The Adventures of Pupu The Bubble Witch

Chapter 1: A Day with Haeven's Apiarists

*Author's Note: This Saga was originally conceptualized for a webtoon/comic. It was then painstakingly translated into a web novel due to the shortage of artists able to dedicate their time to this Saga.

So to prepare for the feeling that the comic and illustrations would have captured, feel free to listen to "Tear Up This Town" by Keane to get a sense of the relationship and the characters in this chapter. *

Squinting her eyes, Punkin wakes to the sound of the bees buzzing and swarming outside her window where she can also hear her father working. Feeling excitement for the day head, Punkin quickly swipes her purple and black hair out of her face, straightens her wrinkled tutu, pulls down the rolled up pant legs of her leggings, and straightens her shirt, making sure the bumble bee image on her shirt is centered, before eagerly running outside of their modest shack of a house to seize the day. She can feel it. Today is like no other day!

On the farm where Punkin lives, it is a bright day, lending to a productive harvest. Soft nimbus clouds float by, occasionally offering brief relief from the sun. Surrounding the farm, rests a lush forest bursting with life as birds chirp and squirrels gather nuts and pinecones for their seasonal preparations.

Leading to the farm are four paths, not often traveled. The path to the North leads through a village and some farming homes, to a very large tree and a system of rivers that run through the base of a mountain range. The path to the East leads through a valley and a vast field to various villages, towns, and cities beyond. The path South leads to a port town, just past the desert. The last of the paths lead directly West of Haeven, to the dark clouds just beyond the Western forest, known as the Western Woods. The land below the clouds, once known for its lush fields of flowers, was the home to many bee colonies. That land is now a wasteland with a shadow cast over it, making it hard to determine if anything living remains there at all.

At the center of the four paths, stands the farm. It is not just any farm, it is the beekeepers' farm. At The Apiary, honey is harvested and bees are kept happy by the Apiarists, little three year-old Punkin and her caregiver, Cer (pronounced 'Sir').

Well suited for farm work from a previous lifetime of demon hunting, Cer works diligently in a beekeeper suit, quickly and gently harvesting honey along the neatly organized lines of bee hives, by scraping the honey into buckets and appreciating the bees for their shared crop.

I remember when I was deathly afraid of you. We sure have grown fond of each other, haven't we? I appreciate you not stinging me. It is funny how things work out; once I thought of you as my enemy, now I call you my friends. How ironic, how we need each other. I keep your flowers alive and you provide me honey. People need us and will leave us alone because they need us; AND with your honey I can provide for my family while keeping us safe. I still wonder if you are bothered by the others or if you don't see them at all. Hmmm... Nonetheless, thank You for your honey and your partnership. Please continue to keep Pupu and our family safe and I will look out for you all as well.

Near the hive line where Cer works the honey, lay rows and rows of various flowers and plants where the bees gather their nectar. Occasionally Cer would look over to see what flowers the bees visited most to keep mental notes: Hmmmm. So that's your favorite flavor this week. I'll have to make sure to spread more seeds by the well for you then... but we also have to balance what you like with what we need. After all, variety is important for flavor.

Startled by the approach of a familiar mystic energy, Cer pauses working and realizes, Ahh it's just the postwoman.

While the postwoman hands Cer a letter, Punkin excitedly darts over to see what the interaction is about, "What's that? Is that from mommy?"