When he reached the first floor, he hid the flower behind his back and approached the arched door of the dining room on his right. He slowly peeked into the room. When he saw no one in the room and heard a noise coming from the kitchen, he tiptoed to the table, placed the bag on the chair and took a seat. He stowed the bloom beneath the table and waited for the woman.
A few minutes later, the woman in a pink apron emerged from the kitchen with two plates in her hands.
She was a healthy woman with a firm slim body and a gentle face. She had long, golden-blonde hair and silver eyes. Even though she was in her late thirties, her face and skin were smooth and youthful, like that of a young adult, due to her healthful lifestyle.
The boy and the woman exchanged smiles.
"Did you have a good dream last night?" asked the woman, placing the plates on the table.
"Yes… and no," replied the boy.
"So, is it good or bad?"
"Both. I had many dreams last night. Some were amazing, and some were terrifying. But all of them had one thing in common."
"And what's that?"
"They were all bizarre, very bizarre. It felt as if I embarked on a grand adventure, journeying through wondrous worlds and realms, witnessing countless marvelous things."
"Whoa! That sounds very exciting. I'm so jealous of you!"
"If you knew what I had encountered in my dreams, you wouldn't be jealous. And what about you? Did you have a good dream last night?"
"I didn't dream last night."
"Too bad, but at least you didn't have to experience a nightmare."
"Honestly, I want to have a nightmare."
"What?! Are you crazy?!"
Rosalia laughed. "No, not one bit. I just want to face my deepest fear and try to overcome it. If I win, I won't have to fear it anymore."
"And if you lose?"
"Then I will wet my bed."
They laughed.
Today's breakfast was Wentelteefjes, a delicious French toast dipped in a mixture of egg and milk and fried to perfection, served with strawberries and blueberries.
While they were enjoying their toast, the boy spoke, "Aunt Rosalia."
"What is it, Arthur?" asked the woman, munching her toast.
"I have something to show you."
"Really?! What is it?!"
"If I tell you, it won't be a surprise."
"You're right. I'll keep my mouth shut, then."
"The only thing I can tell is that it'll blow you away."
"For real?! Now, I can't wait to see it."
Arthur hid the flower behind his back, stood up and walked to his aunt.
"Now, close your eyes."
Rosalia closed her eyes. Arthur took the flower out from behind his back and brought it to her face.
"What do you feel?" asked Arthur.
"I feel… warm."
"What do you think it is?"
Rosalia through for a few seconds. "A lantern?"
"No."
"A lamp?"
Arthur chuckled.
"Okay, not a lamp." Rosalia chuckled as well. "Hmm… I have no idea."
"Then, open your eyes."
Rosalia opened her eyes and as soon as she saw the flower, she gasped in shock.
"Tada!" exclaimed Arthur. "I told you it'll blow you away."
"Oh, my goodness! Where did you find it?!" Rosalia covered her mouth with one hand and reached for the flower with the other hand.
Arthur handed her the flower. "I found it on my bed, when I woke up."
"How did it get there?"
"I don't know. But I guess it floated in through the window."
"But you've never opened the window."
"Exactly. I don't even know how my window was opened."
"That's spooky. Are you sure you didn't open it last night?"
"Sure! By the way, do you know what this flower is? Have you ever seen it before?"
Rosalia stared at the flower in silence for a moment before turning to Arthur and saying, "Honestly, I have."
"Seriously?!" shouted Arthur disappointingly. "And I thought I was the first person on earth who found a glowing flower."
Rosalia laughed. "But you might be the first person who found it on your bed."
"I hope so. Where did you see it?"
"In my hometown, there's a tree that blooms this white blossom at its heart."
"What is the name of this flower?"
Rosalia smiled. "The name of this flower is... Eva."
"What a beautiful name. Where does the name come from?"
"The name of the flower derives from the Goddess of Life, Eva, who is the first organism in the universe."
"Whoa! Hold on! The Goddess of Life?! Where did that come from?!"
"In my hometown, there is a religion called Sentaria, which has numerous tales and legends, similar to those found in other religions. In Sentaria, we believe that Eva is the goddess of life, who takes the form of a tree, and blooms white flowers, like the one in your hand but with five petals. She was born from Teragon, the Creator, who created the First Seed and sowed it into the dirt of the First Island. The seed grew into the First Eva, which was the first tree in the universe, the first organism, and the ancestor of all living things. Eva is like our second mother; that's why we respect her so much. Sometimes we call Eva the Tree of Life, and her flower the Flower of Life."
