“Quite functional of a trail, innit?” she remarked. “Not some offbeat path. Could go for a hike if you wanted. Like some sort of hiking trail in the mountains.”
“Mm… Well there are mountains nearby, I suppose.”
“Well, I didn’t mean it literally.”
“… Pardon?”
“It just looked like one.”
“… Ah… I see.”
Pale glimpses of the glowing orbs were already starting to appear, though it was still too early to see them in droves. Sophia looked around as we walked, silently observing, though it seemed the orbs were not the most interesting sight to her.
“My, there sure are a lot of wild flowers.”
I nodded. “There’s a fair bit of them.”
Above, we could hear the wind rustle the leaves as we walked in silence.
“What are the white ones called? I quite like those.”
I looked over in her direction. Beyond the path, amongst the overgrowth, there were various splotches of white, each harboring different kinds of flowers. “Which ones?”
“The ones that look like white bells.”
Slowing down my pace, I gave them a good look. “Foxgloves, I think.”
“Pretty, aren’t they?”
“I typically don’t leave those on display, because they are quite poisonous. If customers want it, they’ll know it.”
“Shame.”
“The other white ones, with the pointed petals, are fine though. They’re called Ramsons.”
“The prettiest are always the bloodiest, aren’t they?”
“Well…” I nodded my head to the side and shrugged the same shoulder. “Nature has its quirks, doesn’t it?”
“Gotta be somehow selective.” With a chuckle, I saw her briefly glance toward me out the corner of my eye. “Otherwise you’ll have all the men fawning over you.”
I exhaled a short, breathy laugh. “Ha… That’s one way to put it.”
The clearing was just ahead. Sophia noticed and turned her attention to the parting sea. The sunlit clearing was blinding compared to the darker forest. It was blinding for only a brief moment. Once a threshold was crossed, the blindness faded, and the painting came into view.
“My goodness!”
We stepped out of the woods. She stopped right under the trees, taking a gander. I continued on for a bit before I stopped and waited for her, turning halfway around.
“What a lovely little mansion you have to yourself!”
I laughed. “Not quite a mansion.”
“Not quite a cottage either!” Her voice was ecstatic. She crouched a little, bending her knees as if she was about to jump, but came back up without doing so. “And the flowers! The number of them! No wonder the forest is covered with them!”
“Ah…” I thought for a moment, gazing around. “I guess it does a good job germinating its seeds into the surrounding area.”
“And to think you have this all to yourself as well, you cheeky girl,” she said with a sly little smirk.
“Ha… Well… I do share when I can.”
Nodding, she continued forward with a big smile. “Glad to indulge!”
Walking up the stone steps, I stopped at the door and reached for the handle, but stopped stone cold. It was not because I left the door unlocked. I figured I would not be away for too long, and left it unlocked. What froze me in my tracks was the scratching noise from the other side of the door. My hand reflexively flinched away from the handle before I could restrain it, realising the same instant it was the cat. Still, my ears grew hot, knowing I had just revealed a hint of anxiety to my guest. From behind, I heard her exclaim.
“The detailing is amazing as well! My goodness!”
I turned to face Sophia. Her head was tilted back, a hand raised to her forehead to shield the sun out of her eyes. She was not even looking at me.
“Your father was quite the craftsman!”
I sighed, steadying myself. I forced myself to surface a beaming smile. “I’ll be sure to pass him your compliments.”
Behind me, the scratching sounds persisted, loud and clear this time. Sophia lowered her head as I turned around. Unwittingly, I raised my voice a little too far for my usual demeanor.
“Abbey! Stop it! You’ll scratch up the door!” I pulled down the handle and cracked open the door.
“Is it your cat?”
Once I was sure Abbey had ducked away, circling to the side to peep through the gap, I pushed the door open the rest of the way. “Yes… She doesn’t usually do this.”
“Well… I’d say she’s rather excited for me, then!”
I chuckled, reaching down to give her a rub. “Probably… Calm down, Abbey.” The cat brushed past my hand, squeezing out from under my fingers to gaze up at the visitor.
“Pretty little golden eyes the critter has!”
“She’s a Shorthair. Quite fond of visitors.” I straightened. “Do come in.”
Sophia lightly tapped the toes of her boots on the stone steps before stepping inside. Gently closing the door behind her, I took off my shoes and left them by the door as she leaned down, revealing the backside of her hand to the cat. “Go on,” she hummed, raising her knuckles just above the cat’s nostrils. Abbey raised her head to meet the hand, sniffing around for a bit before she turned tail and retreated towards the kitchen. “Well…” she giggled. “Am I really that boring?”
“Ah… She’s looking for food. I haven’t fed her yet.”
“Oh! Do so!” Sophia moved to unlace her boots. “What do you normally feed her?”
“Bits of my meals… Fish, chicken, if I do have some… Occasionally some mashed potatoes if she’s up for some.”
“She doesn’t wander out into the woods for some fresh prey?”
“She rarely does. Abbey is surprisingly docile.”
“Well, that’s a first!” Sophia declared with disbelief. “You sure she’s not just leaving them in the woods?”
“If she is, how am I supposed to know?” I quipped, setting my watch down at the table. “I suppose you don’t mind a bit of a chat by the stove before our tea?”
Her feet finally free, she joined me in the dining room. “Sure! Make the poor thing something to eat before we babble through the evening.” She walked to the back door and peered outside through the closed sheers.