"Kosumo! Wake up! It's starting!"

The Heaven's light evaporated before her and left her gently on smooth faux leather. The air smelled faintly of cleaning chemicals, and it came to life with the sound of a whirring engine and the crunch of strong tires on a dirt road. The girl went to take a deep breath, but her body, made of glass and stardust, consumed the world around her without any physical effort.

"Phew, we barely made it, Kosumo!"

The girl turned to her left to find Rover sitting on a booth with a dark green seat and sky blue back—just like hers—across the aisle from her. There a window past his pointy ears, but it was too dark outside to make anything out.

Rover flashed a grin. "The first step of starting a new life is getting on the bus! Riveting, isn't it?"

The girl nodded, unable to laugh. She took the time to glance around the bus and discovered that it was completely empty except for the two of them and, presumably, the driver. This moment of quiet is what caused his words to fall into place: Wait... what did you call me?

The cat raised a brow and gave her a questioning look. "Kosumo. That's what you told me your name was, right?"

She drew back, surprised. She pressed a fingerless hand to her head; it felt delightfully light and airy after traversing the spotlight: she was almost giddy. The girl figured that Rover must've taken the name from her mind at some point since their first meeting in the void. It brought her a sense of comfortable familiarity, of confident ownership. It felt wonderful to not have to strain her mind to communicate. Yes, Kosumo. That's right.

Rover made the exaggerated gesture of wiping his brow. "Well, thank goodness! I would think I'm pretty good at remembering names-- especially those belonging to faceless girls such as yourself." He winked.

I promise that I'm rolling my eyes at you right now, but she covered the place where her mouth would be, as if she had a smile to hide.

"Ah, well, that's nothing new to me." Rover chuckled, and then he pulled up the sleeve of his undershirt, revealing a simple watch with a round face and brown belt. "Oh, shoot!" His eyes widened. "It's 9:51 P.M. right now, isn't it? The 26th of June?" He began to fiddle with the little knobs on his watch.

Um... yes? She knew that date was right, but the time...? Kosumo turned to her right and found a window identical to the one on Rover's side. There was a deep, starry night beyond the glass; it was utterly stunning. For the sun to have already set at this point in the summer, she deduced, it must be at least past eight o'clock. I think so; that makes sense to me. I don't really have a watch on me, though. Or... anything.

Rover rolled his eyes as he pulled down his sleeve. "Mya, that's about as good as what I've got. My watch gets... confused, sometimes, and I'm no good at keeping up with time. Thanks for the help, anyway." A smile came over his face, as if that was just the way his mouth rested.

You're welcome, Rover. Kosumo shrugged. But, may I ask you something? Will I... stay like this? In this body?

His giant eyes grew further. "Oh, goodness, no! Don't you worry about that, though; I'll take care of it before we arrive!"

Thank you, she told him simply, but where are we going, exactly?

"Ah! I'm glad you asked!" Rover beamed and reached into his pockets, taking out a neatly folded sheet of beige paper. "I know the perfect animal village for you, buddy." He leaned across the aisle and handed her the square. "It's called Keyris, and that right there is a map that you can keep until you know your new home like the back of your hand."

Kosumo unfolded the map, finding that it took up half of the booth unfurled. It was entirely drawn by hand, fine ink lines detailing great expanses of greenery, tall, rocky cliffsides, and a long, winding river that reached from border to border, birthed from a waterfall at the north. A map key to the right neatly listed the names of every building and resident, from the town hall, to the museum, to each of the scattered houses throughout the village. Oh, wow. She tried to study every inch of it and commit it to memory right then, but her buzzing mind could only take in so much. She brought the map close to her chest and stared up at the ceiling, listening to the hum of the engine. There would be endless time to learn everything when she arrived: the hills, the fields, the beach, the freedom—the excitement of it all bubbled up in her chest where it could not escape. She didn't want it to.

"You're in luck, too," Rover said, "an old friend of mine told me that the housing market is booming in Keyris. You'll have no trouble finding a great house." He leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed and threw her a playful smirk. "Now would be around the time when I'd ask if you had any money on you, but..."

She glared down at her featureless form, kicking her feet that looked more like big beans than anything else. Are you... bullying me? She looked back up to catch him giggling.

"Yar, we's nearing our stop!" A rough voice belted out from the front of the bus, making Kosumo jump. "Keyris, Keyris be next..."

Kosumo scooted forward and peered over the both in front of her: a green kappa with a blue chauffeur's hat was behind the wheel, now softly whistling what sounded like a sea shanty.

Through the wide windshield, she was able to catch a glimpse of a gray arched tunnel before the bus sped into it, plunging the interior into completely darkness. The white glow of the headlights bounced off of the concrete bricks all around them and cast them in an ethereal glow. They were quiet as the sounds of the rolling tires and steady engine echoed outside. Kosumo turned to Rover in the dimness; he smiled softly and tilted his head, gesturing toward her window. A bit confused, she obliged, setting the map aside and pressing her hands against the glass.

