"Eternal Branches: Chronicles of Yggdrasil"

Sunlight poured through the curtains in Vetril's room and he rubbed his eyes as he climbed out of bed. Today, he and Jack had a date to go to the town together.Vetril got dressed and ran excitedly to the living room.

Elena saw Rill go out the door and a flash of concern flashed in her eyes. 'Gareth, Ril is out playing again, will he be in any danger?' There was a hint of uneasiness in her voice.

Gareth gently held Elena's hand and comforted her, 'My dear, Vetril is already six years old, he needs to play with other children so that he can grow up better. Jack is a good boy, he will take good care of Vetril. Besides, the people in the town are friendly and there will be no danger.'

Elena listened to Gareth's words, and the worry in her heart eased a little. She knew that Gareth was right, Vetril needed such experiences to enrich his childhood. She smiled and nodded, saying, 'You're right, I'm just so worried about him.'

Gareth kissed Elena's forehead gently and said, 'Don't worry, I'll be watching them from not far away. If anything goes wrong, I'll be there immediately.'

Elena nodded, her heart filled with gratitude. She knew that with Gareth around, Vetril would be safe. She smiled as she watched Vetril and Jack leave, silently praying for them in her heart.

Vetril and Jack held hands as they walked down the path to the flower shop. Jack was as excited as a chatterbox the whole way, mumbling about his florist aunt's daughter, Lily, and the colourful flowers at her house.

'Vetril, just wait and see, Lily is the little flower fairy of our town! She knows the name of every flower and can tell so many stories about them.' Jack's eyes twinkled with anticipation, as if he had already seen Lily dancing among the flowers.

Vetril was a little shy, but his heart was also filled with curiosity. He held Jack's hand tightly and followed behind in small steps, looking around from time to time, surveying the town that was both strange and new to him.

At last they came to the door of the florist's shop. The door of the flower shop was open, and the fragrance of flowers drifted out with the breeze, which was refreshing. Auntie Flower Shop was busy watering the flowers, and when she saw Jack and Lil, she looked up with a warm smile.

'Jack, Vetril, you're here!' Auntie Flower Shop's voice was gentle and kind, she put down the water pot in her hand and walked over to greet them.

'Auntie, this is my new friend Lil.' Jack introduced excitedly, his eyes filled with pride.

'Welcome, Vetril,' Auntie Flower Shop bent down and looked at Lir gently, her eyes full of love. 'I'm Auntie Flower Shop, you can call me Auntie.'

Vetril was a little nervous, but he managed to gather his courage and whispered, 'Hello Auntie.'

A flower shop auntie's eyes flashed with surprise when she heard Vetril's voice. She took out a small daisy from behind her and handed it to Vetril, 'This flower is for you, I hope you like it.'

Vetril took the daisy, his eyes sparkling with surprise. He sniffed it gently and the scent of the flower hit his nose, making him smile.

'Thank you Auntie.' Vetril's voice was small but full of gratitude.

Just then, a little girl stepped out from behind the flower shop. She had long blonde hair, eyes like two bright stars, and a curious expression on her face. Seeing Jack and Vetril, her eyes lit up and she ran over.

'Jack, you brought new friends again?' The little girl's voice was clear and pleasant, and her eyes shone with excitement.

'Lily, this is Vetril, my new friend.' Jack introduced, his voice filled with pride.

'Hello Vetril, I'm Lily.' The little girl extended her hand in a friendly greeting to Vetril.

Vetril was a little shy, but he held out his hand and shook Lily's. 'Hello Lily.'

Lily giggled at the sight of Vetril's shyness. Her laughter was crisp and pleasant, and it lightened Vetril's heart.

'Vetril, look at these flowers, are they pretty?' Lily said excitedly as she pointed at the flowers in the flower shop.

Vetril's eyes lit up as he looked at the colourful flowers. He had never seen so many beautiful flowers before, each one was like a little elf, radiating a charming light.

'Lilly, these flowers are so beautiful!' Vetril said excitedly, his eyes sparkling with surprise.

'Of course, I planted all these flowers with mum.' Lily said proudly, her eyes filled with pride.

'Lily, tell us the names of these flowers.' Jack offered, his eyes shining with anticipation.

