Aroma’s Day Off

Vol.1: Aroma’s Day Off

Prelude

Aroma woke from a vision where the snake god of her ancestors had coiled gently around her astral form and whispered safety and mystery into her ear.

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She had no foundational memory, no strong emotion. She knew who she was, where she lived, how to cook, what to do each day, whether something was dangerous and how to react if it was. But these were not true memories. If something happened to her that would be utterly unthinkably absurd to the average person, she'd be curious, a little bewildered, mostly unbothered. Isn't that how the world is supposed to work? Who decides something is against the rules? Have you ever seen the arbiter of the laws of reality? Who do you complain to when they break? Aroma doesn't even notice they've been broken.

And so, she begins her day on one of her rare days off. By entering a forest...

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Chapter 1

Aroma strolled leisurely through the trees, not bothering to keep track of her location. She didn't know where she was, where she had been, or where she was going. That was fine, though. It was relaxing to just walk aimlessly for a while, no plans or responsibilities to hold you back.

The forest smelled old. There was an occasional breeze rustling the upper branches of the trees in the distance, but the wind never reached the ground. Occasionally there was a faint scent of damp rust, as if metal tools had been buried there long ago.

It was quiet. So when Aroma heard a sound that didn't come from her she'd stop, tilting her head to listen. Sounds never seemed to repeat while she was paying attention. When there was a hint of direction, she would change course to try to locate it directly.

While walking, she was drawn to examine all sorts of things she encountered. She stooped to inspect an interesting hole in the ground that seemed to have an oddly spiral shape. Then she took her time tracing the ridges of a knot on a tree that resembled a monkey.

Not long after that, she took care to not step on the lines of smooth, vibrant green moss forming a tangle of interwoven lines. It looked like a large Celtic key pattern, a complex design that somehow evoked the presence of clear paths. At its center sat a moss covered boulder that appeared to sparkle when the sun hit it just right.

Soon, Aroma stopped walking entirely and looked around with a faint sense of bafflement. She could have sworn she'd seen that monkey-shaped tree knot already...

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Chapter 2

Eventually, she found a cave in a cliff. Looking up, the cliff was the side of a tall, angular mountain. The forest grew right up against the base of the mountain, but the edifice itself was bare smooth stone with multicolor striations.

On the ground by the cave opening, there were some boards that had fallen down and a sign saying do not enter, which she read absentmindedly. Instead of dwelling on the random sign and debris that once barred entry, she nonchalantly wandered her way inside.

She noticed the cat right away. Of course she did. But before giving it her attention, she took her time examining the inside of the cave tunnel itself.

The walls were slightly rough and luminous. Upon close inspection, they looked like the inside of a quartz geode that glowed dimly. The remains of minecart tracks, mostly buried beneath moss speckled with luminous crystal dust, followed the center of the tunnel. There were even a few shapes that resembled carts or crates full of ore buried under moss; nothing of the original structure peeked through the lush green. It seemed as if this cave had once been a prosperous mine but had been claimed by the forest.

She stared carefully at the structure of the cave walls, floor, and ceiling and concluded the cave as a whole was likely man-made. As if humans had dug a tunnel into the unbroken cliff in search of ore. Needless to say, since this wasn't her area of expertise, her certainty was middling.

Then she looked at the cat and slowly approached it. The cat turned and walked away. She paused. It turned to look at her and meowed. When she began to move closer the cat took off again, making her hesitate. It turned to look at her, paused before approaching a few steps and meowing again. She took another step forward. It ran away again, and she stood still, her brows slightly furrowed. When it stopped and walked a bit in her direction once more, meowing, she decided the cat was trying to lead her somewhere. When it comes in threes, it's no longer just a coincidence.

As she followed the cat deeper inside, she maintained an unhurried pace and constantly stopped to smell the roses... ahem, inspect the cave walls and anything at all that caught her eye. The cat was patient, though, just sitting and watching her whenever she got distracted. Eventually they made their way to a place with a row of covered equipment just right for sitting on. So, she sat down and brought out her bento. It was pretty close to midday by then. Probably. Being underground, it was kind of hard to tell. But she was hungry enough to eat, and the location was convenient for a lunch break, so she sat for lunch.

She took the little pack off her back and set it on the ground beside her. It was a common fixture of her life and keeping it ready to go made her routine easier. It had a built-in water bladder, the very height of luxury... that she forgot to refill. It began the day only 3/4 full and by lunch was half empty.

She pulled out her odd container that looked like a metal bowl with a lid, a locking mechanism, and a spork attached to the top. It currently contained a Taco Bell inspired taco bowl - complete with packets of Fire sauce from the restaurant stashed in a pocket of her pack.

