Out of the Rolling – Event 5: A Blossoming Smile

“I thought I’d find you here.”

Fenrir looked up to see Sheep rolling cautiously into the room. They looked around at the beautiful foliage and colorful flowers that scattered across the grass. A bright blue sky soared up above them, and the walls were painted with a beautiful background of trees that stretched far beyond the trees within the room itself. Fenrir sat on a small wooden bench, where they had been gazing silently at the closest huddle of flowers.

“Fenrir! Pal! I wanted to check on you!” another voice sang out, and Fenrir blinked again. Disrupting the serenity of the indoor garden was another marble, Sterling. Fenrir frowned at Sheep slightly for bringing another marble to their comfort area, but shrugged and motioned for them to join on the bench.

“I’m fine, just wanted some quiet,” Fenrir said quietly to the two marbles by their side. Sheep smiled sadly and shook their head.

“No you’re not. I can-” Sheep started, but Fenrir growled softly and Sheep fell silent. 

“I’ve told you I’m fine. Now leave me alone.” Fenrir watched Sheep leave the room and then remembered Sterling, who had remained motionless.

“I shouldn’t have said that,” Fenrir apologized quickly, as Sterling gazed at them, still not speaking. Fenrir continued, “It’s really not the end of the world, I don’t care about it. It was bound to happen eventually and I guess…” their voice trailed off and a nearby butterfly caught their eye as a distraction from the awkward silence. This was the quietest Fenrir had ever seen Sterling. They dreaded the moment when Sterling went back to their true nature and started making jokes about the situation. But that moment never came.

“You’re allowed to feel sad. I know I do,” Sterling finally spoke. Fenrir glanced around quickly, taken by surprise.

“You do?” It seemed strange, considering Sterling’s usual jovial personality. They had come to think of Sterling as having a sort of eccentric wisdom, so they were sure Sterling would brush this off their shoulders and barely think about it.

“Of course,” Sterling responded. “You’ve a lot to learn, Fenrir. But nothing is more important than learning about yourself. I used to be highly competitive. Every defeat would destroy me. But you learn to let go of things that hold you back and hold on to things that propel you forwards.”

“So, don’t be sad?” Fenrir sighed, shaking their head once more.

“Sadness can be good, that’s what I’m saying. It means you care. And despite what you say, I know you care very much. And Sheep is right, you’re not fine and that’s okay.”

Fenrir smiled and looked once more at the stunningly green room, nature encapsulated in one small and peaceful place. It seemed so long ago that their fate had been decided, and it was a massive disappointment for a team that felt they had so much to prove with their presence.

“It’s a lovely room, this,” Sterling commented after a long pause, watching a set of daffodils that seemed to sway slightly despite the lack of wind.

“It reminds me of home. That’s why I like to come here. I used to play this game with-” but Fenrir stopped short, glancing nervously up at Sterling. It felt weird talking about childish stuff like this, and Fenrir didn’t want to be judged harshly for it. Sterling, however, was considering the daffodils with a calm smile on their face and merely nodded for Fenrir to continue.

“We used to have races among the flowers. We would dart around and help plant them and keep them watered, taking care of everything outside as far as we could see. There’s nothing like it, dancing around outside with the breeze blowing around you. Like it’s dancing too.” The memories swirled in Fenrir’s mind, when a butterfly landing nearby brought them back to the room.

“I need to find Sheep. Thanks so much for talking to me,” they continued, watching Sterling smile kindly and nod with understanding.

“Just promise me that you won’t beat yourself up over this. You’re a great athlete. I’m disappointed, but I did my very best and no one can take that away from me. And you did too. Just remember that,” Sterling called out as Fenrir began to leave. They made one final turn with a grin and enthusiastic nod, then went darting out of the door and out of sight. 

The closing of the door created a ripple of wind throughout the room and all of the flowers swayed slightly, then settled once more as Sterling let out a sigh.

Credits:

• Writer: Phoenix
• Editor: Millim
• Artist: Momoikkai
• Reference: Marble Race: Marble Survival 100 – R35 ❌ ELIMINATION ROUND ❌
• Release: 15/04/2024