Maple High School Academy Year 1
The Dragon in Gingko Forest - The Next Step

The Next Step

A GIRL WITH surging black hair stared at a book in her hand with a blank look. The title of my Future Plan is printed on the front of the book. Under that title is a name: Shalima Shero.

Shalima, or Shal, has been staring at the book for more than 15 minutes. Many things raged in his mind. Eventually, she got to a point where she started crying. Shal clutched the book and cried in silence.

 “Shal, forgive Mom.” Sheris, Shalima's mother, wiped away her tears. He looked at Shalima who was lying limp on the bed.

“What is this mother talking about? Don't worry, Mom. It's the most common fever. Maybe I'm not fit and cold. Later also healed by yourself.” Shal felt very weak, but kept smiling so that his mother and sister would not worry.

How could his mother not worry and feel guilty? Yesterday his mother told Shal very bad news. The economic situation of their family is getting more difficult and their mother can only afford one child's school. Of course Shal wouldn't want his sister not to go to school. That means Shal has to give up his own dreams. He decided not to continue to the Upper Meningung School when he graduated in five months. Shal's mother believes her son is sick from frustration.

Shamuel, Shalima's sister, looked at her brother anxiously. All his life, only this time he saw Shalima lying weakly on the bed. This morning, he looked fine. His mother also once said, Shal including children who are very rarely sick. Now, the girl was lying weak. Sham could hardly believe that his brother was sick.

Carefully Sham placed a feverish compress plaster on Shal's forehead. The girl closed her eyes and breathed short. Sham thought his brother was asleep, but Shal could not sleep at all. He's worried not playing.

While walking home from Madam Hee’s Library, where she works part-time, Shal felt that something was grabbing her right hand. It happened very quickly. Shal could not see what grabbed his hand because the road passed was quite dark. Insects? The rat? I don't know. What Shal realized then was that his right wrist was a bit swollen and there were two bloody spots there. It's like a bite mark. Insect bites? Rat bite? I don't know.

When I got home, Shal was not feeling well. It's scary because he never felt that way before. He was very rarely ill and the physical injuries he had sustained were very quick to heal. When feeling unwell, Shal usually immediately eat garlic or drink coconut water, and voila, a few hours later he immediately felt healthy. But that didn't happen this time.

At 7 p.m., he had been taking medicine and coconut water, but by midnight showed no signs of recovery. Shal was shivering violently and experiencing unbearable headaches and nausea. His hands were tingling and his throat hurt when he swallowed. When he arrived home, Shal thought it was the common cold, but now his gut feeling is that it's not the flu.

The flu won't cause bruises like this!

Shal muttered in his heart. He had checked the wound on his hand and was very surprised to see that there were purple patches along his right arm. His mother fell asleep on the edge of the bed, while Sham slept on a mat. Shal cried softly because he felt so scared. However, she did not want to make her mother and sister worried.

What if this isn't a playful disease?

What if there is no tomorrow?

What if it's time I meet Dad?

What if tomorrow in the paper was written a girl died with a bite wound on her hand and bruises on her body?

Will Mom and Sham be sad? Crying out?

So what's Sham when he grows up?

Do I have to die in a state that is not okay?

Diverse thoughts raging in Shal's heart. He himself did not know what death was like. But it felt like he was going to die.

Can this be a picture of the time before death?

These are heartbreaking moments. It's just you, your mind, and your pain.

How should one face pain and death?

Which one is better, giving up and going somewhere or struggling and living in this world of pain?

 Shal woke up from his daydream. He seemed to be brought back to the present, after a few seconds of remembering the life-and-death moment he experienced a few months ago. As of now, Shal had no idea of the pain of that time. After pondering and crying for several hours, Shal fell asleep. The next morning, he woke up with a very healthy and fresh body. Shal felt like he was reborn.

“This is what you mean?” Shal showed two purple dots on his wrist. A year ago the mark was like a bite wound, but as time passed, it healed and left a scar of two purple dots.

A lavender haired woman, about 20 years old, stood 3 meters before him and nodded. He introduced himself as Eiter Crru, The Recruiter. I don't know what that means. The woman also said fate brought them together through a bite wound on Shal's hand. Hence, Shal was trying to ascertain whether what was meant was really a scar on his wrist.

“Rui said, yes.” Eiter smiled obliquely.

“Rui?” Shal looks confused. Who else is that?

Suddenly Eiter's lavender hair that had been curled up had decomposed. Her lavender hair twitched, and suddenly Shal realized it was not her hair that was moving. A lavendel-colored snake crept between Eiter's hairs, descended into her arms, and finally descended to the ground. Shal realized, the headband that had adorned Eiter's hair turned out to be a long little snake.

