Chapter 30: Watching a Movie
Mateo sighed with relief, served Clara a bowl of soup, and checked the wound on her leg again. It had really healed; the swelling was gone, just a bit red. It should be completely healed by tomorrow!
At night, Mateo held Clara tightly. In the middle of the night, he had a nightmare where Clara was captured by a giant bird. He tried to chase after her but had no wings, flapping his arms in the woods, unable to catch up.
Today, he tasted something delicious again. Clara said it was fish, the same thing she got injured while catching. It was truly delicious. Clara was so good to him; he couldn't let Clara leave. He needed a way to keep Clara by his side, make himself stronger, and ideally, grow wings like the monsters in his dreams. Mateo had been thinking about this for days.
Clara was very satisfied with her new home. On the left side of the adobe house, a bamboo house was built, spacious and with high ceilings. Bamboo was laid on the floor, making it suitable as the main house. A window was added, and Clara worked on the window frame, installing a window. If there was paper available, it could be pasted on the window later. Maybe she could try making fabric when she had some flax.
Clara's house was also coveted by other beasts, who all thought it looked good. But later, someone said that the house was made of wood and was not strong, so no one followed suit. Clara knew whether it was strong or not. , jumping and jumping in the bamboo house. It is very strong and can be built so well without using a single nail. It seems that there are talents among the beasts who understand structure. What is lacking these days is talent.
The vegetables in the garden had grown significantly. There were green vegetables, lettuce, chives, and some unknown vegetables that had just sprouted. There were also legumes with many vines, indicating the need for a trellis. In another two months, the garden would be even more lively.
These days, Mateo has been coming back unusually early. Whenever he returns, whether she sees his figure or not, she becomes anxious and worried, searching around the house.
Clara also refrains from entering the woods casually. Mateo has been acting strange these days, not allowing her to go out. Every time he goes hunting, he brings back a lot of fruits and sometimes plenty of vegetables from the garden. Clara stays idle at home and recently fenced off an area under the circular-leaf tree. She's planning to start raising poultry!
She asked Mateo to catch some live chickens, and today he managed to catch two. However, wild chickens are still chickens that can fly. With a few flaps, they flew out of the fence. In the end, to keep them from flying away, Clara cut off the feathers on the chicken wings. This way, they couldn't fly anymore. Clara also constructed chicken coops with bamboo, attempting to turn wild chickens into domesticated ones for eggs.
Every day, Clara accomplishes one thing, and Mateo catches more prey every day, so that the next day, he doesn't have to go hunting, and can stay with Clara at home, watching Clara twist and feed. Chickens, growing vegetables, tidying up the house.
Mateo enjoys seeing Clara happy, and he notices that Clara really likes chickens. She spends a long time every day by the chicken coop, muttering about the cute little chicken eggs!
He decides to catch more chickens and other animals. The more Clara raises, the less willing she will be to leave.
Their home now has a little wild boar, another wild mountain goat, and a creature that looks like a cow. In a few days, Mateo even brings home a panda. It's fluffy and adorable, cradled in his hands. Clara is ecstatic, but Mateo regrets bringing this creature back every time he throws the panda out in frustration. However, Clara insists on keeping it close, especially at night when she cuddles with it. Mateo throws the panda away angrily each time, wondering why he picked up this animal.
After a few days, it starts raining again, lasting for two or three days this time.
Their home is becoming more like a real home now, with a vegetable garden and domesticated animals. Before going to sleep, Clara checks on the little animals. Mateo stubbornly prevents her from getting up, saying it's raining outside, and he will go check. Clara hands him an umbrella, advising him to be careful. He had seen this thing before and discovered it could shield against rain – a really useful item.
Now they've moved into the new bamboo house, and on rainy days, they don't have to worry about leaks. Clara takes out a notebook, surprisingly powered by solar energy. Last time, it suddenly turned off, startling her, thinking it might be broken. Little did she know it was solar-powered, and exposing it to sunlight brought it back to work.
Today, with the rain preventing them from going outside, Clara looks for some entertainment. She decides to check if there are any movies. Input: "movies"! Search! Oh! Quite a few options. Clara randomly picks one, and it starts watching. What a great tool! A must-have for home entertainment.
In the days to come, they will be so happy—raising flowers, tending to the garden, watching movies for fun. It's like living a fairy-tale life. Oh, she almost forgot about raising flowers. She'll go to the woods and bring back some flowers when the weather clears up.
She randomly selects a movie, a romance film. The scenes remind her of the futuristic movies she used to watch back in her time—so surreal! The male and female leads are beautiful, but she can't help but feel their heads are a bit big. It doesn't affect the overall viewing experience. What year is this movie from?
The actors are unfamiliar, dressed in a style similar to her era. Retro fashion has become popular again long after her time.
When Mateo returns, he finds two additional people in the house. Startled, he shouts, rushing to hug Clara, yelling at the two figures in the air, "Who are you? Who let you into my house?"
"Mateo, sit down and watch the movie." Clara pulls Mateo down to sit, then leans against him while watching the movie.
Mateo is so shocked that he doesn't know what to say. Clara only hears Mateo's heart pounding rapidly. Is he scared?
"This is a movie. These two people are acting inside it. We just watch, and they won't come out." Clara sees Mateo's perplexed expression and finds it more amusing than the movie itself.
"Cla! Did you bring them here? They look like you, without ears and tails."
"Yeah, they look like me, but they're fake. I'm real."
"How did they fall into that thing, and what's the shiny stuff?"
Mateo points at the neon lights on the screen.
Suddenly, the scene changes. Night turns into day, sunlight streaming brightly. The male and female leads meet in the corridor of a floating train, surrounded by colorful sunshine and a speeding train.
Mateo exclaims, shielding Clara behind him. He watches the screen vigilantly. The screen is not small, and the sound is quite loud. The rumbling sound of the train and the visual effects make it feel like the train is about to crash into them.
Clara reflects on how even low-budget movies nowadays use 3D effects.
"Mateo, sit down! Things from inside won't come out." Clara watches and explains the elements inside to Mateo – trains that run, planes that fly, towering skyscrapers, and various strange things. Many things Clara doesn't know, so she squats in front of the screen with Mateo, watching in amazement.
The innocent part ends, and the main characters share a romantic kiss in the rain. Oh no! After all these years, why is the intensity of intimate scenes so high? Clara stands up, blocking the screen, blushing as if she's caught in a fire.
"Cla! Don't block it. What are they doing!"
The screen is blocked, but the sound isn't, Clara hastily closes the notebook, and the sound and visuals stop.
"Why did you close it? I just found it quite interesting."
She can't watch it anymore – inappropriate scenes for children. Clara is embarrassed, thinking to herself that Mateo surely didn't see it.
Then she told Mateo to go to sleep; tomorrow they have to transplant the flowers.