Butterflies and Tulips

When a storm of a magnitude so enormous takes place in the town of Novourse, the repercussions of it are immense. The economy collapsed, taking many years for trading overseas by boat or plane to take place once more due to the risk of storms, decline in jobs caused poverty and homelessness.

10 years have passed since the first storm took place, a 12 year old boy is scouting for his aeroplane where he left it last when playing outside. In the market near the playground, he comes across a girl.

"Ait! Ait!"

A girl is following a butterfly, something she had never seen before in her world, the creature that's so light on its feet and covered in patterns is above her who was used to towering over everything despite her age.

"Watch yourself!"

"Hey!"

The butterfly landed on flowers, pots and is soaring through the sky above the little girl's head, she continues to chase after it reaching her hands believing it's possible to capture it no matter the distance.

"Ugh!?"

Thump.

The little girl rubs her elbow that is scratched from the ground, she ignores the boy who pouts at her for bumping into him. Keeping her gaze on the butterfly that flap its wings and lands on a pot of flowers as if waiting for her who fell. Seeing this, the girl's eyes lights up.

"Hey! HEY!"

The little boy she ran into yells at her, Tulip who has selective hearing that depends on if she's interested, looks at him when the butterfly stays still. Tilting her head as the boy spouts words she doesn't understand.

"Are you listening? Hey! Say something, don't just tilt your head!"

"Til? Tilt?"

"Tilt!"

"No, no, something else!"

The boy grabs his hair in frustration while looking down at the little girl who looks at him with a clueless expression. The boy with a bleeding knee and soiled clothes that are stained from the puddle he fell on, stands up and extends his hand to the girl with a face that shows his disdain. Shaking his hand impatiently when she blankly stares at it.

"I'm helping you! Are you stupid? You look as old as me!"

"Tupid?"

"S-tu-pid. Not tupid."

The boy one-sidedly argues with the girl who repeats after him with twisted tongue replies. Irritated but not wanting to walk away with a girl on the ground in case he gets accused of being a bully, he keeps his hand out insisting for her to take it in between their back-and-forth feud.

An adult walks over nearby, heading to a flower stand, inspecting the flowers displayed for customers to buy. When reaching close to the two, the boy notices the lady and nervously looks at the girl who continues to refuse his hand.

"Take my hand! Hand! This, here!"

"Haand?"

Dread goes over the boy, feeling the hand he offers going numb when the girl only repeats after him once more. Feeling faint but determined, he was ready to forcefully pull the girl up, until the lady who surveys the flowers gasped.

"Tulips! These are growing already? How lovely.."

"Tulip!"

"Huh?"

The boy who was startled at the lady's gasp is startled more to see the girl with dirty hands and clothes running towards the lady wearing a bright yellow dress holding tulips!

"Ah! No!"

The boy lunges to the girl grabbing hold of her shoulders and pressing down causing them to collide. When the girl who is face-planted onto Noah's shirt wiggles, he opens his eyes to see a yellow-orange summer butterfly fly over them.

"Ow…"

"Ah! Fly! Ait!"

The girl who wriggles out his arms reaches out her hands to the butterfly flying farther away, this time not stopping.

The boy stands up sweeping his shirt and pants that are covered in more dirt than before. Then glance at the girl who doesn't drop her raised arm.

"You raise your arm to a butterfly but not someone who's helping you? Geez."

Clicking his tongue and sighing out, the boy takes his time dusting off the dirt that clings to his clothes, he then helps the girl up again but this time forcefully now that the lady is out of sight.

"Hmm.."

The boy stares at the girl who wears a saddened look, looking to the distance to where the butterfly went, not bothering to clean herself who has dirt not only on her clothes but her tangled long hair.

"Hey, what's your name?"

The girl mournfully twists her body to him and again tilts her head. The boy groans, slapping his forehead a couple of times before breathing in and out. Then reaching out his hand.

"My name's Noah. No-ah. You can say it right?"

"Noah…Noah!"

The boy known as Noah unknowingly has his face contorting into a grin, then covering his mouth and coughing, straightening his back and reaching his hand out with a hardened face.

"That's right! What's yours?"

Noah says pointing to her with his outstretched hand. The girl looks at his hand and grabs it, feeling the pointed finger that points at her.

"Me?"

"No, the butterfly. Yes, you stupid!"

The girl with a visibly oblivious face perks up at the words he spoke. Noah who notices leans forward expecting her to finally understand him.

"Butterfly…stupid..tulip.."

"Tulip!"

"Tulip?"

"Tulip!"

Noah dubiously looks at the girl named Tulip, squinting his eyes and raising his eyebrows doubtful of her answer.

"That can't be, not with what just happened. You're lying to me aren't you?!"

Feet covered in mud, he steps away and snatches his arm from the girl who took it when introducing her supposed name.

"If you don't want to tell me, just say so!"

Noah turns away from the girl who looks at him clueless, not understanding a word he's saying, assessing his body language instead.

"Upset? Upset why?"

The boy tried to understand the foreign girl but is fuming and wants to go off on her, but knowing she's a girl and remembering his Mum has eyes everywhere, he decides to just take his aeroplane and return home.

The girl watches him, observing his actions and facial expressions that express he's upset.

"No? Why this?"

Met with quietude, the girl watches him in silence. Noises are heard here and there when Noah makes dramatic sulks of exasperation.

"I'm going!"