Chương 5: The Lesson (Pt.01)
(MATEO'S POV)
It has been roughly two months since Iryan was discharged from the hospital. So it means, it has already been, at least, five weeks since we started our little study program.
At the beginning, Iryan was tested by Mother to figure out how much he knows. And boy, oh boy was she disappointed. Yes, he did know how to read back then. But by that, he meant, he could only read picture books.
For the subjects, ugh… don't even get me started. He was still stuck on basic addition and subtraction, still had trouble with differing his left hand with his right. And his spelling was a complete nightmare.
Either way, that was all in the past…
...month
He, now, could at least count basic math and spell the word butterfly without struggling. So good job for him,
And me?
I already studied the basics and got them hammered into my brain. What can I say, I've been learning since I knew how to speak. So it's 'normal' for me, I suppose?
Either way, with all those things out of the way. I'm currently learning the spell theories with Father inside the study. Since he said, and I quote;
"Practicing is good, but learning the Theories is ascential. Because if you don't know the Theories behind every spell you cast, you might just end up self-destructing in the end.
Though, It's mostly because we couldn't make an effort to deal with the ministry right now. Especially since it's only been roughly five years since his defeat. It's still rather rowdy there."
End quote.
…
"Okay Kiddo, That's all there's to it!" Father announced, closing the book he held, "I'm honestly amazed you manage to Finnish all of this materials in a week. It took me at least three weeks to Finnish them back then."
Hm? So roughly a month then?
"It's nothing Father," I answered him, also closing the book in front of me.
He looked at me, then sighed, a soft smile was graced on his face. His big hands went to my head and made a mess out of it. He kneeled down to my height, "Good job, sport"
"?...
.
.
.
thank you… Father,"
He smiled,
Why… is he so proud? I mean… isn't it a given? These subjects are all elementary, It's not something to be proud of. Besides, Mother said she finished all of those when she was four. So it also means that she finished arithmetic and everything else that I studied now when she was WAY younger than me.
He patted my head for a few more times before he stood up and opened the study room's door open.
I stared at his figure for a while. Then I looked at my right hand and touched my hair, at the place where he made a mess off.
Hmm..., I hummed. It was just a pet on the head, so why does it feel nice? It's… comforting
"Come on, kiddo" he turn his head to face me and he nudge his head towards the the opened door, gesturing to go outside, "It's almost noon, time for lunch"
I quickly looked up, "Ah, yes" then stood up "I just need to clean this up first. You should go first, father"
He looked at me, then nodded, "don't take too long, or the sun" he pointed towards the window, "won't be down there with us when we are eating" he pointed downstairs. "Okay, see ya later, kiddo!" With that, he left me with a grin on his face.
.
.
.
Was that… another pun?
(THIRD POV)
After Mateo Finished cleaning up, he went downstairs as promised. And as he arrived. He saw Mrs. Flickchered who was enjoying a cup of tea with a book at hand.
"Hm?" Mrs. Flickchered stopped reading and looked up from her book when she noticed Mateo entering the kitchen, she greeted him "Hello dear, have you finished your lesson?"
"Ah," Mateo nodded his head "yes Mrs"
"I see, was it hard?" She asked him as he went towards one of the chairs present there. To answer her question, he gave out a small "Not really," as a response.
Mrs. Flickchered hummed in response.
She looked outside the window and pointed towards something, "Dear, is that a pixie?"
It was small, very small. It could probably only be seen if someone put all of their attention towards finding it, but it was still there. A small round ball of light with wings attached at it's back. It's color seemed to differ from Pink to Blue to Yellow, like a kaleidoscope.
"I suppose?" Mateo also shifted his attention towards the flying ball of light "But it could also be a fairy. Since pixies tend to be bigger than that."
"I see…"
While he was distracted in trying to figure out whether the floating ball was a Pixie or a fairy, Mrs. Flickchered took the chance and gave a quick glance towards where Mateo was, observing him.
He had his father's dark raven hair and his mother's rare violet eyes. And in a third perspective, Mateo had a habit of keeping avoiding one's eyes, she noted. Well, at least when he was talking to her.
He seemed to also have his mother's tendency of staying reserved and a habit of not talking much. Quite a semi polite - rigid child too.
So she wandered,
"You know…" she dronned out her sentence catching the ravenette's , "I heard you already finished all of your muggle studies last year. Is it true?"
Mateo's ears perked up. He shifted his attention again towards Mrs. Flickchered, "Yes," he replied
"Heh… You learn quite quickly for your age, huh?" She mused, "you know…, being confined here in this small space would be a waste of your talents." She propped her head towards her right arm, "So I've been thinking. Why don't you come with me?'