"Wow! I never knew there was a religion called Sentaria and a story like that before."
"Not everything is on the internet, right?"
"Right. Even so, I have never heard of them even once."
"That's because this religion and its stories only exist in my hometown."
"What is your hometown?"
"Astenburg."
"Astenburg… Astenburg…" Arthur tried to remember, scratching his chin. "Nope! Never heard of it before. Where is it?"
"It's in, uh, Switzerland."
Arthur took out his phone and searched for Astenburg.
"Weird. The internet doesn't have any information about your hometown. Not even a name."
"That's because it's a small town in a deep valley.
"Even if it's a small town in a deep valley, it should be on the map."
"Maybe no one knows about it; it's hidden deep in the forest after all."
"Ooh, a hidden town. I have to go see it with my own eyes."
"I'll take you there when the time is right. You have my word."
Arthur looked back at the flower and stared at it for a moment.
"Hmm... after examining the flower carefully, I think I've seen it before."
"Really?! When?!"
"It might sound weird, but I think I saw it in my dream last night."
"In your dream?"
"Yes, I saw a gigantic tree on a floating island in space, and it bloomed countless of these flowers. Even though my dreams are hazy now, I'm certain it's the same flower."
"A gigantic tree on a floating island?" Rosalia made a thinking face.
"You know something?"
"I believe that was the First Eva."
"The first tree of the universe?"
"Yes, but why did you see it? I have no idea."
"I have no idea either. Honestly, I saw many things in my dream, but I'll tell you another time."
"Maybe the Great Mother wants to show herself to you, to tell you that she's real."
"Or maybe it was just a coincidence."
"There is no coincidence, everything happens for a reason."
"What are you? A philosopher?"
They shared a laugh.
"It seems the goddess of life isn't just a fairy tale after all. Honestly, I didn't believe your story when I first heard it, but now I'm starting to believe in it a bit."
Rosalia looked at the flower and stared at it with concern for a moment before returning to Arthur, holding his hands and looking into his eyes. "Arthur, there is something important I want you to know. Normally, Eva is a white flower with five petals. There has never been a six-petaled Eva in history. The reason no one has ever found six-petaled Evas before is that the Great Mother kept them for her champions."
"Her champions?"
"In Sentaria, we believe that the person who finds the six-petaled Eva will become..."
Arthur looked at Rosalia with wide eyes.
"The Vanderer."
"The Vanderer?"
"The chosen of Teragon, the All-Father, and Eva, the All-Mother, to be the hero of the people, the savior of the world, and to the vanquisher of Farsilon."
"Farsilon?"
"Farsilon, the Ender, is the king of darkness, the lord of death, and the god of evil. He's the avatar of the End, desiring to bring an end to all lives and all things. The legend says that one day the king of darkness will return, and the Vanderers will be the ones to stop him."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop right there! Are you telling me that I'm the chosen one destined to defeat the god of evil?!"
"Correct!"
"That sound…"
"Great?"
"Insane!" Arthur burst out laughing. "Come on. Me? The conqueror of the Dark Lord? What do I look like? A superhero? I'm just a twelve-year-old boy struggling with my own life. I can't be a hero. Besides, why do I have to be? The Ender isn't real."
"Maybe he just hasn't returned yet."
"Come on, Aunt. Don't tell me you believe in that fairy tale."
"It's not a fairy tale!" Rosalia yelled at Arthur's face.
Arthur raised his hands in panic. "Okay! Okay! It's not a fairy tale!"
Rosalia looked away and said in a calmer tone, "Not for me."
Arthur felt a little guilty. He moved closer to his aunt and said, "I'm sorry for saying that your story is a fairy tale. I understand that you have faith in your religion, but there is no way the god of evil is real. If he is, we must have had a clue about him.
"That's because he's hiding, deceiving everyone that they're safe."
"Let's say the king of darkness exists, how do I fight him? I'm just a boy, not a superhero."
"The Great Mother will show you the way; you only have to put faith in her and follow her guidance."
"And after I defeat the dark lord, what will happen?"
"The universe will return to peace, and everyone can live their lives once more."
"Fine! I'll follow the guidance of the All-Mother and defeat the god of evil for you… if he really shows up."
"Thanks, Arthur. Honestly, I don't believe in the stories to the point of blind faith, but I still believe in them."
"I understand. We all have things that we believe and don't believe, and if we can talk and understand each other, then we can live together in peace and happiness."
"That's correct. Thanks again for understanding me, Arthur."
"No problem, Aunt. Anyway, when I touched the glowing flower, I don't know why, but I missed my mother. Do you know why that happened?"
