The Seed Thief

The golem, now capable of independent thought and emotions, would occasionally carry out Lulu’s orders with deliberate slowness. This usually happened when Lulu was about to do something reckless or ask it to do something tedious.

“How did you even learn the concept of ‘tedious’?”

Lulu would look at the golem, puzzled, wondering how it had acquired knowledge she hadn’t programmed into it. The golem would then recall a memory, one it hadn’t personally experienced but that belonged to it nonetheless. The memory of soaring through the blue sky, perched high above on a cliff, looking down at the world. It was a memory embedded in the eagle feather. The knowledge and memories of a being who had observed Lulu from atop a tree, thinking, “What is that little human up to today?”

After acquiring that knowledge, the golem would sometimes shrug its shoulders at Lulu’s actions, as if to say, “That’s absurd,” or sigh as it looked around the house as if thinking, “It’s messy again today.” Lulu would scold it for its impertinent behavior, but she seemed secretly pleased.

“You’re becoming more and more human.”

The golem knew that this was the highest praise Lulu could bestow upon it. She would always hug the golem when she said that.

So the golem had a question. Lulu wanted to meet people. But she had created the golem because she had no one. There was a village beyond the forest, where humans lived. Those humans must be the people she wanted to meet, so why didn’t she go there?

Seeking an answer to that question, the golem repeatedly attempted to converse with Scarecrow and Crow.

[I don’t know. Give me new clothes. Birds… chase them away!]

But Scarecrow wasn’t a very good conversational partner. Lulu had reinforced his magic circles several times, just like she did with the golem, but this was the limit of his communication skills. Crow was a little better.

[Those humans… they’re bad. They threw rocks at me! They threw rocks at Lulu too!]

[But the Master likes them.]

[They hate Lulu!]

Even after hearing his answer, the golem couldn’t understand. The Master liked them, but they hated her?

Then one day, the golem was pulling up trees near the house, following Lulu’s instructions. She wanted to create a new vegetable garden there. Lulu had said she was going to look around the area for a bit and would be back soon, but she hadn’t returned even as evening approached.

[Should we go look for her?]

The golem asked Crow, who was dozing off on the steps leading to the house. Crow, startled awake, flapped his wings as if to say no.

[No. Lulu hates it when we follow her.]

Why? The golem wanted to ask, but its Master wasn’t there to answer. Eventually, night fell. The golem, now capable of experiencing ‘worry,’ stood up and started walking.

[You idiot, go back. Lulu will be angry!]

[But the Master hasn’t returned.]

Shouldn’t they go look for her then?

The golem headed in the direction Lulu had disappeared. Its Master’s magic power, being a mage, left faint traces in the air. The golem followed those traces. Its heavy footsteps echoed through the deep forest, startling sleeping birds.

The golem continued to walk towards the edge of the forest. And when it finally reached the ‘road,’ it saw countless torches flickering in the distance.

What was that?

It was a sight the golem had never seen before. But one thing was certain: its Master’s presence was near those unknown lights. The golem hurried towards the lights. Its footsteps grew louder and louder. And when it finally reached the lights,

“Monster!”

“Look! The rock is moving!”

The golem realized that the moving lights were torches held by humans. And that they were screaming in terror, staring at it.

“Kill it! Throw rocks!”

“Get the pickaxes! Oh my God! Protect us from this evil!”

Along with their shouts, a barrage of rocks flew towards the golem. Several hit its body with loud thuds, but the golem didn’t react. It couldn’t yet decide what to do in this situation, and besides, it had a more important task.

Where was the Master?

The golem’s only concern was Lulu. It knew that Lulu, unlike itself, was vulnerable to such attacks, being human. So it had to protect her. It finally spotted her. Lulu was huddled in some bushes, a short distance away.

The golem immediately went to the bushes and bowed its head to Lulu. An invitation to return home.

“What is it? There’s something in those bushes!”

“Throw rocks over there!”

The humans, noticing the golem’s movements, realized something was hidden there and threw more rocks. And then, as one of the rocks pierced the bushes,

“Ouch!”

Lulu’s cry rang out. The golem frantically pushed through the bushes. There she was, tears welling up in her eyes. As the golem hastily scooped her up into its arms, the humans’ shouts intensified.

“Look! It’s the Forest Witch!”

“Red hair! The witch was hiding!”

“The witch summoned her monster! Everyone, get back! Hide the children!”

More rocks rained down on them. The golem now clearly understood that the villagers were trying to harm its Master. Protecting her was its duty. Just as it was about to strike back,

“Just go!”

[…?]

“Go back home! Now!”

Instead of ordering it to attack the humans, its Master commanded it to flee. As the golem hesitated, she cried out again, her voice laced with tears,

“Go home, I said, you idiot!”

Normally, it would have pretended to grumble, making gestures that conveyed, “I’m not an idiot,” but not now. The golem, clutching Lulu in its arms, turned and sprinted back into the forest. Rocks flew past them, but most missed, landing harmlessly in the bushes.

After running for a while, the sounds of pursuit faded. The humans seemed to have stopped at the edge of the forest, unwilling to enter.

