Troubled Nico

It was the next day and the family of four are busy doing their thing as they prepared for their work for that day.

"Nico, is something the matter?" asked Monica when she noticed her younger brother constantly looking at every corner instead of just eating like he usually does. But not now, as he was so occupied by finding the rat.

"Nothing, Monica." But she didn't really buy it.

"Don't tell me you're looking for your friend, Nico?" asked his father.

"N-No, I'm not. I was only thinking about something." he lied.

"Ho? Your face says otherwise, you know?" Nico pouted when he realized his father saw through him but his father only laughed and told him, "Like I said, I won't stop you with that tiny friend of yours but remember what I told you last night."

"Yes, father. Never to speak of it to anyone." As Nico said that, he felt like he betrayed himself. The fact that his family didn't believe him even though he was telling the truth didn't sit right with him. 'I will show you," he promised to himself.

Exactly after they had their breakfast, Leonora, Theodore, and Monica left to work at the farm, while Nico to the workshop.

"G'morning, Mario! G'morning, Luigi!" he greeted the two young men who just arrived at the workshop. They're identical twins actually. Not hard to tell as they both look exactly the same. Coffee-brown hair, tiny dark eyes, thin lips. Everything even their tiny build and height are the same too. But even though they look completely identical, it's easy to tell them apart. Mario always wears red, while Luigi green.

"G'morning, Nico," they greeted him at the same time as they pushed the door open and got inside.

Franco was already on his desk when they got in, the one with the receding hairline and the oldest of the bunch. He was now trying to piece together some wood pieces he carved the other day using hide glue.

The three didn't bother greeting him as they already knew that once he started working, no one was to disturb him.

"It's good that yer here already, Nico. I need you to wipe the glass window squeeky clean an' help me decorate it. The festival is comin' an' we need to hurry." It was Henry who was ironing meters of cloth using the charcoal iron in one corner.

"Okay, sir." Nico said as he went to get some cloth and a bucket filled with water halfway.

The shop was so busy that day as they received quite a lot of orders. This was to be expected because the town festival was about to start in a week and people are preparing for it. Many wanted to buy a toy as a present for their kids, nieces, and nephews. Especially those who've been away for quite a while and wanted to visit their families during that time. So everyone in the shop didn't have the time to rest except for when they needed to have lunch. But aside from that, they've pretty much worked the whole day.

But while everyone was busy working their ass off, Henry noticed that Nico was troubled throughout the time. He doesn't really like to show it but since he doesn't have a family of his own, he's treated Nico as his son. And it pains him watching the poor kid so troubled.

"C'mere, child. Before I give you yer pay, join me for some refreshments," he told Nico but frowned when he saw the kid hesitating. "Won't deduct it to yer pay, so c'mon!"

"Okay, sir."

"Here, I want you to try this," Henry said as he offered a glass of purplish juice to Nico. "It was a juice squeezed out from the lucran fruit. I found out it was in season when I went to the market yesterday."

Nico took a sip immediately but his face contorted as soon as he did. Because even though it was very sweet, it was also very sour.

"Anything troubling you, child?" Henry finally asked.

"Nothing, sir." Nico lied.

"C'mon! Spill it out already. Yer face says it all the whole day yer workin'. So don' tell me it's nothin."

Nico bit his lips when Henry said that. He was torn between telling him everything and keeping his word to his father. But in the end, he decided to ask him in a way that he would still stay true to his words.

"Honestly sir, I wanted to ask you a question. What will you do if your friends don't believe what you say even though you're telling the truth?"

'Was he bein' bullied?' Henry thought immediately.

"Why does that matter? If my friends don' believe me, why does that matter? I don' care if they don' believe me."

"But — I don't like it."

"Why? Yer friends don' believe yer saying?"

"Something like that, sir."

"Then don' mind them! It's okay if they don' believe you. The world's not gonna end."

But that wasn't the answer Nico wanted to hear.

And thinking that Nico's trouble wasn't something serious, Henry finally gave him his pay for the day.

Meanwhile, the poor child wasn't aware that the source of his troubles, the rat has always been there, watching him. It waited the whole day until Nico would finally be alone so it could speak to him once again, but it didn't get the chance.

The rat looked at its hands, some of its fingers are starting to turn semi-transparent.

"I should get him to trust me no matter what." It said while watching the boy exit the shop. It hurriedly got out from where it was hiding and followed.

As Nico walked going home taking his usual path, he suddenly ran into something unexpected, it was the rat, looking at him as though it's been waiting for him. But oddly enough, despite the many people passing by, no one seemed to have noticed it. Especially since the rat was so large. It seems that Nico was the only one who can see it.

But after their short eye contact, the rat ran off going to the alleyway he doesn't really like going to because the smell was so strong, and not to mention, no one really goes there because that's where the garbages in this town was dumped. But Nico ran after it anyway. And he saw the rat waiting for him on the other side.