Mushroom Soldier
One day, while the sun was shining and the wind swayed the trees in the forest, a tiny mushroom soldier decided to make a visit to the nearby pond, where all the forest animals went to make friends and talk. Mushroom soldiers were thought of to be kind and brave, so before leaving, he put on his armor, tied his sword to his belt, and began making his way to the pond. He had many friends and-
“Mommy, what’s the name of the muuhhssh…uhhh….m-m-muuushwoom shodja?” The young girl inquired, with widened chocolate brown eyes tilted her head, furrowing her small brows in the process. It was nighttime, and her mother was telling her a bedtime story while they sat on her small, pink bed.
“….The name? The name… of the mushroom is… Youngie, Tiffany. He’s very much like you actually.” The older woman gently smiled, her eyes forming crescents as her cheeks rose with delight. She started drawing small circles on the pink blanket, and looked up as she said,
“Even the hairstyle’s are alike!”
“WHAAAAAAAT?” Exclaimed the 5 year-old, shaking her head. ‘There’s no way I look like a boy! It’s all daddy’s fault!’ she thought, recalling last month’s events. She wanted to cut her long hair that used to reach her mid-back into a bob-cut, but the day she asked was the day her mother had to leave for a business trip. Her mom would’ve had to think about it; see, her mom’s family didn’t like letting their children styling their hair until they were of mature age. Now, being the impatient little girl, she did what any young, sophisticated, 5 year-old would do: she whined to her daddy and begged him to take her to the parlor while her mother was out. Philip Hwang, an accomplished lawyer, believes himself to be a fast-learner and a do-it-yourself sort of man….and so he did it himself. With a bowl... And safety scissors. What would a man think of using otherwise? He certainly didn’t want to spend $20 on something so seemingly simple.
“It’s daddy’s fault! I don’t want to look like a mu…muh…mutchwoom shoulder!” Her immensely furrowed eyebrows partnered with her tearing pouting face, followed by her balled-up fists moving up and down was a sight to behold. One that was enough to stop an army for a split second, enough to make a grown man ‘awww,’ and enough to bring her mother to wrap her into her arms and swing her around.
“YOU ARE SOOOOO CUTE!” She proceeded to lift Tiffany by the armpits, lean back, and lift her legs to assume the ‘superman’ position, the duo giggling furiously at their heart-warming antics.
“Mommy! You still have to tell me the rest of the story!”
“Oh! Right, right.” She placed the girl down on the bed. “Where was I…oh, he was walking with his sword and armor to the pond. When he
got there, he first noticed that the air seemed a bit colder than before. Then, he saw a crowd of animals gathering around the edge of the pond, near the big old willow tree. Mushroom soldiers were also known for being smart and curious, you see. So he went over to the crowd, hearing ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ only to see a-“
“A beautiful princess!”
“…YES!” Sure, she muttered under her breath. “A BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS! But she wasn’t just any ordinary princess; she was also Ice Fairy Yeonie. She didn’t have any friends though. Most animals thought she was too beautiful to talk to, so she always felt very lonely. But! Being a gentleman, Youngie walked through the crowd, and got a look at the princess. He thought ‘wow, what a beautiful fairy… she looks awful lonely though.’ So he looked around for the prettiest flower he could find, ran up to her, and stretched his arm out to give it to her. Very sweet, right? Afterwards, the princess just looked at him, confused, and slowly reached out for the flower.” Imitating a deep voice, “Miss, I’d like to see you smile, if that’s alright. I’ve brought a flower as a token for my admiration.”
“Mommy, what’s admirtion?”
“Admiration,” she stressed on the missing ‘a’, “is the feeling when you admire something. When you like it.”
“Oh, I see. Go on!”
“You’re not tired yet?” Her mother yawned and began slouching on the bed.
“No mommy! And don’t slouch! Pretty girls aren’t supposed to slouch, remember?”
Tiffany patted her mother’s back, maybe with the thought that she’d turn old and wrinkly if she didn’t stop.
Smiling, her mother continued with the story.
“The princess was happy after someone finally talked to her. She stood and looked up to him, gave her sweeeeetest smile, and-“ She kissed her daughter’s cheek, creating a pop sound. “Kissed the soldier on his cheek. The two became very close friends after that day. And lived happily ever after.”
