the last remains of the sunset glow crumbled away completely.
And then, I finally found it.
“What is… this?”
Despite all the circling around I did, the place I reached was the pile of planks where Miros had been three days ago. The front of that clumsily stacked pile was a mess.
Frozen blood was thick on the hard ground, and that beautiful thing was ruined, sprawled out on top of it. Why is it broken like this? I approached Miros and asked.
“Where did your arm go? And your eyes?”
Miros’s eyes, which used to shine brilliantly like amber, had been gouged out and were empty. Their arm, which looked like a newly sprouted fern, had been cut off as if it were torn. They looked like they had spilled almost all their blood; there wasn’t even much left to seep out.
Why? Why did they ruin the beautiful Miros? If they had simply killed them, I wouldn’t have been as puzzled.
For some reason, Miros didn’t die. Their eyes were taken and an arm was cut off, but they are still breathing. Why make them like this? Weren’t humans supposed to be creatures with their own intelligence?
Why did they do such a senseless thing?
If they weren’t going to eat them or kill them, why did they do something so incomprehensible? Taking the eyes is even stranger. What would they do with something like that?
It’s truly a strange thing.
The beautiful thing was barely gasping for air. They couldn’t even answer my question. It’s highly likely they didn’t even realize I was here.
Is there anything else? I looked around the area. Then, I finally found it. The thing that had been telling the smell of blood to me.
—It was you.
It was a tiny blade of grass. A small sprout so tiny I couldn’t even guess what it would grow into. A little thing whose stem was just beginning to stretch. It’s still so cold, but for some reason, it must have sprouted too early. I cradled it in my arms.
—Thank you for telling me.
I don’t know what happened, but I don’t have time right now. Miros is very small and weak. I don’t know how they’ve held on until now, but they will stop breathing soon.
“Miros, are you going to live?”
There is still no answer. This is the most important part, but they can’t answer.
If Miros dies, it will be such a waste. It might be disappointing. But all things circulate like that. It’s not something I should interfere with, nor do I particularly want to.
No, saying I can’t would be more accurate. This is a human affair, and it is Miros’s natural order as a human. I have no right to step in.
If Miros wanted it, that might be different, but unfortunately, Miros doesn’t seem to have the consciousness to ask me for salvation.
I looked down at the slowly dying Miros.
So, this is how humans die. They die for no reason at all. They really are beings that die just by breathing.
Miros was so beautiful, but they aren’t beautiful right now. It’s because they are broken. And they will die soon.
What a waste. If it’s going to be like this, they should just give them to me.
‘Wait?’
A thought like a bolt of lightning flashed through my mind.
They are all broken and dying.
Even if they are in a group of their own kind, even if they are a star-blessed individual, leaving them to die like this… means they aren’t needed, right?
Then, wouldn’t it be okay if I stole them away?
My heart, which had been hollow with regret, suddenly started thumping.
I can have them. I can have this lovely thing. They will be mine.
They are broken right now, but it’s okay. I can fix this. I can make them beautiful again.
Because Miros is beautiful, they can bloom anew.
I picked up the sprawled-out Miros and kissed their forehead.
With just that, Miros’s bleeding stopped, and the wounds healed.
Color began to return to their pale skin.
I looked around for no reason. There is nothing.
The grass that was telling to me is already in my arms.
Things like wood bundles or piles of planks have been dead for a long time, so they won’t be able to report anything.
It’s a dark night and winter, so even the tall trees didn’t see this.
If I steal this away now, it means no one will know.
Ah, this is dangerous. I shouldn’t do this.
Twisting this child’s natural order as I please is a wrong act.
I shouldn’t go against what the humans have decided.
Whatever the reason, the humans decided to abandon this child.
Their kind decided to throw away the blessing.
But, but…
Doesn’t that make it okay? Wouldn’t it be okay for me to take them?
Yes, it will be fine.
This is mine now. My Miros. The humans gave up on this.
They decided to throw it away! I can take it! No one will know anyway, right?
The things with roots, the humans, and everyone else—no one will know!
I know it would be okay if I put them back right now. I know that.
But my happy imagination had already stretched out endlessly. I couldn’t stop.
My heart is thumping. I’m so excited I don’t know what to do.
And so, I hugged Miros tightly to my chest and hurried toward my nest.
Miros is mine now. The prettiest thing is mine.
And so, I stole a human star.
I know it’s a foolish thing to do.
But they didn’t need them over there.
They even took their beautiful eyes and arm and left them to die.
So, isn’t it okay that I secretly brought them here?
Despite the excitement of stealing Miros away, Miros didn’t wake up.
