Editing Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 6 (section)

===Part 2===

I have an idea.

The only one who would steal Gappy’s parts either has a huge grievance against him, or—

—As expected…

At the part several minutes from the Village Council Hall, there is a girl with soft chestnut-colored hair. She’s at the swing, all alone, holding the parts box in both hands.

“So you’re here.”

I approach the girl, and sit on the swing next to hers. This is the place Gappy stayed at in the middle of the night, trying to look for Daisy.

Daisy lowers her head, “Hm…”, and weakly answers me.

Just like this, both of us remain silent for a while.

Daisy stares into space, blinking from time to time. I watch the white sidelong face of the girl.

This continues on for another five minutes or so.

“—Gappy.”

Daisy moves her soft lips, turning her face halfway towards me.

“He has been looking for me ever since we argued. He kept looking for me every day, trying to make amends with me.”

Daisy finally starts to talk, like a dam that collapsed. I quietly listen to her.

“But, I, ran away. I ran away from Gappy. I couldn’t bring myself to meet his face, so I ran away from him. And then, and then—”

Her voice starts to tremble.

 

“Gappy, he’s dead…”



I continue to remain silent, just staring at the gloomy sidelong face of the girl, waiting for her next words.

In Daisy’s clutches, a silver cylinder case is glittering. It contains the vivisected parts of Gappy. The body shattered due to frostbite, and shrank to an alarmingly small size, as though it was cremated, able to be contained the grasp of the girl’s arms.

“I know that. I know that, it’s my fault, but I didn’t apologize. So Gappy died. G-Gappy, died, bcause of me…”

A tear appears in the girl’s eyes.

“Daisy.”

I stand up from the swing, and kneel before the girl. Our eyes meet beyond the parts case. Daisy’s large eyes are filled with a moist glint.

“Gappy finished his mission. Through his will, through his decision, he saved our masters. It’s not your fault. Gappy decided it.”

“…”

Daisy remains silent. However, a tear trickles down her cheek silent.

How much distilled sadness is filled in this tear? How much anguish is filled in it? My heart winces as I watch this clumsy girl sob.

And as the third tear lands on the parts case.

“Amaryllis, tell me…how was Gappy when he died?”

“…Alright.”

I told everything that happened on the day Gappy died. How he came to the ‘REM forest’ to create a Flower medal, how he ended up caught in the collapse, and how he died protecting the ‘Cradle’ of a master.

“So, this.”

I take out a little ice fragment from my pocket, and show it to Daisy.

“This is Gappy’s gift to you.”

“Is this, the, flower medal?”

“Yes.”

[[Image:Amaryllis171.jpg|thumb]]

I place the flower medal gently on the parts case. Daisy stares at the fragment.

“Gappy…”

The girl reaches for the ice fragment, her finger stroking its surface. The pink flower is encased in ice, the petal scattering listlessly like a faded life.

“Gappy’s so amazing…contributing for our masters, even until the very end…”

Again, the tears appear in the girl’s eyes, and they fall upon the medal, flowing down it, and landing on Gappy’s remains.

“Gappy’s, body…”

As she hugs the parts case tightly, Daisy looks at me,

“May I personally bury it…?’

I nod hard “Of course.” And answer.

“Gappy will be happy too.”

“Thanks…”

The girl raises her head, making sure the tear won’t fall out. The seventh tear is wiped away by the girl’s finger, and doesn’t fall.