The next morning, I was relieved to see some of my remaining clothes still fit. Should I worry about this sudden growth spurt? I don’t really feel any different though. If anything, my body feels more capable than ever. I decided to see just how much Imore with a morning jog. The sunlight was as warm and soothing as it was throughout the week. I made my way to the park entrance, prepping my muscles with a few stretches. I felt odd surges of optimism as I tensed my limbs. It felt a bit like flexing to show off. I hope I wasn’t coming off as showboating to others. Finally, I took off with a starting sprint, barreling past several trees along the path. While I was still on my low level, I took notice of some of the park goers. They seemed, not identical, but familiar? Some of the families seemed to be different from the ones yesterday, but I could have sworn they were acting almost the same as the ones from before. A different family was playing the same game of frisbee. A different couple under the same tree. Am I looking too much into things? It all eventually became a bit of a blur as I picked up the pace faster and faster. I came to a halt a little past my starting point. Wasn’t sure how many laps I made, but I was apparently running for... 2 hours!? I’ve been bolting for that long? I do feel a bit winded, but not at all burnt out. Guess I got nothing to complain about with this body change.

A few hours later, and the time had come to meet up with Enis. I navigated my way through the city to the craft store. It was hard to miss, as the outside was covered with a variety of vibrant paints, as if they were all splattered along the walls. It really emphasized the art theme I thought. I went inside, greeted by the usual Puwma hospitality.

“Hello sir, can I help find something today?”

“Yeah, uh, I’m supposed to meet with Enis. She said she works here. Is she getting off of work soon? Does she even know who I’m talking about?

“Ah. Well she’s just about finished up. She is in the back reading to some of the kids at the activity table. She should be done after that.” Book readings in a craft store? Eh, whatever. I made it to the area the greeting Puwma said Enis was. And sure enough, there she was, at the end of a very messy looking wooden table. It was evident from several stains of old and dried paint all around it. Two rows of children lined each side of the table, with who I assume are their parents surrounding them. Enis was holding a book called “Comet the Helpful Robot” The art seemed to show a small looking robot with cat ears. I won’t lie, it was adorable.

“And after finding a new battery, Fiona was able to recharge her friend Comet. They both learned an important lesson that day. Being helpful to a lot of people can be tiring, and even the most helpful of robots, can use a little help now and then. The End.” She closed the book with a smile. “That’s it for story time today. See you all next time!” The kids cheered as they rushed off with their parents, with one of them going up and hugging Enis. “Goodbye Miss Blumun. I love you!” She responded with a warm smile. “Thanks Alex. Love you too.” Alex ran off, leaving Enis to put the book she was reading on a shelf. She then turned to me soon after. “Oh!. Hi Andrew. I just finished up work. Ya ready to go?”

She wasn’t kidding about this “Oasis” place being close, it was down the end of the block. Both sides of the front had giant tanks of fishes and other bizarre sea life. Is thsi a restaurant or an aquarium? As we arrived at the door, she stopped me for a moment.

“Hold up, let me change real quick.”

“Wait, what?” I was about to ask as she pulled out a phone. She pressed and swiped a few times, and suddenly, she was engulfed in a pillar of blue light in an instant. It soon faded, revealing Enis to be in an alluring, maroon colored dress. I was a bit distracted by her stunning appearance to question how any of that worked. “Okay, lets go.”

The inside had a similar feel to the front, save the darkened ambiance, with most lighting coming from the fish tanks on the side. Some of the marine life in the tanks seem more like they belonged in the deep parts of the sea. One looked like a clawless one eyed lobster with an angler lore on it’s head, and another seemed more like a mass of flesh monster. The most normal ones were the anchovies that seemed to glow a bright neon green. As we were seated, A tall, dark, and quite muscular Puwma waiter approached.

“Welcome to Oasis. My name is Ternit, and I’ll be your server today.” They were as polite as most other Puwmas, but gave off a bit more of stern and stoic feeling. Then they pulled out a bottle of what looked like a red wine. “May I interest you in our Zinfandel?”

“Yes please.” Enis and I said almost in unison. She chuckled a bit as we did.

After getting our orders in (I got something Enis said was close to Salmon.) we had time to ourselves. “I gotta say, you seem more than a capable mother with how you handle kids at work.” She chuckled again though with a slightly nervous tone to it. “Thanks, but reading to children isn’t quite the same as raising them yourselves. Feeding them, clothing them, and trying to raise them as good people. It feels like a lot to take in.” She looked down a bit, fiddling with her fingers. She really does seem cautious about having kids, but that got me to think about that introduction video from the fight. “But, don’t most Puwmas grow up in about a week anyway?” Enis’s eyes widened and her ears perked a bit. “Did, did I completely forget that?” She then burst it to light laughter, trying to keep her composure. “Oh gosh! Hahaha! I feel so silly now!” This was the happiest I’ve seen her.

“I’ve been meaning to ask about that too Enis. What was it like for you growing up for you? If you don’t mind me asking.” Enis paused her laughter, then looked down with a smile.

“To be honest, it seems so long ago and so short. I had almost forgotten what my own childhood was like. My earliest memory was walking towards my dad. Only a few days later, I was already learning math and history. By next week, I was already working my first job at the food market.” Her eyes shifted to her wine glass. Gazing with a somber, yet warming tone. “Even then I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. I felt like a blank canvas that needed to be filled with something. Anything. Guess my current job fits that descriptor.” She chuckled to herself. “I’m not sure if it’s just me, or more of a thing with a lot of Puwmas, but I just feel like life needs to prosper in peace. Seemingly impossible, yes, but I’m not sure how to describe it, but I feel like a lot of other Puwmas feel the same way. I don’t think we couldn’t achieve the prosperity we have today if we didn't. It's like, no matter how different we may all be, in the end, we all come and go the same way. We may make mistakes in our lifetime, we hope that our kids and prodigies can learn from them, and seek to make things better. We still have ways to go as a society, but I feel we can all achieve a universal understanding of love, peace, and acceptance.” Enis then light scofts. “Golly I must sound sappy.”

“Hey, if wanting to make the world a better place is sappy, then a lot of us would be trees!” What? Did I just say that?

“Haha! Oh that’s so sweet Andrew.” She reaches her hand to mine. “I’m glad I met you, even if It was only a few days.”

“Thanks Enis. It was nice to meet you too.” I blushed a bit as our hands met. “Tomorrow is my last day here if you want to do anything special?”

“I want to do something special tonight, if you don't mind me asking.” Her glare went from calming, to alluring. Is she…Does she...Do I?

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Did I write too much for this piece? Whatever. At any rate, this sequence might end sooner than expected. Shorted the script to a more reasonable length.

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