With careful hands, Arthur took the letter from the mouth of the woolly creature, sparing it a gentle rub of its head while he did so. Even though it was gross, he forced himself to pay no mind to the damp letter, peel away the protective bit and read its contents. His brow furrowed slightly as he read it, wondering how he understood it – and then being taken by the script of the language, the shape of its letters. Unique, new, beautiful in their own way. Incredibly anomalous.
“Please, wait here a moment. I’ll write something back, but I prefer to walk to the post office – wherever it is – myself to drop the letter off. Would you guide me there? If you show me what your favorite snack is, I’ll get it for you as a thank you.”
Talking to a sheep doesn’t seem completely out of the ordinary. In his city, there is a girl who can speak to animals, after all – speak and hear them back. He’s seen her do it many a time, her, and her big dog. A handful of times he’d even asked her, ‘What are they saying?’ and she would return with their favorite foods, the things that they had seen, the good and bad of Kisaragi. He tried to remember those animals, afterwards, so he could give them what they liked, thank them for filling his beloved city with life of all kinds.
Arthur smiled while thinking of this, feeling a heavy nostalgia – and a hint of fear – in his chest as he located a pen and some paper. He hoped he would be able to go home at some point in time – before he worried people into thinking he had done something really dangerous again, before people thought he just disappeared. Still...he wouldn’t mind spending some time in a beautiful new city either. He might just find something.
Pen scratching the surface of the paper in even, light strokes, Arthur wrote his letter in the large, curling letters that he always did. Somewhere between messy and elegant, his words slowly covered the page;
Thank you for the warm welcome to your city. I am absolutely sure that I will enjoy my time here to the fullest, especially if it is as beautiful as your letter makes it sound. I quite enjoy the company of your messenger as well; as I write, they are patiently awaiting my with the brightest eyes I have ever imagined possible on a sheep.
I write this letter primarily to convey my thanks to you, and my well-wishes. Perhaps, should we one day meet, I could somehow treat you in a manner befitting you. I do have some questions – not pressing by any means, but still pertinent.
My first inquiry is if it is at all possible to pay you for the allotment of a building somewhere in the city – preferably with good lighting – where I may set up an artists studio. I would like to continue my work here during my stay, and the scent of oils can be quite cloying in a closed room, no matter how fine it may be.
The second is if there is somehow a way for me to contact my place of employment – either directly or indirectly – to let them know that I am taking a trip.
Satisfied with the short letter, he blew lightly on the ink, making sure it was dried enough not to smudge before carefully folding it and tucking it into his pocket. Then, Arthur crossed to the sheep and knelt down by it, petting its soft head with a gentle smile. “I’m ready to set out now, my little letter-carrying friend. Lead the way.”
...And the city was every bit as beautiful as he was promised – Arthur smiled despite realizing how lonely he would be, at least for a while, and spent the time pointing out things he thought most wonderful to his new animal companion. Coming to a stop before the post office, Arthur briefly fretted over missing the letter he had just wrote – only to remember he had tucked it into his jacket pocket, along with his favorite pen. Good-natured as ever, he merely laughed it away.
Even in strange places, some things never changed.