“Why? What’s the problem?”
It’s very strange. Their life force is sufficient, so why won’t they wake up?
It just happens to be winter, so most are sleeping.
Even if I want to communicate with something else, there are no individuals who can properly relay the message.
In the end, I had to wake Harvey up again, just as he was trying to fall asleep.
Harvey got very angry at me. He said I woke him up again when he had finally fallen back asleep.
But I couldn’t help it. Our Miros won’t wake up.
Did something go wrong? It’s frustrating because I can’t see any particular problem with my eyes. There might be something I haven’t noticed.
Because I asked so earnestly, Harvey followed me while grumbling, as if he had no choice.
It was the first time I actually brought Harvey into my nest.
There was never a reason to call him before.
Harvey had never been curious about my nest, either.
Maybe because he hadn’t fully woken up, Harvey rubbed his eyes and grumbled.
“Now you’re even bringing me into your nest.”
“I’m sorry. You’re the only one I know who knows about humans.”
“I’m not a human either. I’ve just seen them a bit more, that’s all.”
“Why won’t this one wake up?”
I showed Miros to Harvey. When Harvey saw Miros, he jumped in shock.
“My goodness! What are you going to do with a half-dead human child? There’s nothing to even eat!”
“But this one is beautiful.”
“Don’t bring trash into the house for no reason; throw it away right now!”
“No. I’m going to make them beautiful again.”
Calling them trash—that’s too much. Using such violent words for something so beautiful.
Unfortunately, Harvey didn’t realize how beautiful and lovely Miros was. He just kept shouting to throw them away.
“You just said it was a beautiful human! Not a lump of meat that’s basically a rag! They aren’t even pretty!”
“That’s rude. Miros is really, really beautiful. And they are just a little broken; it’s not that bad. As soon as they wake up, I can fix them right away.”
The fact that they look bad right now isn’t a big deal. The problem is that they aren’t waking up. To restore their broken state, the will to accept my power—a miracle—is essential, but there is no way for them to express that.
Humans are creatures that must express their will directly through their voices. They can’t tell like the grass or trees I prove.
Even if I try to fix them as I please, Miros is too fragile.
If I make a mistake and they melt away completely because of my power, what a disaster that would be. That’s not why I stole them.
I gently soothed the raging Harvey and carefully asked again.
“Why on earth won’t they wake up? Their life force is full. I called you because they won’t wake up at all.”
“Why on earth would you pick up a living corpse like this?”
“What should I do to make them wake up?”
At my question, Harvey scrunched his nose and made a groaning sound. Then, he let out a breath as if he had given up and spoke.
“Humans are fragile. There are times when they can’t wake up just because they were badly hurt.”
“Even though they’ve already recovered?”
“They call it shock. It’s a way of dealing with unbearable pain.”
Harvey said that while tapping his head. In short, it’s a problem of the mind.
He explained that if a human’s physical damage is too severe, their mind can also collapse.
Harvey’s explanation was blunt but kind. However, I still had questions.
“Why? They weren’t a spiritual being to begin with.”
“A human’s body is the vessel for their mind. Those spiritual beings you think of ‘manifest’ a body to exercise physical force. It’s completely different. For them, even if the body is a bit broken, they recover quickly as long as the mind is fine. But a human’s mind is mediated through the body, so if that collapses, the mind spills out. Even if you manage to scoop it back up, it takes time until it sticks back on.”
“…Is that how it is?”
“That’s how it is. Don’t think too deeply. Anyway, this one can’t wake up right now.”
I wanted to say something was strange, but he says that’s what a human is. If that’s how it is, what choice do I have? I just have to accept it.
In short, a human must have both their mind and body intact to function normally.
But to fix the body, I have to fix the mind, yet they won’t wake up.
What on earth am I supposed to do?
I feel a bit discouraged. Am I going to lose Miros like this? I don’t want that.
“Then, is there no way?”
“…If you take good care of them, they’ll wake up someday. As long as they don’t die.”
It seems I have no choice but to wait for them to recover on their own. It wasn’t an answer I liked very much, but there was nothing I could do.
I can’t show them to another human, either. Then they would find out I stole them.
Even if they were left to die, Miros is very beautiful and a star-blessed individual.
Even if they wanted them dead, if they found out I stole them, they would try to find them.
Maybe they would harm them again. The ones who made Miros like this were their own kind, humans. If I showed them to save them, but they tried to kill them again, it would all be for nothing.
I lay down next to Miros, who was placed down carefully.
“I wonder when they’ll wake up.”
I hope they wake up soon.
* * *
