𝗧𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 | 𝗖𝗵𝗮 𝗛𝘆𝘂𝗻-𝗦𝘂

𝟎𝟎 | 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤-𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡)

"It's the cocoon of a moth," her grandmother whispered, her voice a gentle breeze carrying secrets of the natural world. "That is where they hide until they transform."

Wide-eyed with wonder, Hae-Rin listened intently, her young heart a canvas painted with the hues of curiosity and awe. At seven years old, Hae-Rin's imagination danced like fireflies in the twilight, illuminating the world around her with boundless wonder. She was still learning new things, and her grandmother, the great storyteller that she was, took it upon herself to teach the child everything she knew.

"Really?" Hae-Rin asked, voice filled with curiosity.

Her grandmother nodded.

Hae-Rin didn't exactly know the meaning of a cacoon or a moth, but it didn't matter. The way her grandmother spoke about it made the cacoon and moth sound like they were something extremely rare or beautiful.

The two, Hae-Rin and her grandmother, were in a bushy forest just outside of a small village.

Hae-Rin's mother had taken two shifts that week and young and small Hae-Rin was feeling hurt and sad. She was missing her mother, she was missing playing with her. The children at school were just starting to show their cruelties at Hae-Rin's innocence. They were looking at Hae-Rin as if having a big imagination, as if having big wishes was something abnormal, something Hae-Rin needed to let go of.

They were children as well, shouldn't they be imagining stuff, too? Shouldn't they have a big imagination and big hopes? Why was that so bad? Why were they poorly raised?

Her grandmother, though, seeing the gloom poke at Hae-Rin, decided to take her to a village she had grown up in.

That was where they were now.

There was a thick forest around the village and since her grandmother told Hae-Rin that she used to go there all the time, the old woman took Hae-Rin on a stroll, wanting her to see the wonders of the nature.

There was something so etheral about the forest and young Hae-Rin felt like she was stepping through books of pages, entering a fantasy world. Living in a big town usually made her feel like she was missing on something, even at a young age, so being in the forest felt like a new fresh breath. It felt like there were many things she needed to learn, like there were many things she needed to ponder over and mark them up in her heart.

"Is it sleeping, grandma?" Hae-Rin asked, taking a step closer to the cacoon.

"Yes, dearest," her grandmother replied, her words a tender caress. "Do you see those delicate cracks on the surface?" Hae-Rin nodded eagerly, her gaze fixed upon the fragile shell. "That, my darling, is the beginning of the transformation. It means that a moth will emerge at any moment."

"That's really cool." Hae-Rin whispered, taking a step closer to the cacoon. "Can it hear us?"

"I don't believe so." Replied her grandmother.

Hae-Rin frowned.

She took another step closer, and when she was close enough, she leaned down so that she was face to face with the cacoon. It was such a miracle that the cacoon itself was on the lowest branches of a small tree.

It was almost as if Hae-Rin was meant to stumble upon it.

"Hello, cacoon." Hae-Rin greeted, using a higher pitched voice. "I am Hae-Rin. What's your name?"

Her grandmother chuckled behind her.

"I don't think it can hear you, dearest." Her grandmother told her, patting her shoulder.

Hae-Rin's frown deepened.

"And when it comes out?" She asked.

"Unfortunately, moths do not live long enough, but maybe, in the short time they have, maybe it will hear you." Her grandmother tried to reassure her. "Do you want to watch it as it wakes up?"