And then,

“Put me down.”

The golem stopped at Lulu’s command. But it couldn’t bring itself to release her. It was worried that the humans might follow them and attack.

“Put me down, I said!”

Lulu shouted. The Master’s orders were absolute. The golem immediately set her down. It saw Lulu’s face in the moonlight. Her long red hair was a tangled mess from their frantic escape, her face was streaked with tears. As soon as she was on the ground, she punched the golem.

“Why did you follow me?! Why?!”

The golem could only stand there, silent. It couldn’t understand why its Master was angry.

Still fuming, Lulu continued to yell and punch the golem, then even kicked it.

“All the villagers were gathered there! They looked like they were having so much fun! And because of you, I missed it all!”

After venting her anger on the golem, she collapsed to the ground, panting. Then, she glared at the motionless golem and shouted,

“I don’t want to see you! Don’t come back to the house! Go back to where you came from!”

She said that and then stormed off towards the house alone. The golem couldn’t follow her. Its Master had told it not to. And it still had one more order to fulfill.

Go back to where you came from.

The golem, wondering what she meant, slowly started walking. It eventually stopped at the place where the rock that formed its body had once been. It crouched down and sat there. Because that was its Master’s command.

* * *

Lulu was curled up in her bed, crying uncontrollably.

Watching the villagers was one of her few hobbies. It was also one of her favorite things to do.

As the weather turned cooler, the villagers would flock to their fields, the hillsides now painted gold. They would harvest the ripe wheat and return to the village. Once the fields were empty, it became difficult to observe them, but yesterday, they had suddenly gathered, built a massive bonfire in the middle of the fields, and started singing and dancing.

It was the harvest festival she had read about in books. Lulu, seeing it in person for the first time, hid herself and watched them, mesmerized. She could hear their laughter and chatter, everyone gathered together, even those who rarely came out to the fields.

They were eating and drinking. Lulu swallowed, tempted by the delicious smells carried by the wind.

‘I want to play with them too.’

She wanted to join them, eat with them, laugh, and chat with them. She knew it was impossible, so she just watched from her hiding place. Night fell, and the villagers, unlike usual, made the bonfire even bigger and continued their revelry.

Lulu planned to watch them until they all went back. She was enjoying herself so much…

‘Stupid golem.’

The festival ended abruptly because of the golem’s sudden appearance. The villagers, who had been laughing and chatting just a moment ago, turned on her and the golem, pelting them with rocks, their faces filled with anger.

‘I was just being quiet.’

If the golem hadn’t come, she would have been able to watch them until the harvest festival ended. She could have gathered the leftover food, the things they left behind, things she didn’t know about. But the golem had ruined everything.

Crow, concerned by Lulu’s prolonged silence beneath the covers, entered the room through the open door and called out to her. Lulu bolted upright and shouted,

“Don’t come in! I don’t want to see you either! Go to the golem!”

She knew Crow hadn’t done anything wrong. But right now, she just didn’t want to see anyone. As if that wasn’t enough to vent her anger, she threw open the window and yelled at Scarecrow, who was running around outside.

“You too! Go back to your original forms! I don’t want to see any of you! Idiots! Fakes! I don’t need any of you!”

Normally, Scarecrow would have ignored her commands. But the magic that animated him was hers, and he couldn’t disobey her, not when she was this upset. He froze and then ran off in the direction of the golem. Crow followed, walking slowly behind him.

Once they were all gone, the house fell silent. Just like it had been when the Forest Witch died and she was all alone. Lulu burrowed under the covers again, curling up like a squirrel hibernating for the winter, and cried.

She must have fallen asleep from crying. When she opened her eyes, she was surrounded by darkness.

“Why is it so… Oh.”

She had been about to call out to them, wondering why it was so quiet, when she remembered the order she had given them before falling asleep.

‘Should I call them back?’

She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. Why should she? It was the golem’s fault. So she didn’t want to see those who were close to the golem either. They weren’t even real people, so what did it matter if they were here or not? She could just make new ones.

Her hardened anger twisted her heart. Her head ached from crying herself to sleep, but she pulled the covers over her head again. Both her body and her mood were awful.

* * *

Several days passed. Scarecrow, Crow, and the golem, obedient to Lulu’s command, stayed out of sight. Lulu didn’t go looking for them. She was stubborn, convinced she hadn’t done anything wrong.

“It’s so nice and quiet!”

She said it out loud as if someone were listening.

The house, once filled with the noise of their presence, was now filled only with her own. She decided to enjoy the newfound peace. She was used to being alone, and she would soon forget about those three fools.

More time passed. The cool air turned colder, and frost covered the ground. And then, on a day when gray clouds hung low in the sky, it finally began to snow.

Lulu, curled up in bed, reading a book, looked at the snow piling up on the roof and in the yard, and a wave of worry washed over her.

‘They’re all weak to the cold.’

Magic, in a way, was akin to a living creature. So its power often weakened during extreme weather, both in the scorching heat of summer and the freezing cold of winter. The magic that animated the three was permanent, not temporary, making them even more susceptible.

‘Will they be alright?’