3 Little Monkey (1/2)
”Seran, can you give me a hand? Sammy managed to get his toy on the roof somehow.”
”I'm on it, Ms. Mary,” said the young boy as he took a running start towards one of the houses. Jumping just high enough to step onto a windowsill, Seran kicked off on a slightly sideways angle to catch the corner of the roof and swing himself to be parallel to the ground. Thankfully, the village houses didn't have steeply built roofs, so he was able to roll a little upward. After getting his balance, he got to his feet and made his way to the center of the roof, where a little sewn teddy bear with calming herbs mixed with ground leaves and grass inside lay. After the boy grabbed the stuffed bear, he went to the edge of the roof and, just for added flair, fell forward into a front flip, landing deftly on his feet.
A lady in her mid-to-late-twenties, sitting with her 5-year-old son on her lap, watched with amazement once again at the display by the agile lad. Both mother and son had light gold hair, while the latter had blue eyes instead of the former's brown irises. Little Samuel clapped and cheeredwith visible awe, as he usually did when Seran gave him a show, ”Big brother's so cool!”
As Seran was about to give Samuel his toy back, he suddenly pulled it back. Crossing his arms in an over-expressed manner, he gave the smaller boy a look as he said, ”Sammy, did you throw this up there just so you can see me do tricks for you?”
Blushing a little as his 'plan' was uncovered, Samuel looked down and nodded, ”Y-yes, big brother...” He was always fascinated by Seran's skills, to the point where he'd once asked to learn them. Seran said he couldn't for three reasons: one was that his mother wouldn't let him; another was that he was too young; the last one was because it's far too dangerous to do as a child. When Samuel asked why the older boy knew it, a bleak look crossed Seran's face as he said that Samuel was better off not knowing why.
With a smile, Seran gave Samuel a hug after giving him his teddy bear. ”Sammy, you know you can just ask for me to show you.”
The smaller boy nodded a little as he returned the hug, ”I know... but big brother is busy sometimes so I can't ask...”
”For my little brother, I can take some time to show off. Now, next time, don't throw your bear on the roof, just ask me, okay?” Seran gave Samuel a ruffle of his hair when he nodded, ”Good.”
Mary watched as Seran gave his little brother a little speech and hug, a grin on her face the whole time. Samuel then ran off to play with his closest friend, Lila, who lived right next door, as his mother thanked the older boy, ”Thanks again, Seran. You still have a way to get Sammy to listen.”
He shrugged calmly, ”No worries, Ms. Mary. He's like a little brother to me, and as the big brother, I'm supposed to be a good role model for him. The big brother should always be there for his little brother.”
”Nonetheless, thank you again. Having a reliable child like you in the village is a blessing.”
Seran shyly scratched his head as he smiled, ”Thank you, ma'am... it's almost time to go inside for the night, so I should be heading back. Have a good night, ma'am.” Hearing the farewell from Mary, the boy began his short walk home.
It'd been two weeks since he first arrived in Greenwood Village, and almost immediately he was a part of the large family that was the villagers. Even before Eleanor had given him permission to do fieldwork and the like, he helped with the smaller jobs like sewing and helping with other children. As he was very mature for his age, the adults in the village often forget about his age, paying more attention to his very reliable nature. The children loved him like a big brother, so it became his honorary 'title', and the adults often asked him to help with things around the village.