Mateo blinked, "pardon?" Creasing his brows together
"Why don't you come with me?" She repeated, "I usually travel from place to place. That way, you can learn more things and cultures while actually experiencing them yourself and not just from textbooks. Maybe learn how magic works in different parts of the world. So what do you say about it?"
It was just for a moment, but Mateo's eyes shone bright. "I--" he opened his mouth. But, he flattered "I…
Should he take up the offer? He meant… it's a great opportunity, right? But then, it means he has to leave his parents. And what about-- "Why don't you just take the offer?"
Mateo jolted, he widened his eyes and spun. He saw Mrs. Crowell behind him, holding a basket filled with vegetables. She was raising a brow, "if you were that interested, why not just take the offer?"
"... I-- I want to but…" Mateo hang his head down slowly
"But?..." Mrs. Crowell asked him again, while she softly strode towards the kitchen sink. She put the basket aside and started washing the vegetables and transferring them to another cleaner basket.
"The promise…" he barely let out a whisper
Mrs. Crowell was stumped, she stopped transferring the vegetables for a while. Her eyes slightly widened.
She had been regretting the moment she blurted out her insecurities. She knew she shouldn't have done that, she knew that after she left the room. But it was in the past now, so unless an outside force changed it, the past is unchangeable…
...Right?
She shook her thoughts before she sigh deeply, inaudibly. Her shoulder slump down before she managed the faintest bit of courage to continue.
She continued transferring the vegetables. "Then wouldn't learning things from Mrs. Flickchered will benefit you more in the future?" She asks, directing her attention towards her one and only child.
Yes, it was what she said, but. Was that really what she wanted to say?
"I… see…" Mateo breathed, he nodded his head discreetly before he stood up, "then, please take care of me, Mrs!" He look directly towards her grey eyes
Mrs. Flickchered grinned, "Good to hear that, dear" she stood up as well, and snapped her book shut, "We will be departing first thing tomorrow. So pack up!"
"Yes!--" *Clack*
The ravenette flinched, he slowly turned his head towards where Mrs. Crowell was.
"After lunch" Mrs. Crowell added, while cutting the vegetables and the other ingredients.
"Yes…" Mateo sat back down
"Good, now help me prepare the plates"
"Yes," Mateo stood back up
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.
.
Mrs. Flickchered laughed, shaking her head left and right. She left the Mother and Son duo to do their thing. Even though they did look awkward.
She walked towards the stairs and went towards the guest room which was right next to the library. Which she caught a glimpse of Iryan with closed eyes
With interest, she stopped her trail and tried to see what he was doing.
Iryan was sitting at the chair furthest back near the opened window. His Honey-blond locks danced softly with the summer breeze. His mouth was constantly moving, as if he was muttering something under his breath. While his fingertips were moving from left to right, across the book.
Braille.
Mrs. Flickchered thought,
So that's why they asked her to help them translate some of those books. She nodded her head. Yes, that would certainly help him in the long run. But now, do they intend to translate every single course book in such a manner? It would certainly take too much time.
'I wonder if there's a spell…, maybe I should do some research?' she hummed in her head, 'Maybe I should'
With that in mind, she continued her walk towards the guest bedroom. She opened the door, then she closed it after she was inside. She looked around, and then went towards her suitcase when she made sure no one was around.
*Clack*
The suitcase opened, and mechanics upon mechanics sprung out like a spring creating a small table like a workshop for her.
Three small cabinets at the left foot of the table and a large desks at the center. Seven identical shelf's right next to each other at the top of the table, and three drawers at the right foot of the table. Each of them were filled with either books, potion ingredients, quills, parchments or something else.
*Click* *click*
On the table, a small hedgehog-like creature sat. Clicking and purring to grab Mrs. Flickchered's attention.
"Ah, Pippa. Are you hungry?"
*click**click*
"Okay, okay. Wait" she opened one of the drawers and took out a small batch of daisies and gave it to her Knarl, "There, oh. And can you give me some of your quills?"
*Click?* Pippa asked while chewing on her daisies.
"Yeah, it's for another research," Mrs. Flickchered sat down, "So, is that okay?"
*Click**click*
Pippa finished the daisy that she had in her mouth before she twist her body and pulled out three quills from her back and giving it to Mrs. Fickhered
"Thank you,"
(MATEO'S POV)
Now what should I pack? That is the question.
I am currently in my room. Trying to figure out what was necessary and what was unnecessary to bring for the departure tomorrow.
Figures, I never went on travels before. Well, except that one time when I was four. But that time, Mother and Father were the one who packed up all of the necessary things. So I don't really know what to pack either way.
*Knock**knock*
"Need help?" An old voice asked me,
I turned my head, and saw Mrs. Flickchered by the door. She was leaning on the frame with her arms crossed in front of her chest. I thought for a while, before nodding my head in agreement, "Yes, Mrs. I would like your help."