Just as she did, the bus exited the tunnel and the open sky stretched out in all directions once more. It was a glittering canvas of deep blues and wispy purple clouds, illuminated by the full moon's glow. Far below them, as the bus rode along the cliffside, was a massive breadth of forest and field, peppered with hundreds of colorful flowers now blue-lit by the night. The trees were tall, dark cedars and broad oaks, voluminous evergreens bearing blossoms and fruit too distant to identify. Houses dotted the village with their varying roofs and shades, puffing out smoke from their chimneys; incandescent lights poured through their windows in the dark. A magnificent waterfall, surrounded by pine trees, cascaded into a wide, rushing river crossed by large stone bridges that led through the town and into the ocean. The waves there reflected the starlight and lapped lazily at the shore, where she could make out the tiniest silhouettes walking along it.

"This is... Keyris." As her eyes unfocused from the view below, they caught themselves in the window's reflection: big, round and a brownish amber.

Kosumo gasped and covered her mouth in surprise, falling backwards into her seat and crushing the map underneath her. Rover's snickers and the kappa's gruff laughter made her face flush hot. She shot up again and stared at her new face against the glass: fair skin and round cheeks tinted rosy, large, doe-like eyes with thick lashes, and a full head of shoulder-length pink hair. She ran her fingers through the silkiness of her side-swept bangs, counting three ponytails: one at the top and one behind each ear.

"Well, what do you think, Miss Kosumo?"

Kosumo blinked as she watched herself. She was now wearing a sunny yellow blouse with puffy sleeves and an orange gingham skirt. White and blue striped tights covered her legs all the way down to her feet, where a shiny red pair of Mary Janes fit snuggly. She wiggled her toes and studied the softness of the tights and the stiffness of brand new shoes. Tentatively, she tapped them together, and the sound they made caused a smile to grow on her lips. Her fingers slowly came to touch her mouth, curious; it was as if she had never felt the stretch of a smile before, and it was wonderful.

"It's perfect. Thank you."

Rover returned her smile, and she loved the way it made their eyes crinkle at the sides. As the bus wound down the cliff through the meandering dirt road, Rover prepared Kosumo to the best of his ability. He showed her how to re-fold her map and tuck it safely into the pockets of her skirt. He told her about Tom Nook, his old friend, who 'looks like a total downer' but would help her get settled into a new house. He made her repeat after him: "I will head straight to town hall as soon as I arrive." He made her laugh, despite the fresh butterflies of anxiety swarming in her stomach. It was as if the smallest things—like the air traveling through her nose and filling her lungs, the steady rhythm of her heartbeat, and the touch of all the different fabrics against her skin—overwhelmed her now. After the nothingness of being starry and silent, the very idea of living was overpowering. It was a relief; it was lovely and fulfilling, but it was so much. Rover simply seemed to know everything, so he encouraged her to close her eyes and take full, slow breaths.

"Gar, this be our stop, landlubbers."

Those words made Kosumo grip her seat with force, back straight and stiff. The bus slowed to a complete halt, squeaking loudly as it did so. She swallowed, but she didn't move. Why was this happening now? After all of her excitement, her body now betrayed her with irrational fear. She wanted to get up, walk down the aisle, and jump headfirst into her new life— but her body was frozen, and the aisle now seemed to stretch on for miles.

"Are you okay, Kosumo?"

She managed to look at him, eyes wide and pleading.

Rover let out a small laugh and gave her a brilliant smile. With a paw, he gestured her to stand. "Come; I'll walk with you."

Taking in another deep breath, Kosumo slid out of her seat and planted her feet on the floor for the first time. Her legs felt like jelly. Rover followed, standing up next to her and holding out his right paw for her to take. She looked up at him, noticing then how small she was, only reaching just below his shoulders. She took his paw.

They made their way down the bus's narrow aisle, his boots clomping heavily as her Mary Janes made soft taps against the metal. As they neared the bus driver, the kappa turned to her in his seat and removed his hat, bowing deeply.

"Kapp'n, little miss. It be me pleasure." His narrow eyes glinted as he smiled.

Rover stopped leading her and Kosumo took the pause to curtsy, using her free hand to hold up her skirt.

"Kosumo," she said quietly.

They reached the double doors and there, against the darkness of the night, she saw their reflection in the glass. She hadn't noticed that her hand was fidgeting or that her heels were bobbing up and down restlessly. She did her best to steady herself, focusing instead on the others, and found herself seeing something she didn't quite understand. Just before the doors opened, she saw Kapp'n glaring at Rover, a warning look in his eye.

That was when the doors folded back and opened, letting in the summer breeze. The chirping of crickets and buzzing cicadas pierced the calm night with their melody. Everything smelled of dewy grass and muddy earth, of fresh flowers, too.

Kosumo felt the tension of anxiety in her throat. She could not make it dissipate. "Rover," she looked up at him, "I'm scared."

"Hey, buddy, it's gonna be okay." Rover smiled at her, as if that was all he knew how to do, and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "There's no need to be afraid. Just trust in yourself and follow your map straight to town hall. You've got this."

Kosumo nodded slowly, staring out into the openness of Keyris. "Okay."

"The present is yours, Kosumo." He let her go.

The girl steeled herself, took in one last shaky breath, and leapt from the bus, landing firmly on the concrete. The sweet warmth swirled all around her as the vehicle's doors shut and the engine revved. She didn't look back as the bus drove away, leaving her alone and untethered and free.

✿ ✿ ✿

Original version: 1/5/2019
Revised version: 5/14/2024