This story is part of the Wanderer series.
Pulling up to the cobbled walkway leading towards the overgrown cottage, Yuka drew the wagon to a stop. Rin, wearing a big smile, jumped off before it could come to a full halt, landing with a stomp and kicking up the dusty dirt.
Eager to follow, Nozomi forgot about the exit at the back of the wagon and hastily climbed over the front seat, swinging a leg over and becoming stuck for a moment as the seat’s back rail was too tall. Yuka noticed, letting go of the reins with one hand and reaching towards the girl. Grabbing onto the rail with both hands, Nozomi hoisted herself up and over, landing on the seat after a bit of a stumble. The wagon bobbed down and up from this hasty act, but she did not give it a second thought as she then jumped off after Rin.
Scrambling upright on the ground, she stopped a few steps behind Rin, who stood with feet planted wide, hands on her hips, beaming proudly. Eyes wide, Nozomi curiously stared at the cottage with its vine-covered walls and outgrown yard. The tall trees of the region made it look small, like a grounded bird’s nest that had fallen from the tops.
“Here. Our summer house.”
“It looks very old.”
“It is very old.”
“And small.”
“It’s not small!” Retorting, Rin turned her head back and crossed her arms. “Once you’re inside, you’ll see it’s not small.”
“Rin, I’m going to bring the horse to the stables,” Yuka called down from the wagon. “I’ll meet you inside.”
“Right!” Rin twisted herself further back to reply, then faced Nozomi again, brimming with excitement to show off what she had boasted all week. “Come on, go check out inside!”
Without waiting, Rin sprinted ahead, into the tallgrass and shrubbery, to make her way towards the front door. Nozomi proceeded more slowly, unfamiliar with how to navigate the brambles hindering the path.
At the front porch, instead of walking up the steps, Rin veered off to the left, dipping down into the bushes. Following along the wooden veneer, she eventually found the spot and reached in, under the porch, fingers digging at the dirt. When she dipped back up again and returned to the front, where Nozomi stared with confusion, she grinned as she held a metal key in front of her. Running with it, she got to the door. Turning it twice to the right, the sturdy lock clicked, and she pulled open the door.
“Tadaaa!”
Flinging it open, Rin presented the darkened interior of the cottage. Nozomi tilted to the side as she looked in. It was an empty, hardwood hallway, wider than the ones at the townhouse. Pictures hung on the walls, with an intricate trim running along the bottom, but their otherwise homogenous texture made it look very bare. The hallway led deeper into the cottage, directly into a drawing room, where the double glass back door could be seen with its faint sunlight shining through. The shadows of metal bars shielding it from the outside could be seen. Just like the hallway, from where they stood, this room looked bare.
“It looks abandoned,” Nozomi commented.
“Well, we haven’t been here in a year!” Rin pointed out, taking her shoes off and stepping inside.
When Nozomi followed her straight in, she haggled her.
“Ah! Hey, hey! Take your shoes off before you come in!”
Nozomi floundered as she protected herself from Rin’s pushing grip. “Okay, okay!”