The girl sat in the field, her golden hair crowned with a clumsily made wreath of flowers. Her skirt, spread out around her, was covered with wildflowers she had picked with her tiny hands. Still unsatisfied, she continued to sort through the blossoms, unaware of the stains they left on the fabric of her skirt as she searched for those with intact petals.

In this place where winter seemed to last half the year, the flowering season lasted no more than a fortnight at most. For the girl who had waited all year for the field to turn its brilliant purple, the fleeting days felt far too short.

“All done.”

She held up a bouquet, more magnificent than the one she’d made the day before. Though she had brought home countless bouquets, filling every vase in the house, the person waiting for her there always received them with delight. And today, this particularly beautiful arrangement would surely make them even happier. Proudly, the girl rose to her feet, ready to go home.

Unlike the immaculate bouquet she had made, however, the girl herself was a mess. The two braids she had tied neatly that morning were now tangled from trying on the flower crown, and her white dress was stained with streaks of violet sap and green grass.

The girl, looking at her clothes, was on the verge of tears. In this state, she would surely be the target of teasing from the village children on her way home. The children often taunted her, saying that her house, which stood alone in a remote area, was the home of a witch, and that her mother was a witch. Instead of walking through the centre of the village, the girl decided to take a detour through the forest.

The dense forest path was so dark, even at midday, that it was difficult for outsiders, even adults, to venture into it. But to the girl who was born and raised here, it was no different from her own backyard. She walked along the path humming a happy tune.

“Ah! Hello!”

But only if she managed to stay on the path. There were too many things in the summer forest to keep the girl’s attention. A squirrel busily gathering fruit from the trees. A rabbit peering out and quickly scurrying back into its burrow. Chasing after such sights, the girl was always getting lost.

“Ahhh!”

As she walked, looking only at a bird’s nest in a tree, the girl’s leather shoe slipped on a wet, leafy patch of soil. She fell! Expecting to land on her back, she flailed her arms and closed her eyes tightly.

A thud. Both her sides were pinned down. Her feet dangled in the air, but there was no impact on her back. Had she been caught on a branch?

The girl cautiously opened her eyes to a slit. Big hands had grabbed her from behind and held her up. Curious to see who had taken her, she turned her head to look back. The hands slowly lowered her to the ground and her small feet lightly touched the earth.

“Thank you.”

She said, turning quickly to bow in gratitude. The person who had caught her was a large adult. Even when she craned her neck, the face was hard to see through the shade of the trees.

“Oh, my flowers…!”

Startled, she noticed the bunch she had dropped rolling to the ground. As she moved to pick it up, the tall man bent down first. A few petals had fallen off, but the bouquet was still intact. The man wiped the dirt from the stems with his sleeve and handed it back to her.

“Thank you.”

The girl beamed. The adults had always told her to be wary of strangers, but she was sure that this man was a good person. After all, he had caught her when she was about to fall and had even picked up her flowers for her.

Had she gotten too comfortable? Suddenly, the man’s big hand reached for her head. Startled, the girl squeezed her eyes shut again.

“Ah…”

The man adjusted her crooked flower crown, then stepped back. With the distance between them now, the girl had to tilt her head back to see him, catching a glimpse of his jawline. A faint smile lingered at the corner of his lips.

He had helped her, yet she had treated him like someone terrifying. Yet he smiled, and that made her feel even more apologetic. The innocent girl decided that no matter what the adults said, this man was a good person – an admirable adult.

“Mister, are you… a hunter?”

Apart from the villagers, the only people who had entered the forest were hunters from outside. The man didn’t answer the girl’s question, just pointed in the opposite direction.

Now that she thought about it, where was she? Tilting her head in confusion, the girl began to walk in the direction he had indicated. Occasionally she looked back to see the man following her at a leisurely pace. She must have looked back about five times before she finally found her way again.

“Thank you very much…”

When she turned to look behind her, the forest was empty. There was no one there. Could it have been… a ghost?

* * *

There are no ghosts. Calling a good adult a ghost would be no different than the children calling her mommy a witch.

Feeling more mature than the village children – or so she thought – the girl began to walk the forest path to the flower field every day from the next day. As she walked through the forest, she craned her neck and looked in all directions.

She wanted to see the man again. So she could confirm that she hadn’t been bewitched by a ghost in broad daylight. Of course, there was another reason, but it wasn’t very important.

If the man was indeed a hunter, he might leave as soon as the summer was over, so she had to hurry. But no matter how hard she searched, the only tall figures in the forest were the trees, as slender as the man.

“Tch.”

Another fruitless day. The girl, holding a bouquet in each hand, kicked a small stone at her feet, sending it rolling far away.

The flowers would soon wither. As the girl regretted this, a malicious thought suddenly flashed through her mind, as if a devil had whispered it to her. The last time she got lost, she’d met him. So maybe…

Falling for the devil’s temptation, the girl stepped off the path and into the forest, only to be grabbed by the throat as she did so.

“Ahhh!”

The girl flailed wildly, trying to escape the grip that held her. She clenched her tiny fists tightly, trying not to drop the bouquets she was holding. Her feet dragged helplessly for a moment before they were set back on the flat path.

Once her neck was free, the girl spun around, puffing her cheeks in frustration. She raised her head and snapped at him like an angry sparrow.

“What are you doing?!”

It was the man who hadn’t shown a trace when she’d been looking for him. The narrow path was still shaded, but less densely wooded than the deeper forest. A single ray of sunlight pierced the branches, illuminating the man’s head.

The girl’s eyes widened at the sight of his white hair, as white as that of the village elder, who was said to be over a hundred years old. When her gaze met his displeased, narrowed eyes, she quickly averted her own.

“Hello…”

Shyly, the girl offered a belated greeting. Her mother had always said that a good first greeting was the key to building good relationships.

But was it too late? The man didn’t answer for a long time, and the girl looked up nervously, stealing a glance after keeping her head down. Instead of the sharp gaze she had seen before, she now saw the corners of his lips slightly curving upwards.

Encouraged, the girl finally managed to meet his gaze again. His eyes, a warm violet tinged with red, softened as they curved towards her in a gentle arc.

“Hello.”

The man’s voice was harsh, like someone recovering from a long illness. But it wasn’t unpleasant to hear, unlike the gruff voice of Mr Bill, the village shopkeeper.

Perhaps it was because the man’s smile and voice were different from those of the other men who treated the girl like an unwanted burden while pretending to be kind just to stay on her mother’s good side.