“Wait! Did they get married? What about kids? Mushrooms aren’t handsome!”
The mother blinked constantly for a couple seconds, unsure of how to respond.
“Uhm…we’ll save that part for another time, ok sweetie? I love you, now…go to bed!”
"But mommy-"
A tickle fight emerged, and ended with the younger girl eventually falling asleep due to fatigue.
“I’m going to miss you while you’re at your first day of school tomorrow Tiffany. I hope you make very good grades, and even better friends than your grades! Hwaiting!” She tucked her in, kissed her forehead, and shut the lights. Closing the door, she finished her earlier confession with “You know, your father says he sees more of me in you everyday. I hope you become ten times as happy as I am right now though, because you deserve that much.” Such a good kid, she thought. It wasn’t that she was unhappy with Philip, no, she was still happily and madly in love with him, it’s just that she believed children should have the best things possible. What she didn’t believe is that she’d one day be the reason holding them back.
**Tiffany’s POV
“Mommy… I’m not going to see you for 5 hours?” NO, don’t start crying, mommy said pretty girls ruin their faces when they cry…
“Yes honey, you’ll be learning! Don’t you want to learn and make friends?”
“Ngghh….Yes… Ok, I’ll be fine then mommy.” No I won’t… but I need to be a big girl and try.
“That’s my girl.” Mommy smiled at me. Gosh, she looks so pretty when she smiles. I hope I’m that pretty one-day. She crouched down to meet my eyes so I lifted my hands and cupped her face.
“I’ll be a good girl mommy, don’t worry about me!” I see the gates opening past mommy’s smile! “Bye mommy! It’s time for school! I love you.” And I ran off. I could see mommy crying tears of joy. This day better be good
I got lost trying to reach the classroom, so this kind older woman helped me. I think her name was… Miss Luna? She’s pretty too! She was nice enough to bring me to my class and introduce me to my classmates. Five hours away from mommy won’t be that bad after all.
“Class, this is Mi-“
“TIFFANY, call me Tiffany Hwang, it’s very nice to meet you.” I bowed after I cut off Miss Luna, just before she could give my real name. I never liked it because my brother makes fun of me and calls me Miyuck.
“Ah, ok. So Tiffany, please sit by Jessica.” Whispering, “She’s the one with the octopus hair.”
I look around for this octopus for a few minutes, and I finally spot her! Miss Luna took her leave afterwards. I made my way towards her, grinning, and sat down on the seat to her right. She was right by the window. Aw, she gets window seat… Class began with a ten-minute chat, since the teacher, who I never got the name of, wanted us to get out “talking” out of the way before class started. I looked at the octopus. She was slouching?! I started poking her, I wouldn't want her turning ugly!
“Hey! Hey!” Oh, she was sleeping? Regardless! Sleeping in school in a no-no!
“What?”
“Sleeping in class is bad! And so is slouching! Pretty girls aren’t supposed to slouch!”
“….you’re loud.” Completely ignoring me, she went back to sleep. Fine, but don’t come crying to me when you look horrible at the end of class. Hmph!
The ten minutes ended, and the teaching begun. Mr. Kim was teaching a lot of things that I had already learned at home, so I decided to stare outside of the window for a while. So bright… it’s pretty. I looked lower and stared at the sleeping girl. She’s still…pretty… I didn’t notice how cute she was…Something feels…not right, but I can’t stop staring at her. I kept staring until the bell rang. I hope that octopus will be my friend. I ran outside the gate, over to my crouching mommy and jumped with my arms reaching around her neck.
“MOMMY I MISSED YOU!”
“Aw, honey. I missed you too, but didn’t you have fun?”
“…Yes. I like school mommy. I met an octopus! I hope she’ll be my friend, she’s so pretty mommy! She slouches and she still stays pretty!”
“Oh, really? She must be a very, very, pretty octopus then.” We started laughing towards the car, but then I saw a familiar hairstyle… an octopus? She got into a silver mini-van with a smaller girl, maybe her sister. Ah hah! Your car…is silver! I rushed into the car and asked if we could follow that van, but then mommy mentioned strawberry ice cream, and I love strawberry ice cream.