She leaned back against the cave wall, making herself comfortable, then opened her bento. Inside was a base layer of shredded lettuce and cheese. Croutons, diced onions, and tomato wedges comprised the middle layer. Cucumber slices were laid evenly across the top, and the whole thing had been liberally salted.

She tore open several packets of Fire sauce and poured it over the salad, as evenly as she could. It came together in an uneven swirling pattern, almost like a hastily drawn magic symbol. Then she unhooked her spork, examined it for any trace of dirt, and scooped out her first bite. As she bit down, she closed her eyes and chewed slowly, savoring the taste...

Before she knew it, the bowl was empty. With a satisfied sigh, she put everything back together, stuffed everything back in her pack, and relaxed. Only then did she notice the cat had jumped up on the bench beside her while she ate and was currently sleeping. With a slight smile, she leaned back against the wall again and pet it, letting her food digest in peace.

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Chapter 3

After lunch break ended, Aroma was slow to rise. The cat was lying against her leg, purring. She listened to that melody for a while, until it stopped and stared into the distance, its ears twitching occasionally. She could hear its soft breathing in the quiet of the cave.

Once she decided to stand, the cat leapt down, appeared to wink at her, and ran off down the tunnel once more. She delayed until it stopped and looked back at her, almost appearing to be exasperated, then followed it once again.

It didn't take much longer to reach a large open space. Even with glowing walls, the cavern was massive enough for the ceiling to disappear into the shadows. It was maybe the size of a cathedral. She stared intently into the darkness, trying to see something, anything at all, but the only shapes were the static of eyes not receiving enough light.

Then she heard it, a faint whisper. The shadows seemed to move. No, something was flying through them, fluttering down toward her. She held her breath so the sound of her breathing wouldn't distract her.

The cat meowed and grabbed her attention. She looked at it, and it held up a paw as if pointing. She began to turn in that direction, but stopped when it meowed again. When it had her attention once more, it leaped up and tapped her hand with its paw. She lifted her hand slightly, staring at the cat. It struggled to its hind legs with its arms by its sides, then slowly raised one arm and turned its paw palm up. It lowered its arm, then raised it again and rotated it palm up. Each time it stared at its paw, looked at her, then back at its paw. She raised her arm, palm up, and then glanced back at the cat. It relaxed and lay down, satisfied.

She held her hand up like that, studying the cat's expression for a moment. She had no idea why it wanted her to strike a pose. Nonplussed, but unbothered, she turned her attention back to the odd stirring above. Suddenly, the rustling gave way to a flurry, and three tiny, fuzzy, cute little gemstones were circling her outstretched hand. As she watched, one of them landed and gave a gentlemanly bow - all 1.5 inches of him and his beautiful, black wings. It was a cute bat.

The bat straightened up, bared its fangs in a disarming smile, and placed the tip of its wing against her finger as if asking for permission.

She glanced at the cat questioningly. Seeing this, the cat opened its mouth, placed its paw inside, and nibbled its digits. Then it winked at her, and glanced at the bat as if to say, this is what it wants. It wants to nibble its own fingers? Does it have fingers? Maybe it wants to nibble her fingers instead?

She looked solemnly at the bat for a long moment, lips pursed as she deciphered the situation. Then she nodded.

The bat gracefully lowered its face to the side of her finger and lingered there a moment, sniffing. After it pulled away, it bowed again, then gestured its two companions to come. Once they had landed, all three sank their tiny, almost invisible fangs into her skin, painlessly feeding upon her blood. Afterwards, there was no trace left. They bowed to her in gratitude, rose into the air, and danced on wings around her head before returning to the shadows above.

She stared after them long after they faded from view, long after the sound of their passing was gone. Then she bent down and stroked the cat's fur. It was time to start heading home.

Leaving the cat behind in the natural cathedral, Aroma strolled slowly back the way they had come, lost in thought. Not paying attention to her surroundings, she was reliving the day's events in an attempt to lock the memory in her mind. Soon, she saw daylight. Her unplanned spelunking escapade was over.

She broke into a jog once the opening to the forest became visible. She was happy to leave the cave behind, but slightly melancholic about parting from her new feline and bat...ine? friends.

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Chapter 4

Aroma stepped out into the forest and briefly closed her eyes, inhaling and centering herself back into the present moment. The air tasted sweet. A soft breeze played with her hair. There were still no sounds of bird or insect life in the area. The scent of damp rust was replaced by midnight burgonia. She opened her eyes and noticed the shadows had grown long. The sun was setting behind the mountain and the bright sunlight had muted, almost giving way to dusk.

She started to look around, taking in the difference in ambience from earlier. Then she saw them. They were standing, sitting, and lying completely motionless around the cave opening. It took her a moment to comprehend what she was seeing. They were wolves. They were beautiful and seemed to represent all natural color variants in the species. They did not react to her presence, entirely unthreatening in nature.

