gift.
( ☼ @crivory)
“This is for you,” he said cheerfully. “A gift made by yours truly!” No boxes, no ribbons, Gale didn’t believe in wrapping up gifts only for the receiver to have something to rip open - that would be awfully wasteful. “Doesn’t it look just like Nyla?” He was presenting the oracle with a creature made out of paper and it definitely looked nothing like the cat it was supposedly modelled after.
First of all, the colour was wrong. Last time we checked, there weren’t any crimson red cats wandering around the streets of Chromos. Gale simply chose to use red paper because it was his favourite colour and readily available.
Secondly, the creature did not look like a cat. It had rounded ears, which made it look like a bear. The eyes were too round and the way Gale chose to draw on eyelids made the creature look like a panda with white eyeliner on. Its tail was too short and curled weirdly, resembling a piglet. Finally, the whiskers were made out of toothpicks and that made Gale’s offering not only strange but also sort of prickly to the touch and must be handled with care.
Regardless, it was a gift.
“Do you like it?” Gale asked, eyes bright with anticipation. “It’s my new hobby. I nearly broke my leg last week when I accidentally let go while zip lining, and dad said I should try to find something quieter to do for now.” The zip line was also a DIY home project, which no doubt added to his dad’s wariness. Ever since the neighbour showed Gale how to use a saw plus some other tools, he’d been trying to make all sorts of things.