“Strawberry ice cream, AWAY!! Wooosh” I yelled as mommy turned the keys. I started fantasizing about how much ice cream I could get, eventually dozing off. -- -
-But I think I dreamt about you that time instead-
“Mommy, what’s the name of the muuhhssh…uhhh….m-m-muuushwoom shodja?” The young girl inquired, with widened chocolate brown eyes tilted her head, furrowing her small brows in the process. It was nighttime, and her mother was telling her a bedtime story while they sat on her small, pink bed.
“….The name? The name… of the mushroom is… Youngie, Tiffany. He’s very much like you actually.” The older woman gently smiled, her eyes forming crescents as her cheeks rose with delight. She started drawing small circles on the pink blanket, and looked up as she said,
“Even the hairstyle’s are alike!”
“WHAAAAAAAT?” Exclaimed the 5 year-old, shaking her head. ‘There’s no way I look like a boy! It’s all daddy’s fault!’ she thought, recalling last month’s events. She wanted to cut her long hair that used to reach her mid-back into a bob-cut, but the day she asked was the day her mother had to leave for a business trip. Her mom would’ve had to think about it; see, her mom’s family didn’t like letting their children styling their hair until they were of mature age. Now, being the impatient little girl, she did what any young, sophisticated, 5 year-old would do: she whined to her daddy and begged him to take her to the parlor while her mother was out. Philip Hwang, an accomplished lawyer, believes himself to be a fast-learner and a do-it-yourself sort of man….and so he did it himself. With a bowl... And safety scissors. What would a man think of using otherwise? He certainly didn’t want to spend $20 on something so seemingly simple.
“It’s daddy’s fault! I don’t want to look like a mu…muh…mutchwoom shoulder!” Her immensely furrowed eyebrows partnered with her tearing pouting face, followed by her balled-up fists moving up and down was a sight to behold. One that was enough to stop an army for a split second, enough to make a grown man ‘awww,’ and enough to bring her mother to wrap her into her arms and swing her around.
“YOU ARE SOOOOO CUTE!” She proceeded to lift Tiffany by the armpits, lean back, and lift her legs to assume the ‘superman’ position, the duo giggling furiously at their heart-warming antics.
“Mommy! You still have to tell me the rest of the story!”
“Oh! Right, right.” She placed the girl down on the bed. “Where was I…oh, he was walking with his sword and armor to the pond. When he
got there, he first noticed that the air seemed a bit colder than before. Then, he saw a crowd of animals gathering around the edge of the pond, near the big old willow tree. Mushroom soldiers were also known for being smart and curious, you see. So he went over to the crowd, hearing ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ only to see a-“
“A beautiful princess!”
“…YES!” Sure, she muttered under her breath. “A BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS! But she wasn’t just any ordinary princess; she was also Ice Fairy Yeonie. She didn’t have any friends though. Most animals thought she was too beautiful to talk to, so she always felt very lonely. But! Being a gentleman, Youngie walked through the crowd, and got a look at the princess. He thought ‘wow, what a beautiful fairy… she looks awful lonely though.’ So he looked around for the prettiest flower he could find, ran up to her, and stretched his arm out to give it to her. Very sweet, right? Afterwards, the princess just looked at him, confused, and slowly reached out for the flower.” Imitating a deep voice, “Miss, I’d like to see you smile, if that’s alright. I’ve brought a flower as a token for my admiration.”
“Mommy, what’s admirtion?”
“Admiration,” she stressed on the missing ‘a’, “is the feeling when you admire something. When you like it.”
“Oh, I see. Go on!”
“You’re not tired yet?” Her mother yawned and began slouching on the bed.
“No mommy! And don’t slouch! Pretty girls aren’t supposed to slouch, remember?”
Tiffany patted her mother’s back, maybe with the thought that she’d turn old and wrinkly if she didn’t stop.
Smiling, her mother continued with the story.
“The princess was happy after someone finally talked to her. She stood and looked up to him, gave her sweeeeetest smile, and-“ She kissed her daughter’s cheek, creating a pop sound. “Kissed the soldier on his cheek. The two became very close friends after that day. And lived happily ever after.”
“Wait! Did they get married? What about kids? Mushrooms aren’t handsome!”
The mother blinked constantly for a couple seconds, unsure of how to respond.
