Eddie lowered his head, staring curiously at the little squirrel. The squirrel tilted its head back, gazing at him with innocent curiosity, and their wide eyes met.
The squirrel was only a few months old. Since BE Fishery rarely had visitors, it had likely never encountered humans before and didn't know to be afraid. Instead, it flicked its bushy tail across the back of Eddie's hand.
The soft, fluffy fur felt oddly pleasant, and Eddie chuckled. He picked up a blueberry covered in syrup and slowly offered it to the squirrel.
The squirrel tilted its head, eyeing the small, blue fruit. Then, extending its tiny paws, it grasped the blueberry. After a brief inspection, it wrapped both paws around it, brought it to its mouth, and with a loud crunch, it bit off half, its cheeks puffing up adorably as it chewed.
Eddie's blueberries were delicious—sweet and tangy, with tender flesh and abundant juice. The squirrel seemed delighted after its first bite, eagerly stuffing the remaining half into its mouth and munching rapidly.
After finishing its snack, the squirrel plopped onto Eddie's pillow, mimicking his posture. It leaned against the soft cushion, eyes half-closed, looking completely content.
Eddie laughed. This little squirrel reminded him of the golden-backed hamster he had as a child—equally adorable.
When the blueberry was gone, the squirrel once again looked up at him expectantly. Eddie picked up a North American black grape and offered it instead.
But the squirrel was smart—it pushed the grape away with its paw, its dark eyes fixed solely on the plate of blueberries.
"This one's tastier," Eddie chuckled.
To prove his point, he took a bite of the grape, deliberately chewing loudly.
The squirrel stared blankly at him, seemingly unsure.
Eddie then dipped the remaining grape in syrup and offered it again.
This time, the squirrel hesitated, then grabbed the fruit and took a tiny bite. Realizing it was delicious, it quickly devoured the rest, chewing in its signature fast-paced rhythm.
Eddie gently stroked the squirrel's head with his fingertip. The little creature showed no resistance, simply hunched over its feast, gnawing away—this was a grand meal for its tiny size.
Once the grape was gone, the squirrel grew bolder. It climbed up Eddie's shoulder, carefully treading with tiny feet.
After adjusting its position, it finally settled comfortably, staring intently at the fruit platter.
Eddie didn't want to overfeed it, so he set the plate aside and focused on watching his movie.
But the squirrel was restless—rubbing its paws together, it began treading on his shoulder, sticking out its soft pink tongue while eyeing the fruit.
Seeing it was still hungry, Eddie gave it another blueberry.
This time, the squirrel didn't eat immediately—instead, it stared at the side of Eddie's face, as if studying him.
Eddie continued watching his movie, while the squirrel took two bites of its blueberry, then paused, holding the remaining half and watching TV alongside him—its eyes wide and unblinking.
Whenever Eddie burst into laughter at the antics of the four ridiculous protagonists, the squirrel would trot in small steps across his shoulder, mimicking his excitement.
But whenever Eddie turned his head, it would freeze, its eyes locked onto his, waiting in silence.
Big eyes meeting small ones—one man, one squirrel.
When the movie ended, Eddie felt a little unsatisfied—and the squirrel seemed to feel the same, rubbing its paws together while chirping softly.
Eddie gently picked it up, and the squirrel showed no fear, instead scratching at its own ears playfully in the palm of his hand.
"Let's give you a name," Eddie mused, staring at the reddish tint of its fur. A mischievous idea struck him.
"How about Little Red?"
The squirrel, oblivious to his words, began spinning in circles.
Its tail swayed, almost as if shaking its head in disagreement.
Eddie smirked, thinking aloud:
"Alright, let's check if you're male or female. If you're a girl, you'll have to be called Little Red!"
Having raised hamsters in childhood, Eddie knew how to tell small animals' gender.
He gently rubbed between the squirrel's hind legs, and sure enough—a tiny bulge popped up.
Eddie laughed, announcing:
"Alright, you're a boy. Then your name is Little Ming!"
Just as he was about to test its response to the name, the sound of a car horn pierced the air.
The sharp noise startled the squirrel—it darted back to its maple tree nest outside the window.
Eddie knew it was Creeper arriving—and sure enough, the old man's stern face soon appeared.
Creeper had retired to Farewell Town, where he lived permanently. However, if locals needed legal assistance, he offered it for free, earning great respect from the townspeople.
Eddie brought out the paintings, and Creeper was well-prepared. He opened his laptop, which contained a catalog of Van Gogh's works, including high-resolution images of all eleven surviving "Sunflowers" paintings.
"Where did you find these?" Creeper asked, flipping through the pieces.
Eddie pointed upward, explaining:
"In the attic. Back home, my family had a habit of storing treasures in the attic. So yesterday, I wondered—could my great-grandfather have left something up there too? Turns out, I was right—I found these paintings."
Creeper examined a few landscape sketches, nodding.
"This Mr. Pinajian has impressive skills. I haven't heard much about him, but he seems to be a great painter."
Eddie wasn't interested in discussing Pinajian's identity—he was focused on one thing.
He carefully unfolded the "Sunflowers" painting and handed it to Creeper.
Creeper pushed his laptop toward Eddie and simply said:
"See for yourself."
Leaving those words behind, Creeper continued studying Pinajian's works, flipping through them with genuine interest.
Eddie scrolled through the images—high-resolution versions of Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" flashed across the screen.
After just a few seconds, his excitement evaporated.
Among the images, he found an exact match for his painting.
According to the notes, this piece had been discovered in 1900 and was now preserved in the British Museum.
"D*mn… my painting's a fake?" Eddie groaned.
His entire night of anticipation melted away like snow under the sun.