"Hmm… maybe it's because you felt the love and the warmth of the Great Mother through the flower."
"That's possible. Wow! This must be the strangest day in my life since the day I met my sister."
"Oh, I believe there are more peculiar days waiting for you in the future."
"I hope not."
"Can I ask you to do something?"
"Sure!"
"Can you keep the flower with you?"
"Why?"
"So, the All-Mother can look after you and protect you."
"I don't know. I quite believe in your stories, since they can explain many weird things that happened to me today. But I still find it hard to fully believe, when there is no scientific proof behind it."
"I understand. It's hard to believe in something that you've never seen, heard, or felt before. However, this flower holds no evil, and the only downside of carrying it is occupying a bit of your space. If the All-Mother is real, then she'll protect you from any evil that wants to harm you. But if she doesn't exist, well, at least you have a glowing flower to show others. No matter what the truth is, this flower will still make you special. Besides, you can't be a hero without it."
"Me? A hero?" Arthur looked at himself in the mirror.
"That's right."
Arthur stared at the flower with pride in his heart before turning to Rosalia and asking, "Can I sell it?"
"WHAT?!"
"The flower may be good with me, but it would be better on the internet. Many people love unusual things. I believe someone would be willing to pay a huge amount of money for it. Perhaps we'll get rich from it!"
"No, Arthur! Stop what you're thinking! This flower is priceless! There's nothing in the world that's worth enough to buy it!"
"One million is worth enough for me."
Rosalia disappointedly glared at Arthur. "Don't you want to be a hero?"
"No! I want to be rich!"
Rosalia sighed. She got up from her seat, pushed the frown away, and softly squeezed his hands. "Listen to me carefully, Arthur. There are many people who have waited their entire lives for this flower, but they haven't had the chance. But you, Arthur, you found it right next to you on your bed after waking up. Do you know how fortunate you are?"
"I know. That's why I'm going to sell it. When you're lucky, you must make the most of that luck. I don't know if the Great Mother is real or not, but I know that we'll be rich if we put this flower up for bid. Honestly, this flower may be nothing but a glowing flower."
"I understand you, Arthur. You can believe or not believe in anything. But just because you don't believe in it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Please give it a chance. Don't sell it for mere money. This flower is special, and you know it in your heart. You've already experienced its wonder. The Great Mother has chosen you and granted you this sacred flower. Are you really going to forsake it for some money?"
"But money can make our life better!"
"Money can be earned in other ways, but you'll never have this flower again if you discard it."
"But we need money more than a flower!"
"That's true. But this isn't just a flower. If it was just a flower, then how do you explain the strange things that happened to you today?"
"There must be another reason."
"The flower is the reason, Arthur. It's the one that brought all those unusual phenomena to you."
"Come on! It was just a glowing flower!"
"No, it's not. But if you don't believe me, then fine, sell it wherever you want." Rosalia looked away from Arthur.
"Wait!"
Rosalia looked back at Arthur with piercing eyes.
"I didn't mean I don't believe you. I just want to make our life better. The Creator, the Ender, the Great Mother—they might not be real, but money is, and it can make us happier."
"I don't need any more money, Arthur. I'm satisfied with what I have."
"But money can give you a better house, better health, and a better life. Don't you want them?"
"I do… but not by this method."
Arthur looked at the flower, hesitating.
Rosalia gently touched Arthur's face. "Oh, Arthur. I know that money is important, but money isn't everything. There are many things in the world that are more valuable than money—health, friends, family, and for me, this flower. For you, this is just a glowing flower, but for me, it's a gift from a god, and there is nothing in the world that can trade for it. Trust me, sweetheart, keep this flower to yourself and you will not regret it."
"How do you know I won't regret it?"
Rosalia remained silent for a moment before saying, "I have a question for you: If one day a devil came knocking on your door and offered you everything you wanted in exchange for your soul, would you sell it?"
"Definitely not!"
"Why?"
"Because my soul is priceless, and there is nothing that can be exchanged for it."
"See? You don't want to sell your soul because you know how invaluable it is. But the reason you want to sell this flower is because you haven't realized yet how irreplaceable it is. And when you learn how priceless this flower is after selling it, you will regret it for the rest of your life."
Arthur stared at the flower, still unable to make up his mind.
"How about this? Why not give it a try? Keep it by your side, and let's see if it brings you any good."
"And if it doesn't bring me any good?"
Rosalia grabbed Arthur's shoulders. "Then, you can sell it wher-ev-er you want."
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