Well, better this than me just wasting time by standing around idling like an idiot. Plus, I think I heard she travels a lot? So, she should have plenty of experience in packing, right?
.
.
.
No, that was not the case,
...
"And that should do the trick!" Mrs. Flickchered wiped the sweat she had on her forehead with a satisfied smirk on her lips. While I dropped by bed from pure mental exhaustion.
Never, I thought, Never have I ever thought packing would be such a nightmare, and a big embarrassment. I should have just packed myself, I shouldn't have asked for help. No, actually scratch that. Never ask for help when it comes to packing your clothes. Especially to Mrs. Flickchered. I learned that the hard way.
My room now is nothing but a shipwreck no matter how you look at it. Shirts, pants, and undergarments were either on the bed or on the floor after it got tossed around. Socks were misplaced and scattered everywhere, heck I think I just saw one got stuck on top of the cupboard.
"Alright, here!" Mrs. Flickchered slapped the suitcase, "that should have anything you need for the trip!"
"Ngg…." Was the only thing I could muster for a response by now,
"Wow, someone sure looked tired." She chuckled, then she looked at her pocket watch, "Oh it's already quite late, isn't it? I'll be going to my room now. Good night, dear. Don't let the wee sprouts control your dreams."
With that, she left the room and closed the door behind her. And I couldn't help but groan. Both mentally and literally.
Should I change? Mother always told me to change my clothes before sleeping. But it should be alright, right? Just this once. And besides, the water should be cold by now. And taking a freezing bath will only end up making me more awake. So yeah, just this once, and no next times.
I let out a sigh before I nuzzled by myself with the soft blanket. I wonder what I would experience during the travels…, maybe I could finally meet an Adarna or Maybe Garuda?...
.
.
.
But little did I know at that time, it won't be the only time I sleep without changing my clothes.
(THIRD POV)
"Have you brought everything, Kiddo?"
"Do you need snacks?"
"Are you sure about this…??"
Mr. Crowell's worried voice probably had already echoed throughout the whole neighborhood at that point. His face was filled with worry, while his eyes were watching his only son closely, observing his every move.
"I'll be fine Father, I can assure you" Mateo smiled mildly towards his Father, trying to assure him once more.
"But…- Umpft!-- "He'll be fine Theo. You shouldn't worry too much," Mrs. Crowell covered Mr. Crowell's mouth shut. Trying to reason her paranoid husband, "He had always been responsible and reasonable. Trust him a little,"
"But, what if-- "Now now dear, before you continued. Are you trying to say that I'm not capable of taking care of him?" This time it was Mrs. Flickchered who hushed him.
"But!--"
"Sorry to interrupt you Father, but I have to say, I'll be fine. Please trust me" Mateo said, his violet orbs met with his Father's brown ones.
Theodore worries flattered for a second before it came back, but he held back. He crouched down to match Mateo's height and hugged his son tightly, "be careful Kiddo, and listen to Mrs. Flickchered, okay?"
"Yes, Father" Mateo returned the hug, which lasted for quite some time.
Aquila also did the same, but spared Mateo the bone crushing hug part. Instead she leaned forward and kissed Mateo's nose tip, "Good luck, and don't stray." She petted his head.
"Yes Mother, thank you"
Mrs. Flickchered, smiled at the small exchange. But then frowned, as if she just remembered something bitter. She softly clicked her tongue and shifted from one leg to the other. "Now, We should get going, dear. Or else we will miss our ride" she warned, all of the previous bitterness hidden away by her usual soft - granny like old voice.
"Ah, Yes!"
Mateo took a step forward towards Mrs. Flickchered and took her hand. Mateo and his parents, mostly his Father, said their last goodbyes before Mrs. Flickered and Mateo apperated away with their luggages. But before they completely disappeared. Mrs. Crowell mouthed a few words towards her only child,
"Have fun, stay safe" she ended it with a smile,
And he widened his eyes in surprise.
.
.
.
Mateo and Mrs. Flickchered arrived at a large field, filled with nothing but wild grass and few small white flowers.
From there, they could even see the vast blue sky and the trails of mountains lining up, surrounding them with their majestic. The fresh air of the eve's mist entered their system. Clearing their minds as they inhaled the sweet and rich oxygen. It was truly different from the city's air.
Then, a harsh gush of wind blew past them, and a dragon landed. It was a big glaring red dragon. With four horns at each side of it's head, and talons that seemed to be capable of tearing a tank with one swell swoop.
"Oi!!! Flickchered!!!"
A shout,
"Up here!!!!!!"
A man's voice, Mateo presumed.
He looked up and saw a man with a bulging round stomach and white hair, waving towards them. After the Dragon landed down completely, the man jumped down and shook Mrs. Flickchered's hand
"Cal, Thank you for agreeing to my request!"
