ISH MOTRANGA's POV
"I'm really impressed! So much trash in Roots? Perfect!" - The lightbulb woman.
She's been talking non-stop about the trash in Roots! What a complainer! She acts like she's the cleanest person ever!
I'm trying to keep my cool so this doesn't escalate. I stay calm even though my brow is furrowed. Just focus on finding plastic bottles, even though I'm really pissed off. Ignore the chatty woman if you engage with her mouth, it'll take forever to finish this.
It's almost 6 PM, and we haven't even filled one sack with plastic bottles. Maybe she's right... there is a lot of trash here, but there are only a few plastic bottles. And when we do find some, they're mostly tiny mineral water bottles. From what I know, there are a lot of plastic bottles scattered along the river, but it seems like we've been beaten to it.
The decision was made to group the nearby residents together. The VP said Roots and River-Side are close, so they combined us for the first assignment, even though I or Dy were against it. The President quickly agreed to the "by group" plan from the VP.
Do you know how posh these two are? Imagine this, I went to pick them up at the waiting shed just to avoid them getting picked on here. Aren't I nice? And this is how they repay me?!
I've already informed Aunt and Uncle, and miraculously, they agreed without much argument. After my little trick on them, they seem to be supporting me.
Our plan now is to focus on Roots, and then we'll follow the river to Riverside to find more plastic bottles. If that's how it works out, I'll just take them home. Anyway, the project deadline isn't tomorrow anymore, but by the end of the month, so we've got plenty of time to gather stuff.
"Tito Ish! Tito Ish! I found one!" My niece handed me the mineral water bottle she found.
"Good job, Hart," I said, placing it in the sack.
Oh, I almost forgot, I brought my nephew along. She's Aunt Daday's grandchild. Her name is Neinhart.
I brought her 'cause her mom is working, and there's no one to babysit her. She can't be left alone with Klause!
"Why bring a kid? Did you think it's safe? What if it floods suddenly?!"
Ish... Keep calm...
"Hello? Common sense?"
Deep breath. She's just trying to annoy me.
"Hmm.. the way I see you, you don't have any."
That's it!
"If a flood happens, I swear, I will never let my niece get swept away. I can't just watch her get taken by the flood... but if it's you? I wouldn't mind watching while I eat popcorn! So, can you please focus on your work? Don't make a scene," I whispered the last part.
I got nervous, what if Sol get mad at me for saying that about his twin sister?
I glanced at Sol, who fortunately had no intention of joining the fight. His face was neutral. I couldn't tell if he was angry or what?
Of course, I didn't want to start a fight, especially with my niece around. I didn't really want to just watch the grumpy woman, Dy, get swept away by the flood.
I saw her irritation. "Do whatever you want! You don't want to listen? Then don't!" She headed to the front and picked up a plastic bottle lying on the sand.
"Sorry about my sister. She missed her immunizations, that's why she's like this," Sol joked, making it sound real.
I just nodded. I didn't want Neinhart to see that her smart, talented (yeah right?), hardworking, kind, and (cough) handsome Uncle or Tito was arguing with a grumpy woman.
"I recently learned about our family's issue. I know you think badly of us because of what happened before, but I hope... I hope you can forgive us," Sol said, then went off to pick up a plastic bottle floating in the river.
I watched Dy as she carefully navigated the slippery riprap. She held onto the wild grass on the side.
Does she think that grass can support her weight? Ridiculous!
She glared at the grass as she nearly slipped. Her expression looked like she was in "Angry Birds."
What's wrong with this woman? Angry at the grass, too? Unbelievable!
Always so high-strung! Always finding something wrong with me! Always interrupting! She just loves to argue, eh?
I continued with my task. The riprap was a bit slippery, so I moved slowly. I helped Neinhart along, making sure she wouldn't slip. If she did, my head would be on the chopping block for sure.
"Tito! There's a bottle over there!" She ran to the bottle standing on a rock. My heart skipped a beat.
"Hart! Be careful, don't slip!"
"Tito! I got it!" She was so happy.
I held my chest. I might've had too much coffee.
"Is it deep here?" Dy grabbed a tall bamboo stick to measure the water's depth, but the river just swallowed it. "W-whoa! It's really deep!"
"You can't tell the real depth 'cause the water is green," Sol said. He grabbed a large white stone and tossed it into the water, hoping we could see how deep it really was. But the stone just disappeared, splashing us in the process.
