Chapter 1 - First Friend
Outside of the hallway, there is some noise from the best friends still handshake and facial greeting despite their autumnal like they were when they were still young. Iris groped her small hand to find the wheel of her wheelchair replaced by her blind eyes; now she can only see some blurry light and color. She gently pulls the wheel to move outside to watch what is happening now.
“Thank you so much for helping me take care of my daughter, Kamala.”
“You’re welcome! We’re friends, so of course we will help each other!”
Iris can hear a strange voice; she moves closer to her mother and asks.
“Mom? Are there guests visiting us?”
In a moment, the voice stops, and Iris knows they are surprised due to her defect.
“This is your daughter? Oh my. God is so cruel.”
“Thank you, but I’m fine, ma’am.”
She smiled and responded to that guest. Now then she just started to notice a strange girl near the guest. That baby girl has a small body, but her hair, reddish brown like a tree park, turns black below. She is Poppy, a dear baby girl who will stay at her house for 2 weeks while her parents go on a business trip.
Now Poppy is sitting on the floor and tidying her bag to decorate her new room at her mother’s friend’s house. From start to finish, she doesn’t say any words; she just politely does what they told her. The first time anyone meets Poppy, they must be surprised due to her eyes. Her eyes are jet black, so it seems deep and a bit frightening. In addition, Poppy’s hair is messy and sharp like a fire, so peers often stay away from her. Because of parents’ business, Poppy always moves houses around Vietnam. She follows the self-study program at home instead of going to school.
Immerse herself in her thinking; Poppy doesn’t notice Iris come into her room.
“It’s time for dinner, Poppy.”
Iris’ type of door face attracts Poppy’s attention.
“S-Sorry. I’m finished; let’s go.”
Poppy watches her motionless eyes. Iris is not picturesque, but her temper makes everybody admire and respect her. At dinner, Kamala, Iris’s mother, chats quite friendly, so Poppy feels less worried than before. With Iris, Poppy rarely talks to her, and both of them are often silent with each other. The night comes fast; Iris doesn’t sleep soon; instead, she studies until midnight. The moon flopped in the sky, lightly, as much as Iris could see its white light. But she hears far away there is a cry, maybe from outside the garden.
The door opened, and Poppy, with red eyes due to tears, turned her head up. She thinks nobody will wake up at midnight, but now it’s like Poppy being noticed while doing something shameful.
“Who’s there? Are you Poppy?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
Poppy stands up and wipes the tears away. Iris keeps silent and moves closer to her, then she pats Poppy’s head; thanks to her red hair, she can know where her head is.
“There there, what’s wrong with you?”
Poppy is a bit confused when Iris pats her head; she bites her lip and then starts confiding.
“Everyone said I’m eccentric; in addition, I need to move often, so I don’t know anyone as a normal friend. My interest is weird, too. I like a clown in their eyes.”
“Let it slide. But if your spirit hurts, you must be against them. However, you aren’t as serious with your interest as your passion; you don’t need to work about it.”
Iris’s words make Poppy feel seen through. It seems like she knows exactly what Poppy thinks.
“Where have you been?”
“Many much.”
“Did you take photos when you travel?”
“I did, but I just take landscape photos.”
“What’s your favorite subject?”
“Erm..It’s geography.”
“Oh, it seems like you love something about geography. Do you love to be a geographer?”
“W-Wow, you guess right like a detective.”
“So I have a point.”
They’re sitting together and talking a lot. Ms. Kamala likes to go outside the garden to water her flowers. She sees Poppy and Iris sleep with their heads on each other’s shoulders. Kamala hid her mouth by her hand, bursting out laughing at the cute scene of the two girls.
“Hmm..they become friends very quickly.”
