The bird chirps sweetly around the dam and their wings flap when the sunlight finally comes to encourage them to greet the morning.

Someone slowly started to wake up. Not because of the cold air and warm light from the eastern horizon that teases her eyes, but because someone shakes her body.

 

"Hey, Vanilla. Wake up. Why are you sleeping here?"

 

She slowly comes to her senses and recognizes the voice clearly. When most of Vanilla's consciousness comes due to the morning sun's direct light, she looks around and has no slightest idea of why she is in a place where one shouldn't be sleeping.

 

"Ngh…"

 

She wipes her hands from the dirt and looks at the figure before her.

 

"…Tirto? Why you are here?"

"I'm asking you the same thing. Why did you spend the night here? There's a small note on the dinner table that says you went to the dam last night."

"I slept here…?"

"Look at you, still in your pajama. The last thing that I remember, we went to our own rooms, and when morning came, you're not in your room," said Tirto.

"Uhh…"

 

Vanilla holds her forehead to check her condition since she feels unwell. Somehow her body felt so exhausted, but she didn't know the cause. 

 

"I don't feel well…."

"We should just go home right now. When you feel better, you must tell me why you're here in the first place alone."

 

Alone?

Vanilla looks back to search for something. Everything looks normal and quiet as far as she sees. Only the birds' chirps or tree rattles because of the wind. The dam is functioning as it should without any slight trace of damage. Tirto raises his eyebrows seeing his adoptive sister acting weird.

 

"What are you looking for?"

"No… I shouldn't be alone," Vanilla replied uncertainly.

 

They find an ice cream box with scrambled sticks and melted ice cream inside. Vanilla doesn't understand why there is an ice cream box nearby.

 

"Maybe I brought it," Vanilla mumbled cluelessly.

"Maybe?" Tito doubted, "Never mind. Let's just go home quickly."

 

She nods while standing up with the help of her adopted brother–

Something fell on the ground. Vanilla immediately picks it up and observes the thing that has just fallen. 

An ice cream-shaped hairclip.

 

"That's yours?" asked Tirto.

Vanilla froze for a moment. "I never wore this."

"Then, whose hairclip is that?"

"…I can't remember."

 

Tirto shrugs and starts to walk away. A strange feeling suddenly crushes Vanilla's heart when she goes to follow him. Her chest tightened as she stared at the hair clip in her hand. Her tongue feels dry like a desert, and her eyes are watery until tears slowly flow down her face.

Vanilla tries to hold back her tears in front of Tirto, yet she can't. She wipes her tears because the sad foreign feeling is overflowing inside her chest without restraint. Her sobs are getting louder and louder, and Tirto is calming her down despite his surprise.

 

"Sobs…uuh… ahhh.…."

"It's okay.. Don't worry about it. Just be calm, alright?" said Tirto gently while patting his sister's back without questions.

 

With this bubbling sadness out of nowhere, the girl is perplexed about what she is crying about. She feels like she is losing someone significant to her, and it is impossible to meet that person again.

 

After a few good minutes of Vanilla releasing her emotion, they're going from the dam to return home. They exchanged no words until they finally arrived home.

When Vanilla and Tirto enter the house, Mom immediately hugs her daughter while Dad is behind her, waiting anxiously.

 

"Where have you been, Vanilla? Mom was very worried when Tirto said that you were not in your room!"

"…Mom? Dad?"

 

Vanilla looked at her adoptive parents for a moment. A nostalgic feeling engulfed her mind and heart upon this sight, almost making her cry again. However, she isn't sure about her feelings because her memories tell Vanilla that she had always been living in this house with her adoptive family all this time.

She glances at the ice cream-shaped hairclip in the palm of her hand.

She grabs it gently and tight. Then, Vanilla smiles warmly.

 

"I'm home."

 

On that day, Vanilla joins her family and has breakfast with a warm feeling in her chest. She feels that it's been a long time since she met her adoptive parents, who had always been there all this time. So, Vanilla wants to stay at home until today is over.

Witnessing her family sitting together at the dining table makes her smile. She hopes that she can stay together with her family until the end of time.