Amaryllis in the Ice Country

The sun dazzled upon the little garden in the nursery.

“Don’t cry anymore, Fuu. Okay?”

I did my best to appease the girl letting out large drops of tears.

However, no matter how much I tried to do so, she wouldn’t stop.

“Yuu! Apologize now!”

“I’m not in the wrong.”

Yuu pouted his lips to the side.

This biggest bully in the nursery just couldn’t get along with Fuu for some reason.

“It’s her fault for not kicking the ball to me anyway!”

“But Fuu’s the one who started playing with the ball first. Why did you s.n.a.t.c.h it away?”

“I made her lend it to me, but she wouldn’t.”

“Goodness&h.e.l.lip;”

The sky-blue ball at the feet rolled, swaying leisurely in the breeze.

“Fuu, here’s the ball.”

“Waaahhh!”

“Yuu, apologize.”

“Don’t wanna.”

—Uu&h.e.l.lip;what do I do now?

I really do like kids, but I’m really at my wits’ end at such a situation.

—What do I do? What do I do&h.e.l.lip;?

Just when I’m at a loss as to what to do.

“Oya oya? What’s the matter?”

The ball floated gently, and the one picking it up showed his usual genial smile.

“Princ.i.p.al&h.e.l.lip;!”

“Good work there.”

Princ.i.p.al consoled me as he smiled, the wrinkles on his face further emphasized as he patted on the heads of Yuu and Fuun.

“You want to play with this ball?”

He asked tenderly, and Fuu nodded.

“You want to play with this ball?”

Yuu was faced with the same question, and his head remained tilted aside as he nodded.

“I see, I see.”

Princ.i.p.al nodded, and let the ball swirl rapidly on his fingertips. The sky blue ball rumbled as it spun on his index finger; Yuu and Fuu widened their eyes as they saw this.

“Since both of you want this ball—”

Princ.i.p.al beamed, and did a barehanded chopping action.

“I shall ‘half it’.”

A hundred years pa.s.sed thereafter.

Till this day, I could still recall the scenes that day.

A blue, blue sky, a warm sun, a dazzling golden nursery, the impish face showed by the Princ.i.p.al, and kids showing sparkling eyes.

Time pa.s.sed, the Princ.i.p.al pa.s.sed away, Yuu, Fuu and the other kids became adults. They advanced in age, and finally died off.

On this world, I am the only one who knew about all these. These memories will never fade away.

At the final moment before my consciousness was cut off, I suddenly wondered.

Ah, Princ.i.p.al, my dear Princ.i.p.al—

Is my ‘Halving’ considered a success?