Lily's eyes lit up as she listened, and she excitedly took Vetril and Jack by the hand and began to introduce them to the various flowers. 'This is the rose, which is a symbol of love; this is the tulip, which represents good wishes; and this is the lily, which symbolises purity and elegance ... ' Lily's voice was full of enthusiasm, and she was like a tiny flower fairy, dancing among the flowers.

Just as Lily was excitedly describing the flowers, Jack suddenly remembered something, and with a twinkle in his eye, he pulled Vetril and whispered, 'Hey, let's go see Tommy! His house is right next to the flower shop, you'll love his 'show'!'

'A show?' Vetril asked suspiciously.

'We'll see!' Jack smiled mysteriously and pulled Vetril around the flower shop towards a nearby grocery shop.

A plastic curtain used to keep flies away hung over the door of the grocery shop, swaying gently with the breeze. As soon as they entered, a strange smell of a mixture of soap, sweets and cured meat hit their noses. The chubby owner of the grocery shop was busy moving goods, his stomach jiggling with the movement like a wobbly jelly.

'Uncle, we're here to see Tommy!' Jack greeted while squeezing his eyes at Vetril.

The fat boss looked up and saw Jack, smiling from ear to ear, 'It's you again, you little naughty boy! Tommy's playing in the back, you guys go get him.'

Jack walked familiarly with Vetril to the backyard, and sure enough, he saw Tommy crouching on the ground, staring at a slow-crawling snail. His nose was hanging down as if it could drip onto the snail in the next second.

'Tommy! What are you doing?' Jack shouted deliberately, startling Tommy. He scrambled to his feet, accidentally stepping on his shoelaces and almost falling over.

'Jay, Jack! Are you teasing me again?' Tommy's face turned red and he wiped his nose carelessly with his sleeve while staring warily at Jack.

'How could I tease you?' Jack put on an innocent expression, 'I'm just bringing my new friend Vetril to meet you. This is Lir, he's gentle and would never scare you like I did.'

Vetril nodded his head in a rush and gave a friendly smile. Tommy stared at Vetril for half a second before finally dropping his guard and whispering, 'Hi, I'm Tommy.'

'Tommy, let's play a game!' Jack suddenly suggested excitedly, 'Let's see who can blow the mud off a snail's shell in one breath!'

'Huh? That ... that's no good?' Tommy hesitated, 'Will the snail get hurt?'

'You're such a coward!' Jack laughed out loud and blew right through it, and instead of blowing the mud off, he brought his face too close to the snail and almost got his nose poked by the snail's tentacles.

Vetril couldn't help but laugh, and Tommy followed suit with a 'pfft' when he saw Jack's sorry state.

'Tommy, you have more snot on your nose than snail slime!' Jack pointed at Tommy's face and burst out laughing.

Tommy hurriedly reached up and wiped his nose, only to have it get messier and messier as the snot stretched even longer. In his haste, he simply picked up a nearby handkerchief and wiped it carelessly, a scene so comical that Vetril couldn't help but burst out laughing as well.

'Okay, okay, no more laughing.' Jack gasped, 'Tommy, show us your dad's new candy!'

'Okay ... okay.' Tommy scratched his head and led them back to the grocery shop. He pointed to a pile of colourful candies on the counter and said, 'These just arrived, there's fruity ones, creamy sandwiches, and ... that spicy candy, Jack do you dare eat it?'

'Spicy candy? Do you think I'd be afraid of that?' Jack grabbed a red candy and shoved it straight into his mouth. Just after chewing it, his face immediately turned the colour of chilli and smoke came out of his mouth. He jumped to his feet and rushed to the bucket of water, drinking half of it in one gulp.

Tommy and Vetril were amused by his appearance. Jack wiped his mouth and said with feigned composure, 'It's okay, not too spicy.'

'Jack, your face is redder than a chilli!' Tommy pointed at him as he laughed.

Vetril covered his mouth in a slightly uncontrollable laugh at the sight of Jack's sorry state, and he felt a wave of relief and pleasure that he had never felt before. He raised his eyes to look at the smile spreading on Tommy's face, and then looked down at the shiny candy he was holding in his hand, and a sudden warmth welled up in his heart.

It turned out that playfulness between friends could be so much fun; it turned out that he could laugh like any other kid and fit into such a time.

Vetril felt a peace of mind that he had never felt before, like the warmth and comfort of the sunlight pouring through the window. He couldn't help but clutch the candy in his hand, thinking silently in his mind:

'Perhaps, this is joy.'