I heard his words whispering in my ears. Young, adventurous, always wanting to follow his sister to the ends of the world. This was only a fragment of my mind, our happiest moments together. The crisp air, the quiet streets with only the sounds of birds and passing cars, something truly... nostalgic.101Please respect copyright.PENANAgu8TZsvfyQ
His eyes stared at me with admiration as he asked a simple question. "Can we go shopping!" I couldn't refuse, nodding my head with just as much excitement. After all, every week, on this exact day, we would do the same thing. Our parents never argued at this point in time, and handed us just enough to buy a few outfits and have lunch at the food court.101Please respect copyright.PENANAlwZtKLEFxR
I figured he would get bored of it, being so young with such a short attention span, I guess he really enjoyed our time together. The mall we went to wasn't anything special; it was on the verge of being shut down, demolished, and rebuilt. If... no, when the mayor gets enough money, the new mall will be built.101Please respect copyright.PENANAhhOYONGtQ9
So many people wanted this, investing their own money for the goal to be reached. What once had over thousands of daily visitors, is now reduced to less than hundred. That's why, every time we visit, the shop owners and staff know us by name. The mall begins to feel more spacious than it really is.101Please respect copyright.PENANAkU36MUcYgY
I always wanted to ask my brother, "How do you smile in a place that's dying like a flower?" I should of took the first opportunity I had, for it could've been my last as well. I realize now that I had far too many opportunities to sit down with him and ask questions.101Please respect copyright.PENANAbxYjPeiYux
"What are you wanting to buy today?" I asked him. "I want Time!"101Please respect copyright.PENANA5JccBpbwTK
"Time? You can't buy time silly."101Please respect copyright.PENANAnDOV7ibx7P
"It's a video game! I have the right console for it and everything!"101Please respect copyright.PENANA0y9v7IyRsw
"Oh, that's what you meant. I guess we can take a look at the price when we come across it. I know buying more clothes would be useful, but we can switch things up for once."101Please respect copyright.PENANAoNMRGNameh
"Yay!" he cheered. We stopped at the usual stores, looking at more things we wished we could have, rather than what we needed. It caught my eye, shimmering like a beacon in the night, a beautiful locket in the shape of a star, perfectly engraved with a message.101Please respect copyright.PENANAUvVfxMz82i
It was part of a collection, and it was the only piece in Melonia. "We don't have enough for that, you know." my brother commented. 'The Forgotten Palette of Stars' was a collection that held a story to each piece. It contained a line from the poem with the same name.101Please respect copyright.PENANANR5zMZOenW
Every child has heard the poem growing up, but not one of them knows where it came from. It's rumored to have been found in a bottle, floating until it reached shore, where it then was rewritten and told like a fairy tale.101Please respect copyright.PENANANddBfM28kI
"Do you think I'll ever get my hands on it?"101Please respect copyright.PENANAsPVAGIHqSI
"I... don't really know. If you get a good job in the future or something, you might have a chance. That's only if someone doesn't buy it before you."101Please respect copyright.PENANAQMOy5hr9te
"Yeah, thanks for the motivation."101Please respect copyright.PENANAIl0vMb2cwF
We reached the game store moments later, my brother rushed inside without me, grabbing the game off the shelf. "Hey, they have it on sale!" Even so, it was still expensive, and half our shopping money was now gone, not including our food money.101Please respect copyright.PENANAIXsgAPTdlI
My brother let me have the other half for myself. I entered a small antique store, searching for something to store in the cabinet inside my room. Most of the stuff here was too expensive, but there was one item I knew was cheap, for if it wasn't bought within the next week, it was going to be thrown out.101Please respect copyright.PENANAZELtSK9w4w
"She's beautiful." I said to myself, holding a doll with a half-shattered face. It was a doll that dressed so elegantly, but looked as if it was abandoned by the rest of humanity, forced to collect dust and rot away on a shelf.101Please respect copyright.PENANADeuCvN1QX8
"You seriously want that?" my brother asked. 101Please respect copyright.PENANAmsrvU1Sw0a
"More than anything. I'll fix her someday, I'm sure of it. I think her name is Mai."101Please respect copyright.PENANACOzumdrmj0
"Mai? Is that the best name you could come up with?"101Please respect copyright.PENANA8G9XZsRHww
"Is it really that terrible?"101Please respect copyright.PENANA8yo5ZmIhp8
"Well, not really, but you came up with much better names for things in the past... like that dog you found in our backyard."101Please respect copyright.PENANARm5BOnvhht
"Mai is a perfect name. There is something inside of me that tells me that's her name."101Please respect copyright.PENANATK0yTKxhB8
"Mom said the same thing about my name. You two are really weird."101Please respect copyright.PENANAsxw6yClL9r
Our last stop was the food court. We visited the usual place, ordering the same lunch, but something seemed off about today. I looked towards brother, and he asked about going to the bathroom.101Please respect copyright.PENANAjcr3q0Fuzm
I gave him the go ahead and watched him vanish from my sight. Somebody watched from the distance, approaching me as I was finally alone. A girl around the same age as me. "Noria!"101Please respect copyright.PENANAPH2hMqUQao
"Do I know you?"101Please respect copyright.PENANAOPDdUpxWMi
"Well, no. I watched your race yesterday! I was wondering if I could be your friend."101Please respect copyright.PENANAFsobuFNyMf
"Friend? I guess it's okay. I can't go running off and doing things at the moment. I'm waiting for my brother to get back."101Please respect copyright.PENANAf3vIPGGNnS
"You have a brother?"101Please respect copyright.PENANAC7HqHzLlTs
"Yeah. Did you not see him sitting here with me?"101Please respect copyright.PENANAjdddfRNRhl
"Oh, right. I wasn't going to ask you to go anywhere, just wanted to know if you wanted something else to eat."101Please respect copyright.PENANACbVR7NkzGM
"No, I couldn't accept something like that."101Please respect copyright.PENANA5AOtKI9YJ2
"I-It's fine, I promise. I just want to chat for a bit. If your brother comes back, I'll get him something as well."101Please respect copyright.PENANAG5aBnIXVZH
I continued waiting for my brother, answering the strange girl's questions. She was too energetic for me, acting a little too friendly. I showed her the doll I bought and she loved it as well. Her father was a doll maker, but he only made males, for all he could get shipped to his shop was male clothing for them.101Please respect copyright.PENANA9PcPEGlUD7
"Does he make tomboy dolls? They wear male clothing."101Please respect copyright.PENANA3B1rJVXeJn
"I could ask him if you like, but would you really be fine with her wearing something like that?"101Please respect copyright.PENANAa1uqNz5XJi
"I haven't really made a personality for her yet, so I don't know for certain. I would need to cut her hair short, maybe give her a few bandages and cuts."101Please respect copyright.PENANAcYYpXswrMN
"I love that idea!"101Please respect copyright.PENANAqO9TBuzR6a
I looked at the clock on the wall, realizing it was getting late. "Sorry, but I need to look for my brother. We need to leave soon."101Please respect copyright.PENANAccaJ4e6dRD
"Alright. If I see you at school, I hope you won't mind if I say hello!"101Please respect copyright.PENANALrweQAZLJY
I headed up the steps, back to the first floor. I had only an hour to find him, and if I didn't, who knows what my parents would do.101Please respect copyright.PENANAYen3zUEinn