Sachen and her family was having dinner, as typical of them, and one might expect that they’d eat without any interruption. Perhaps it should have been that way, but in fact, Datai and Saraji stirred themselves into commotion. Sachen had finished her stir-fried noodles, to which the flavor stunned her mouth for a moment. From the table, sitting alongside Monkhuba, Sachen overheard her parent’s conversations.

“Datai, you don’t even know what you are talking about!” Saraji said as she was washing the dishes at the sink. “Monkhuba’s birthday is coming up next month, and you want to spend all of our hard-earned money on a vacation? Where shall we go anyway?”

“Why worry so much dear?” said Datai, he chuckled. “It’s all on the house for our little boy, who will be turning four. Let’s give him a chance to celebrate for the sake of having fun. Heck, I want to take him to the mountains, where we can sightsee the beauty of the landscape and even try the latest cable cars.”

“We can have fun at our own home. I will provide the best food and the best presents for Monkhuba, with my own hands. I am working overtime for the past three months, and I have to save money for the kids’ futures!”

“Don’t strain yourself my dear. Like I said, if the kid wants to laugh and giggle, then let him. Besides, we’re well-off already, and we have huge savings in our account. Let us also be happy that our little boy is going to be attending school when his birthday comes.”

“His birthday? Hmph, as if you care! The last time Sachen’s birthday had occurred, you were out on the streets, drinking beer with your construction buddies! What makes you say that you will celebrate for Monkhuba at this time around?”

His face burning scarlet, Datai smacked his hands on the table, and he let out a purr and shook his head. Sachen and Monkhuba laughed, the former almost broke her stomach. A humorous display from him. “That was supposed to be a secret!” said Datai. “How do you remember... no, how did you know that?!”

“Why wouldn’t I know?” Saraji asked. “I sent Sachen to spy on you!” Datai glared at his daughter, he sniffled so much that it seemed that he wanted to beg for forgiveness.”

“Dad, I actually had to do that,” Sachen said. “I was worried about why you didn’t show up to my birthday party. Then when I left the house and went to the eastern district, I found you dead drunk on the street, and you were about to get ran over by a horse carriage.”

“That’s supposed to be none of your business. Besides, can’t a man like me spend some time with one’s companions?”

“I guess so. But are you going to say the same thing for my brother’s upcoming birthday?”

“No no, my little angel.” Her father clasped his hands, he trembled. “In fact, I have promised myself that I would take the whole family out on vacation! I told my friends that I would hold off the drinking party for next month, and they were okay with it!”

“Hmm, are you sure about that?”

“Yes I am sure Sachen. Your dad would never lie!”

“You can say that.” Sachen wiggled her eyebrows. “Although truth be told, you said before that you were going to buy me pencils for my classes, but you fell asleep in your bed!” Sachen snickered as she brought her plate to her mother.

“Well, regarding that matter, haha.” Datai looked away. Sachen squinted, she could tell that her father had more to say about it. The father then pointed his finger towards the ceiling. “I promise one-hundred percent! This time, I will buy you a lifetime supply of pencils, but that is not important right now! What’s important is that Monkhuba will have a fantastic, magical time! Isn’t that right my son?”

The kid nodded, and he could not help but salivate. His lack of effort to complete his food struck Sachen in the nerves; this happened most of the time, and Sachen would yell at him. She was about to do so, but she remembered one time where her scolding took too far, and it did not end well. Monkhuba cried and bit his sister's elbow, leaving a teeth mark that remained to this day. That frightened the girl, and for sure she didn't want it to happen again. Grumbling and suppressing the urge to raise her voice, she grabbed a paper towel and wiped the stains on his cheeks.

“Monkhuba. You should eat properly you know? If you keep getting messy, then you will never finish your food. Don’t make me clean up your mess again.” Her brother cowered and pouted his lips, and Sachen patted his head. “Geez, don’t be hopeless. Your birthday is coming soon, so please Monkhuba, act proper for once.”

Once Monkhuba cleaned up his plate, Sachen gave it to her mother. With the vigor of her scrubs and wipes, Saraji polished the dirty dishware in a matter of seconds. The soap and water drained down the sink, and the mother broke into perspiration. She went up to her husband and crunched his shoulders.

“Do you promised that you will give Monkhuba the best birthday ever?”

“Y-yes milady! I do!”

“Are you sure? Don’t lie under your teeth, or else I might have to punish you.”

“Anything but that! I will, I will!”

“Great! Then when the time comes, I will go with you all, to the mountains and to the resorts.” After the husband and wife nodded to each other, the former told the kids to go to sleep. Sachen stretched her arms and yawned, she loosened her mouth. Then in hesitation she began to bite her nails, and she watched her mother with the narrowing of her eyes. The girl felt the compulsion to ask her something, and she would do this every night, usually confident with herself. At this moment however, she balked instead of springing into her energetic ways. It must have been to her that her mother realized that she was asking too much, too often - most likely it'd be a matter of time before the girl got in trouble. Her chest wrenched.

Sachen jumped off her chair and went to the kitchen. Pulling her mother’s tunics, Sachen whispered something in her ears.

“Mom... I want to go out alone again.”

“Huh?” Her mother pulled her face back. “Why must you go somewhere at night? These days, you are doing it every time I ask you to go to sleep.”

“It’s important to me. I don’t want to miss it out.”

“Well if you don’t want to miss anything, then why won’t you make plans prior to these times?”

A thread sewed Sachen’s lips, she swallowed the truth. She couldn’t afford herself to say what her purpose was in her nightly excursions, as she could assume that either her mother or father would tail her. It felt to her that she was becoming more like her father in terms of going out, excluding the part of being a drunkard. She played around with her fingers, and looked away from her parent. Saraji huffed her breath.

“I just want to meet up with a friend, so that we can study together.”

Saraji scrunched her eyebrows. “You should have met up when you were at school!”

“I promise mother, that I will come back in an hour. Just let me please. Ah, later on, I will do the dishes for you, okay? How about that?”

Saraji sighed, she did it so much that she could become exhausted on the spot. She turned to her daughter, crossed her arms, and snapped her fingers. “Fine fine. Geez, this happens every time, and yet I have to say yes to you.”

“That’s because you trust me!” Sachen giggled, she beamed a crooked smile. The girl could have made more excuses to make things more believable for her parents, but one little lie was enough to subdue their curiosity. In spite of that, the truth of her intention piled up like a landfill in Sachen’s mind. One accidental slip of tongue, and her mother would be in a terrible ire, and for a child like Sachen, it was something to avoid all together. The girl was able to hide it the whole time, even though it'd kept hurting her inside.

Her parents and brother went to the bedroom and shut the door, and they fell asleep. All quiet, Sachen grabbed her sandals from the carpet, and wore her emerald necklace—she headed outside. The cold air in the night froze her lungs, she soon labored for breaths. The chirping of the crickets and the buzzing of the dragonflies amplified the streets, they jumped from one corner to another and winced from their shadows. No villagers were present - all of them too, were in a slumber. Sachen could take this time as a moment of delight since it was a good opportunity for her night out. In the wake of silence she might sing and dance to herself, careless and free. But now it was not the time, for she had something important to do.

“I have to find him... Kuraizang. Right away, I need to get him back home, no matter what the cost. I am not sure at this time, that Kuraizang is in the forest; but even if he is, the gates are heavily fortified with guards, so there’s no chance that I can break through! I need to look around the village. It is possible that the High Order is stashing him somewhere in some cellar, some tavern or something, I am not sure. Goodness, I could have asked anybody, but doing so would make them wary... but, I still need to do this. Now, this is my 12th or 13th attempt, and I must not waste time.”