Taeyeon is following blindly. Ahead of her are 2 of her new friends, Sunny and Sooyoung. Apart from their height difference, they can actually hit off really well. Eventually, her footsteps brought her into the kitchen. It was actually Taeyeon's first time in the kitchen. She was too occupied playing with Stephanie at the backyard all the times. Furthermore, a kid is not necessary in the kitchen where all the food items are prepared by the adults. All she needed to do is to wait patiently for lunch to be served at the dining area. She scanned the environment with her eyes; it was actually bigger and more spacious of what Taeyeon has thought of. The upper and lower cabinets are tainted by glossy brown paint with a white marble top. Taeyeon's head is just 5cm above the counter top. All the kitchen wares are well-kept and it gives the place a posh and elegant feel.
"Where are the gummies? I don’t see any."
"The teachers don’t just display sweets around the kitchen, Taeyeon. If they do, it will be havoc here. They are placed right up at the highest cabinet so we can’t reach it."
Sunny responded to Taeyeon's questions with her index finger pointing at the direction where the gummies are rested.
"Where is Mrs Park? I thought she is always in the kitchen preparing food and safe guarding the sweets and candies." Sooyoung looked around the room in search of the human figure.
"Maybe she is chatting with her boyfriend in the toilet while doing her business. I heard from Yuri just now that she’s suffering a stomach-ache. Now we need to concentrate before Mrs Park comes back." Sooyoung reminded Sunny while grabbing one of the nearby stool. She climbed on it and reached for the cabinet.
“No wonder there is a weird and awful smell here the moment I step in. God.” Sunny added while Sooyoung grabbed handful packs of gummies before landing on the ground. Sunny quickly place the stool back to where it was originally and gathered with the girls.
“Okay. 2 big packs for each of us. Should be enough for a week.” Sooyoung announced and when she was about to hand over 2 packs of gummies to Taeyeon, footsteps were heard near the corridor.
“Hide it quick!! Mrs Park is back!””
Loss of ideas, Sooyoung quickly pull Taeyeon’s sweater forward and dump the packets of gummies in. Luckily, Taeyeon had tugged in her sweater which had prevented the gummies from falling out but it seemed like Taeyeon had a bloated tummy, like some middle-aged man. When Taeyeon was about to retaliate, a woman with her hair bun up walked into the kitchen.
“What are you girls doing here?” Mrs Park questioned the girls while looking down at them. She was a stern lady who strongly abides the rules. “What is wrong with your stomach, Taeyeon?” Taeyeon was dumbfounded and lost for words. It was her first encounter with this teacher and she was afraid that she could eat her up alive. She gives off an aura that frightens the children away and that is the reason why the children hardly come by the kitchen.
“Umm. Ummm” these are the only words Taeyeon is able to articulate. Her mind was shut down and she can’t think of any reasons to cover her act. She looks down at her foot with 2 of her toes clasped together.
“We were playing hide-and-seek, Mrs Park. I found Sooyoung first at the second level, then Yuri at the toilet. I covered all the places except here. So I was wondering if Taeyeon is here and here she is!” a few laughter escaped Sunny lips as she tried to cover up their act. The atmosphere remains quiet and intense as they wonder if Mrs Park will buy off Sunny explanation.
“Okay. I see. Next time when hiding, don’t come into the kitchen. I don’t want to clean up a messy kitchen. Off you go girls, to the common room.” Mrs Park gathered the girls out by extending both her hands and ushering them out. “Now, go play at somewhere else.” While finishing her sentence, a small sound was heard followed by an unpleasant smell. They all are fully aware of what it is and they giggled at the thought of it before launching off towards the common room.
___
“I am sorry about what happened just now, Jessica.”
Stephanie was awarded with a cold glare from Jessica together with a “humph” and folded arms.
“awww come on. It wasn’t on purpose.”
“Sorry no cure.”
“Will there be cure with ice creams? Daddy brought some yesterday. Or some gummies?”
Jessica softens her glare at Stephanie and tilted her head towards the short hair girl.
“If there is enough, I will forgive you.”
“It’s as big as a big huge mountain!”
“Make sure it is.” Stephanie held on to Jessica’s hand before pulling her towards the kitchen.
“Would popsicles do the cure?” Stephanie asked, standing on a stool to reach the level of the freezer while ransacking for ice creams.
“I want vanilla flavoured!” Jessica is attempting to peek at the contents inside the freezer while hopping up and down.
“Okay. Got that.” Stephanie came down from the stool; handed over the vanilla flavoured popsicle to Jessica while she unwrapped her chocolate flavoured popsicle. Both of them positioned themselves comfortably on the couch while enjoying the coldness of the popsicle.
“Hey Stephanie, try biting it. It’s more delicious that way.”
“Really? Okay I will try.” When her teeth were in contact with the popsicle, the icing sensation was refreshing for Stephanie. She enjoyed eating that way very much.
“ahhhh. It tasted better this way. It’s so yummy! Thanks a lot Jessica.”
“Nothing much. I thought you will like it as well.” Jessica took a bite off the popsicle as well but she pull off the popsicle so hard that her already lose front tooth came off. A high pitched scream echoed the room like a gunshot piercing through a silent room.
“What happened dear?” Simone came rushing into the room with her gardening tools dropped to the side before kneeling down to her daughter’s eye level. Jessica could not reply her mother because the pain was unbearable to her.
“Her tooth was pulled out while she was biting off the popsicle, Aunt Simone.” Stephanie replied, sounding a little concern, holding on to her melting popsicle with her right hand.
“Oh. That’s alright darlings.” She said to Stephanie before turning to her daughter, who is still sobbing very hard.
___
Year 1998
Both Stephanie and Taeyeon had found their newly-found playmates, but both of them did not forget about one another, just yet.
Taeyeon would always have mushrooms in her drawings regardless of the theme. She doesn’t mind if her drawing is out of theme, she just enjoy drawing mushrooms like she was 3 years ago.
The promise to fold blue stars was not forgotten by Stephanie, neither. She remembered to always make one when the date of 8 Marche is written on her class work.
By now, she already has 3 blue stars in a small glass bottle - The bottle she would pass to Taeyeon when they meet 15years later.
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