She held her breath at the living beauty around her. Then took a step. Their eyes followed her. She took another step. Then another. She was almost out of the ring of them. She could hardly bear to tear her eyes away from such breathtaking serenity. She could feel the intelligence in their eyes.

Just as she exited their circle they stood up and moved as if to follow her. Suddenly, a fog appeared in her mind and drifted through it. Her eyes became cloudy for a moment. Then it passed, leaving her mind as clear as before. Except now she knew they were her brothers.

The pack leader began to lope away into the forest. Acting on instinct, she broke into a run and followed, somehow both upright and on all fours, both human and wolf, and the pack flowed around her.

They zigged and zagged around the trees, leapt over large roots and little streams, howling with pure joy as the moon rose in a sky just starting to turn orange. She lost herself in their dance until the sky turned scarlet, then lavender. Laughing in delight as the pack around her howled at the moon. Chasing and being chased. Completely free. Simply a wolf and a human at the same time.

Before she knew it, she was standing at the edge of the forest as twilight settled on the world. The moon was full and bright. Each wolf walked up to her one by one. She pet them all. Then they disappeared back into the forest. She watched them go. She was almost home.

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Chapter 5

Aroma took a deep breath, then turned to face the street. After briefly looking both ways, she crossed and stepped onto her driveway. She was officially home.

Her driveway was longer than most, her house set back a bit, but nothing extravagant. It wasn't a mansion, just a little two-storey cottage with a brick facade. The driveway passed to the left of the building and disappeared behind it. There were trees surrounding her property. They weren't a forest, just thick enough to hide each property from the next like a privacy wall.

As she walked up the drive toward her house, something felt a little off. By the time she reached her vehicle, she could tell what had caught her attention: something like white smoke seemed to rise from her back yard.

Instead of going inside straightaway, she followed the driveway toward her back yard. The driveway merged with the cement patio surrounding her pool in the back. The pool was really a small lake, paved all around with cement and kept chlorinated. As she got closer to it, the air noticeably dropped in temperature and she could see her breath. By the time she reached the side of her pool, the entire scene - diorama? - was in plain sight.

The air was frigid with icy mist visible across her yard. The trees were covered in frost. There were possibly dozens of mountain lions dangling from the branches. It was like some weird eccentric decided they made good Christmas ornaments. They were pale, as if a frosted filter were applied to them rather than covered in actual frost.

When she was able to pull her gaze from the mildly off-putting but entrancing sight, she noticed her pool was completely frozen solid. More mountain lions lay beneath the surface staring up at her, or at the sky. They, too, appeared pale as if rendered through a frosted filter then slightly obscured by the layer of ice above them. Neither the submerged beasts nor the hanging ones appeared injured. As far as she could tell, they were alive in a state of some sort of suspended animation. She almost expected them to be some sort of decoration, and wondered briefly if her home had been transplanted into a snow globe. She swept her gaze across her yard to collect the details. She was confused and a little aggrieved. Who would dare tamper with her property like this?

With a sigh, she turned to go inside. There, in front of her, stood another lion completely in the open. It stared at her. It was unmoving. She thought it was in a frozen state, too. She started walking toward her back door, never taking her eyes off the lion in front of her. So when its eyes moved to follow her, she flinched slightly, briefly startled. But nothing more happened before she crossed the threshold into her house. She locked the door behind her, then stood there staring at the tableau - panorama? - for a long time.

Her mind felt full of thoughts that were strangely absent from her consciousness. Like a half remembered offense taken, hardly imagined shock observed in the face of another, subtle questioning of process and appearance by a detective in a TV show watched by her neighbor. If she could remember her life properly, maybe she'd be panicking and submitting herself to the hospital right about now... or at least calling the police to complain about littering - maybe vandalism? - or wildlife endangerment.

Eventually, she let the strange sensation of almost reacting to something go and started thinking about what to have for dinner. There was leftover pizza - she could still smell it from last night - some steak fajita fixings she could fry pretty quick, as well as ingredients for all sorts of sandwiches, salads, and pasta - including spaghetti and lasagna. She decided to make steak fajitas tonight - prime steak pieces on tortilla flatbread with medium chunky salsa on top. And so, time passed once again as she focused wholly on enjoying her food.

After dinner, her day was complete. She simply observed her normal hygiene and pre-bed prep before sleep.

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Sometime in the middle of the night, she half woke to see people who looked like Native Americans - one even wore a headdress - tapping on drums around the sides and foot of her bed. She blinked sleepily as she tried to focus her mind, but the steady drumming lulled her back to sleep.

End of volume 1.