She had a happy childhood and there were simply too many memories for her to remember them all. But there’s one that stood out from them all; a young boy she met when she was 7. He looked around her age, if not a bit older. He had rich black hair and sharp brown eyes which stood out from his flawless pale skin. She often found him alone, sitting on a log and poking at rocks as she made her way through the woods to her grandmother’s.

The first few times she passed by him, she thought he was definitely a bit creepy and decided to pretend that she never saw him. She didn’t even dare to look directly, scared that he might decide to look up and catch her staring.

Her mother always said, “Nicole, you must never talk to strangers. You never know what they would do to you.” And then she would pat her on the head, and kiss her forehead before sending her off.

But this stranger didn’t seem so dangerous and she couldn’t think of anything a kid his size could do to a girl like her. They were children after all.

She often went to visit her grandmother who lived on the other side of the woods. She’s been alone even before Nicole was born and although Nicole’s mother insisted for her to move in with them, she declined. It didn’t seem to make sense that her Grandmother would want to live alone in a house in the middle of the forest, but her Mother knew there was no point in asking. Her Grandmother had a very stubborn personality. If she decided on something, it was extremely rare that she would change her mind. If she wouldn’t move in with them, their only choice was to go to her instead.

Nicole and her mother lived in a village, in a cozy log house just along the edge of the woods. Although Nicole was a young child and shouldn’t really be going through the woods all by herself, Nicole’s mother seemed extremely weary of the woods and spent most of her time in the village sewing for people while she sent Nicole to visit her Grandmother. Nicole didn’t mind going in place of her Mother though. She liked visiting her Grandmother and she was always curious of the woods.

Her Mother was especially good at sewing children clothes. She made Nicole tons of pretty little dresses for her to wear, but none of them compared to the red cloak she got for Christmas. She wore it every time she went out, shielding her from both rain and snow. And if she ever got lost, it would be that much easier for her mother to find her; she’d only need to look out for something red.

After a couple more visits to her grandmother’s, she began to grow curious of the little boy, wondering why he was always alone in the woods and where his parents were. He didn’t’ seem to be from the village, so where was he from?

Finally, she couldn’t resist anymore and decided to approach him. His head snapped up, his eyes glaring at her. His voice was cold. “What do you want?”

She abruptly pushed a handful of berries under his nose, causing him to jump and fall back.

“Oh dear! Are you okay?” she cried, offering him a hand.

He ignored it and stood up himself, brushing the dirt from his clothes. “What are you trying to do?”

What was she trying to do? She held the berries out to him more timidly, “I just wanted to ask you if you wanted some.”

He looked at the berries she offered to him and shook his head, “I don’t eat berries.”

She checked through her little picnic basket and pulled out a bright red fruit, “How about an apple then?”

Again, he shook his head, “No, I don’t eat any other fruits either.”

Out of ideas, Nicole frowned. Well this boy was awfully picky. No wonder his parents left him in the woods.

She gasped when the smell of daisies rose up her nose. He held out several daisies he had just picked in front of her. “Here. There’s nothing else for me to offer you in return.”

“They’re so pretty! Thank you!” she chimed, taking them happily. She placed one behind her ear and smiled happily to herself. The boy stiffened under her touch when she reached up to place a flower behind his ear as well. She giggled, “Now we’re matching!”

He scratched his head sheepishly and looked away. Nicole cocked her head to the side, outstretching a hand, “I’m Nicole! What’s your name?”

“You can just call me Hoya,” he said, shaking her hand hesitantly.

“Well Hoya, would you like to come with me to my grandmas? It’s better than staying alone in the woods!” she offered. He shook his head.

“It’s alright, I don’t mind being in the woods,” he looked up at tall trees towering over them, and smiled.

Nicole crinkled her nose, a bit puzzled at the boy’s attitude. He was so young, yet he acted like an adult. It was his choice though. “Okay then. I should get going then! Maybe I’ll see you again some time!”

She gave him a quick bow and skipped off. He watched her with curious eyes, her small body jumping with enthusiasm. How strange.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the past month, Nicole made several visits to her grandmother’s and every time she did, she never failed to make some time to visit Hoya either. Whenever she went into the woods, it always felt like a game of hide and seek. During the first few times, she would be the one to find him, but now, whenever she tried to find Hoya and surprise him, he managed to find her first. It was as though he knew she was coming.

Their conversations didn’t last long but she didn’t mind. He was an interesting person and she felt if they continued talking, she would eventually know him better.

She noticed that he never wore shoes and his reason for that was he felt closer to nature that way. And he was always wearing the same olive coloured t-shirt and brown capris pants. What a strange boy he was.

“You’re always here in the woods aren’t you?” Nicole asked, kicking at the water gently.

It was a hot day and even the trees couldn’t shade them from humidity. Luckily, Hoya knew of a stream not far into the woods. Nicole was surprised by how he walked through the woods confidently, knowing exactly where he was going. Nicole could be walking around the woods for 5 minutes and the place would look exactly the same as before.

“Yeah,” he said, pulling off his shirt swiftly.

Nicole let out a shriek, “Yah! What are you doing?”

“What? It’s hot,” he said, before walking into the stream. A grin pulled on her lips when she came up with a brilliant idea.

“Yah! What are you doing?” Hoya yelled , shielding his face as Nicole kicked water at him furiously. She only laughed. She let out a loud squeal when the cool water hit her face.

“Hoya! I have to go visit my grandma!” she cried, wiping the water from her face.

He scoffed, “It’s your fault for starting it.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and turned away. Her eyes lit up upon a furry creature resting not far from her. “Bunny!” she gasped.

She stood up slowly, hoping to not scare it away. One step. Two step. Just a bit further. Just as she was going to grab it, it slipped beneath her fingers and hopped far away from her, stopping at the edge of the woods. She groaned in frustration.

She watched as Hoya moved out of the water without a sound. He moved with stealth and ease, not missing a heartbeat as he approached the vulnerable rodent. Nicole felt her heart stop when he suddenly pounced at the creature, letting out a beast-like snarl. She stared wide-eyed as he approached her, holding the grey rabbit by the ears.

He smirked, placing it into her hands. She cradled it as though it were her child. “It’s so cute,” she said, staring at it adoringly. It squirmed uncomfortably in her arms, causing her to let go and allow the animal to escape into the woods. “Come back!”

“Look what you did,” he said, shaking his head as he grabbed his shirt from the floor. He pulled his shirt back on and said, “You should start heading to your grandmother’s for lunch.”

Nicole nodded, following Hoya as he led her through the woods once again. She followed closely beside him, examining him without a care. Her mother did tell her that staring was rude, but she wasn’t exactly staring. She was simply having a better look at him.

He was so intriguing.

“You have a hole in your shirt,” she said, poking a finger through the large hole in his sleeve. He glanced at it and shrugged.

Suddenly, she noticed something sticking out of his hair that she didn’t notice before. Hoya pulled away from her as her fingers brushed against his ears. “What are you doing?”

“Your ears are pointy! That’s so cool,” she stared in wonder as her hands felt her own ears. His hands quickly flew up to adjust his hair, hiding his ears again. “You know, you sort of remind me of a wolf,” she thought aloud, just as they reached the clear path. “Anyway, I guess I’ll see you again later!”

As she began to walk away, she turned around to wave at him enthusiastically. She must’ve been so excited to go to her Grandma’s that she didn’t notice the way he grimaced.