“Uhm…we’ll save that part for another time, ok sweetie? I love you, now…go to bed!”
"But mommy-"
A tickle fight emerged, and ended with the younger girl eventually falling asleep due to fatigue.
“I’m going to miss you while you’re at your first day of school tomorrow Tiffany. I hope you make very good grades, and even better friends than your grades! Hwaiting!” She tucked her in, kissed her forehead, and shut the lights. Closing the door, she finished her earlier confession with “You know, your father says he sees more of me in you everyday. I hope you become ten times as happy as I am right now though, because you deserve that much.” Such a good kid, she thought. It wasn’t that she was unhappy with Philip, no, she was still happily and madly in love with him, it’s just that she believed children should have the best things possible. What she didn’t believe is that she’d one day be the reason holding them back.
**Tiffany’s POV
“Mommy… I’m not going to see you for 5 hours?” NO, don’t start crying, mommy said pretty girls ruin their faces when they cry…
“Yes honey, you’ll be learning! Don’t you want to learn and make friends?”
“Ngghh….Yes… Ok, I’ll be fine then mommy.” No I won’t… but I need to be a big girl and try.
“That’s my girl.” Mommy smiled at me. Gosh, she looks so pretty when she smiles. I hope I’m that pretty one-day. She crouched down to meet my eyes so I lifted my hands and cupped her face.
“I’ll be a good girl mommy, don’t worry about me!” I see the gates opening past mommy’s smile! “Bye mommy! It’s time for school! I love you.” And I ran off. I could see mommy crying tears of joy. This day better be good
I got lost trying to reach the classroom, so this kind older woman helped me. I think her name was… Miss Luna? She’s pretty too! She was nice enough to bring me to my class and introduce me to my classmates. Five hours away from mommy won’t be that bad after all.
“Class, this is Mi-“
“TIFFANY, call me Tiffany Hwang, it’s very nice to meet you.” I bowed after I cut off Miss Luna, just before she could give my real name. I never liked it because my brother makes fun of me and calls me Miyuck.
“Ah, ok. So Tiffany, please sit by Jessica.” Whispering, “She’s the one with the octopus hair.”
I look around for this octopus for a few minutes, and I finally spot her! Miss Luna took her leave afterwards. I made my way towards her, grinning, and sat down on the seat to her right. She was right by the window. Aw, she gets window seat… Class began with a ten-minute chat, since the teacher, who I never got the name of, wanted us to get out “talking” out of the way before class started. I looked at the octopus. She was slouching?! I started poking her, I wouldn't want her turning ugly!
“Hey! Hey!” Oh, she was sleeping? Regardless! Sleeping in school in a no-no!
“What?”
“Sleeping in class is bad! And so is slouching! Pretty girls aren’t supposed to slouch!”
“….you’re loud.” Completely ignoring me, she went back to sleep. Fine, but don’t come crying to me when you look horrible at the end of class. Hmph!
The ten minutes ended, and the teaching begun. Mr. Kim was teaching a lot of things that I had already learned at home, so I decided to stare outside of the window for a while. So bright… it’s pretty. I looked lower and stared at the sleeping girl. She’s still…pretty… I didn’t notice how cute she was…Something feels…not right, but I can’t stop staring at her. I kept staring until the bell rang. I hope that octopus will be my friend. I ran outside the gate, over to my crouching mommy and jumped with my arms reaching around her neck.
“MOMMY I MISSED YOU!”
“Aw, honey. I missed you too, but didn’t you have fun?”
“…Yes. I like school mommy. I met an octopus! I hope she’ll be my friend, she’s so pretty mommy! She slouches and she still stays pretty!”
“Oh, really? She must be a very, very, pretty octopus then.” We started laughing towards the car, but then I saw a familiar hairstyle… an octopus? She got into a silver mini-van with a smaller girl, maybe her sister. Ah hah! Your car…is silver! I rushed into the car and asked if we could follow that van, but then mommy mentioned strawberry ice cream, and I love strawberry ice cream.
“Strawberry ice cream, AWAY!! Wooosh” I yelled as mommy turned the keys. I started fantasizing about how much ice cream I could get, eventually dozing off. -- -
-But I think I dreamt about you that time instead-