Shal was hypnotized as the snake crept towards him, went up around his feet, and suddenly wrapped around his arm gently. Shal did not dodge at all and allowed the snake to creep on his body. Now Rui's tongue, the snake, stuck out near the two purple spots on her wrist.

Eiter smoothed his coat while walking closer to Shal. The sound of his bot steps on the ground sounded really cool. As they were facing each other, Eiter pressed a few buttons on her watch and the watch instantly pulled out a hologram.

“I, Eiter Crru, The Recruiter. This is Rui, The Recruiter Assistant. We are a member of the Maple High School Academy.” recruitment team As Eiter spoke, suddenly a printed business card jumped out of the hologram of Eiter's clock. The business card flew straight into Shal's left hand and the girl immediately watched him intently.

“Special talent?” Shal had not finished reading all the information on the business card, but now there were more than ten questions in his head.

“Many ask. Suitable to be a student of Maple High School Academy.” Eiter smiled obliquely again, then flicked his finger. In an instant Shal and Eiter were already in Shal's room. Shal's butt landed smoothly on his mattress, while Eiter sat on a round chair, which Shal had no idea where it came from. They sit facing. Miraculously, Rui had already plumped herself with Eiter's hair and returned to being a bandana.

Shal felt his brain somewhat exhausted digesting all the things that had happened to him that day. A few hours ago he had a severe accident, but doctors said there were only thin scratches on his body. Not quite up there, a person with a snake as his headband appeared out of nowhere, said absurd things, and with a single flick of a finger managed to bring it to his room. The distance from where they met and the room was approximately 2 kilometers! It's insane! However, Shal felt there were many more to come.

“First of all, forgive me for not systematically and regularly explaining all this to you. How else would you like? I'm so excited to have found you! The scent of your talent was ... so much fun!” Eiter inhaled his breath vigorously while fanning his hands in the air.

“Aroma?”

“As I said earlier, when the wound on your hand healed, the wind carried the scent of your talent to Rui's tongue and from her tongue to my nose. We found you 3 months ago and since then have been watching you intensely.”

Eiter advanced her head closer to the front of Shal's face.

“This incident of the afternoon accident really makes me sure that you are indeed talented and potentially a student of Maple High School Academy!”

Shal gulps.

“Ah, forgive me for not systematically and regularly explaining all this to you!” Eiter pulled his head and chuckled, “You how else? I'm so excited to have found you! Where should we start? Ever heard of Maple High School Academy before?”

 A girl with wavy black hair focused her gaze on the page of a book located on the table.

Don't disappear! Don't disappear! Don't disappear!

The girl, Shalima Shero, prayed with a firm heart until her forehead was sweaty.

 Eiter says this is the final process of recruiting Maple High School Academy students. In this process, Eiter will write his name in the Maple Academy Legend Book. If his name is not lost when written down, it means that his abilities are recognized by the legends and he can continue to pursue his dreams at Maple High School Academy. However, if the name is lost when it has been written, it means rejected. Another heart break? Ah, Shalima couldn't imagine it!

Shalima Shero's.

The name is clearly visible in the book. Shal continued to wait until Eiter finally closed the book and pinched Shal's cheek happily.

“I didn't think I could actually find a needle in a haystack! Congratulations, Shalima Shero, you are accepted as a student of Maple High School Academy!” Eiter laughed loudly.

Shal just kept quiet while smiling stiffly. Eiter smiled amusedly.

“I have other news that will make you gawk at” Eiter advancing his head closer to the front of Shal's face, “Eero Iziah from Winter Kingdom is willing to be your sponsor!”

“Sponsor?” Shal asked with a frown.

“Yes! As you already know, it was only the first time Maple High School Academy accepted the Human race as a student. It's a new thing, and as a student you'll probably need a lot of adjustments. When Eero Iziah is willing to be your sponsor, it means he is willing to accompany and help you specifically while undergoing a period of adaptation and study at Maple Island.”

Shal blushed in embarrassment. Eero Iziah is a man who managed to get his mother to allow Shal to attend Maple Academy. Now, the man is also willing to help her throughout her studies on Maple Island, a new world she has never heard of before. Isn’t it too perfect? Somehow Shal felt loved and became very excited.

“So just a little information interlude. Now, let's talk about the things you should prepare for the new student admission process.” Eiter pressed a few buttons on his watch.

Shal nodded strongly. Unknowingly, Shal held tightly to a book in his arms entitled My Future Plan. Shal smiled as he recalled a page in the book.

Maybe your dream looks like a spot in the sky.

But remember, though,

the first step that humans put in the stars

it starts with a step on earth.

Write your name here:

Shalima Shero

_________________________________________

Write your dream here:

Doctor!