"The pleasure's mine milady" he said with an accent in his tone, "my beard, who might you be little Joey?'
Joey? Mateo questioned, who's Joey?
Seeing the confused look. Mrs. Flickchered huffed out a smile, deciding to help him out, by sparing him the need to introduce himself.
"This is Mateo, son of Aquila and Theodore Crowell," she said, "do you still remember them?"
The man rubbed his beard for a while, "Hmm, Crowell...? Ah! You those little crows! Yeah, I remember them. They were just little Joey's when we last met. But now I bet they are full grownups, huh?"
"Yes, indeed"
"Hahaha! Well, it's nice to meet you, Mateo. The name is Edan Burton, old friend of old Flickchered over here!" He slapped Mrs. Flickchered's back with quite some force. But oddly, she didn't even Flinch. As if she was already used to it. Well, go figures, since he did say they were old friends.
"Yes, nice to meet you too, sir" Mateo greeted him, nodding his head slightly in acknowledgement.
"Oh-ho, quite the polite little one you got here Flickchered!" He rubbed his Mateo's hair, "So, where are we going again?'
Mrs. Flickchered hummed, and took out a map from one of the skirt pockets, "Well, since I did promise to teach Mateo dear about new things. What place is better, than the motherland where many ancient medicines came to," she pointed to one large Island far from home, "China!"
(OMAKE)
After Mateo and Mrs. Flickchered left, Mr. And Mrs. Crowell stared at the now empty space, where the two was at.
"Should we go back to bed?" Mr. Crowell asked his wife,
"After that? No. I don't feel tired anymore"
"What time is it, anyway?"
Mrs. Crowell took out a pocket watch out of the skirt of her pocket and looked towards it, "it's three, on the dot" she muttered. Pocketing the watch back to where it was.
"Three O'clock you say…" Mr. Crowell hummed, smirking. And whether it was fortunate or not, Mrs. Crowell saw it and she frowned,
"Why? What's wrong with--
She immediately stopped and had a bad feeling when she saw her husband's, pardon for the curse, shit eating grin. "Isn't it the best time for us witches? Since it's…" He turned and faced his wife, " the witching hour!" He jazzed his hands out.
"..."
Mrs. Crowell stared at him dead in the eyes, and he started to flatter. "Witching… hour…?" He repeated, and she kept on staring at him, unamused.
"I'm going back to bed." She stated, turning her back and walked towards the stairs. And he panicked,
He tried to run towards his wife to stop her from locking him outside of their room, like the last time he made a bad joke. Keyword, tried.
"Ah! Wait! Wait! Quil, I'm sor-- He tripped and face planted towards the floor --ry..."
Aquila stopped at the track and looked back, she deadpanned and sighed, exasperated at her husband's antics, "are you serious?".
And even then, Theodore somehow managed to mumble out a muffled, "No, I'm Theo" while still laying on the ground, and face kissing the cold wooden floor.
Aquila, eyed him for quite some time, before shaking her head left and right. She herself, walking towards her husband. "What an idiot" she sighed again, pulling him up from the floor, "please remind me why I'm with you again?"
"Because you love me~" he grinned, his nose and forehead still red from the previous smackdown.
"Shameless," she muttered,
"That I am," Mr. Crowell stood up and hugged her, "only to you"
"Truly… how insufferable" she mumbled, resting her head towards his broad shoulders, "I hope he's safe..." She mumbled out.
Theo couldn't help but winced at the tone of his wife, it was so… "He's with Flickchered, he'll be fine" he led them towards one of the sofas, trying to reason with her, "He'll be fine. Cause he's responsible and reasonable, trust him a little…"
"...You're just repeating what I said earlier," she nuzzled herself into her husband's embrace, "Not fair…"
"Haha…"
"Theo?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm worried,"
"Yeah…, me too" he drummaged his pockets and pulled out a card with a character in it, "Mewtwo" he snickered as he showed her a Mewtwo Pokemon card.
Mrs. Crowell looked at him once more, with that glaring violet eyes of hers for the fourth time that night. "That's it," She stood up and took out a collection of keys out of her pockets. "I'm locking you out," she simply said, and she left the frozen insensitive man behind, byon the couch.
"Bye," with that final word she was out of the room,
"...
.
.
.
...eh?"
Mr. Crowell stared at his wife's figure disappeared as she turned the corner and went up the stairs. Then he heard a door opened and closed, before it was followed by a series of clicking noises.
He slumped his entirety towards the sofa, he slowly started to smile sheepishly. He threw his head up and it was at that time he knew… He screwed up.
But did he regret it?
.
.
.
To be determined,
P.s; Since it was worth it.
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