Before Neinhart could even peek into the water, Dy quickly stopped her, fearing she might fall. "HEY! HEY! HEY! Kid! Don't! It's dangerous!"
I pulled Neinhart away from her. I didn't want this innocent child to get infected with her bad attitude.
"The water's really deep here at the bridge," Sol remarked.
"Be careful where you step, it's slippery," I reminded them.
They became alert. Good. I don't want anything bad happening and causing trouble.
"Ish, have you ever tried swimming here? Is it true that there are mermaids and shokoys in the water?" Sol asked while extracting a glowing orb from his body and diving it under the water.
Amazing skill! Not only was I impressed, but my niece was too. Of course, I didn't let on that I was impressed by their skill! I didn't want them to look down on me because of my basic exskill.
The light didn't get extinguished by the water, and slowly, the glow faded until it completely submerged. Hmmm... really deep.
"It's really deep! I should make a bigger one next time!" Sol started preparing to create a bigger light when Dy spoke up.
"Do you believe in folk tales? In rumors? Mermaids, shokoys, sea creatures? Jeez... It's the Super Age now! Don't believe in those things, they're not real. If there were any, they wouldn't be land or sea entities; they'd be Perma-Types." Dy laughed, thinking her twin was losing it.
Sol got annoyed. "Oh? Really? Super Age? Then why do you still believe in witchcraft, huh?" Sol raised one eyebrow as if challenging Dy to a debate.
Dy fell silent. I couldn't help but smile. She didn't expect that. Well deserved! Haha!
"H-huh?" - lightbulb girl
Sol smirked. "Huh? Don't 'huh' me! Didn't you say Ish is a witch?!"
Ish a witch?
Wait...
Ish? A...me?! That's me!
"Wait! Wait! What did I just hear from your brother?!" I asked, not just a question mark, but full of feeling.
Dy glanced at the water and shrugged. "Oh... look, fish o-"
"What fish?! Didn't you say Ish cursed you when your had stomachache?! And don't you forget you almost cursed Ish back to get revenge, but thank goodness I stopped you! What now? Amnesia?"
"W-what b-bullshit, Sol?" Dy exclaimed.
This woman's too much! I walked up to her, feeling my calm slipping away.
No matter how much I tried to stay calm, my blood was boiling. You know, that feeling... always at boiling point. Last time I checked, my blood pressure wasn't high, just normal. She's my sickness!
"What's your problem?! Why're you so mean to me?"
"Hey... m-maybe jellyfish-"
"What jellyfish?! I'm asking you! Do I look like a witch to you?"
Oh, no! Unacceptable! Me a witch?
I can't believe this! I'm too handsome to be a witch. (Pfft...) Heck, no way!
"And what's that again? You almost cursed me?! You're crazy! Know what? You're the one who looks like a witch! Do you watch movies? Witches are usually women? When you were a kid, did you ever look at your hair in the mirror? Never brushed it? Perfect witch hair! Some of my classmates were even scared of you back then!" I shouted, almost yelling in her ear. Of course, I leaned in a little to make sure it came out loud. Amazing, she didn't even get deafened?
She gasped dramatically as she grabbed her blonde hair.
"You can insult me with anything but my hair? Nu-uh! Don't you dare, Motranga! For your information, this hair of mine glows unlike your hai-"
She turned to look, but... wrong turn...
Our noses touched!
I don't know if it was a real contact or just my imagination? But even if it was just our noses, it felt... weird. I don't like it!
I'm not sure 'cause I was startled too? Or, I never expected that?
I didn't like it? Did I?
Ish, you losing it?! Get a hold of yourself!
NO! NO! NO!
Ish, listen! Nothing happened! It was just your imagination!
Forget about it! It was just your imagination! No nose-to-nose contact! Okay?! That only happens on television not here!
Myyyygaaaaad! Why do I feel all giddy?!
Huh? Giddy---NO WAY! Stop! No! Stop!
I shouldn't be feeling this!
Come on, Ish Motranga!
Right! Right! It's just my imagination.
Hooo! Right. I must've had too many cream sticks. Right. Right... right...
Dy stepped back. Her eyes wide and her face flushed. She's... cute.
NO. NO. NO. ISH. JUST. IMAGINATION. YUP! IMAG-
Wait...
Is that... smoke?
Black smoke?
Is there a fire?
"AAAAHHHHHHH! ISH! YOU'RE ON FIRE!" Sol screamed. Neinhart was behind him, silently screaming.
Huh?
Oh, okay. Something's on fire.
Wait—
To be continue...