Tomorrow days, in a dream.
I immediately smelled the delicious aroma of the food Mom was cooking in the morning before she left. Still half-asleep, I woke up and followed the scent until I arrived downstairs near the campfire. With an empty stomach, I was definitely tempted to eat right away.
Without realizing it, I started bringing my nose closer to the pan.
"Hey, my son. What are you doing?!" Mom shouted once she noticed what I was up to.
"Hmm, what—uhh, I'm really hungry, Mom. Is it ready yet?!" I asked while clutching my stomach.
Mom chuckled softly,
"Pfttt, hahaha. My dear child, it's almost done. Be patient. Please help me prepare the plates for us," she asked.
I nodded and quickly went to get the plates from inside the treehouse. Once Mom finished stirring the broth, she set it aside in a wooden bowl to share, then separated some for my portion and hers.
"Mom, here it is!" I ran over and started arranging the plates and spoons.
"Wow, this looks really delicious, Mom." I was tempted again.
"Hahaha, just a little more patience. We have to say our prayer first."
I smiled sheepishly, having forgotten,
"Hehe, yes, Mom."
After enjoying Mom's amazing cooking, we felt full and satisfied with the breakfast. Not wasting any time, she cleaned up and got ready to leave for work.
I just sat quietly, full and busy staring at the sky.
"My child, I'm leaving now. Take good care of yourself, okay?" Mom said before heading off deep into the forest toward the village.
Before she could even finish her sentence, I was already starting to fall asleep again from the comfort.
As always, I could still feel her sweet smile even without seeing it, before she left me behind.
My daily routines were always up to me, except for going far from the treehouse. Today, I spent half the day sleeping, then woke up and began cleaning up inside the treehouse, not knowing what else to do.
Dust had gathered in the corners of the house, filled with cobwebs. I cleaned it right away with a long broom. I arranged things neatly on top of the cabinet and tidied up the bed. I saw some drawers left open and closed them from the top.
But when I closed the bottom drawer, I saw what looked like a photo. I took it out and looked at it closely—
a photo of Mom with an older man whose face wasn't very clear, but I immediately believed it was my father.
I was shocked—it felt like the first time I'd seen his face. I couldn't wait to ask Mom about it and show her the photo, which I slipped into my shirt pocket.
Night fell. Before it got too dark, Mom returned home, greeted me, and held me in her arms.
"My son, what did you do today?" Mom asked.
"Mom, Mom, look! I found something!" I showed her the photo.
"This is a picture of you with Dad, isn't it?!" I asked innocently.