And five minutes later, his dreams come true. Nibi appeared in that same beige coat, tiptoeing across the porch like a ninja ballerina. As soon as she reached him and M.K., she grinned and shouted:
Let's run!
And run they did—toward happiness, dreams, or at least far away from Nibi's family, who could've easily sent a tracking drone or murder-bot after them. And they really didn't feel like dealing with cyberpunk assassins today.
This time, no slow alpacas. They chose their own pace.
After three or four minutes of nonstop sprinting, they finally stopped, panting. Nibi said:
I'm so screwed. I hope this wasn't all for Judging by that smug face of yours, you've got something cooked up again.
Erich dodged:
Maybe I .. who knows?
Oh come on! – She nudged him M.K. started whining—he wanted to be nudged too, for equality.
Alright, alright! I give We're going to Millennium Park. I want to introduce you to—
The trees? – Nibi
– Erich gave her a mysterious look and kept up the suspense all the way to the park entrance.
They'd never actually been to this public landmark—even though they were supposedly part of the society that built it. Erich strutted through the park like he owned it, inspecting every bush and lawn like a self-appointed park overlord.
Thanks to the cold and the weekday timing, the place was pretty empty, which made the experience even better.
They especially loved Cloud Gate. Erich looked up at the sculpture and said, very solemnly:
Yep… that's one pretty
Wow, such – Nibi smirked. Then she surprised him by suggesting they go to the Exelon Pavilion on the park's southeast side.
Erich blinked.
How do you even know that? She shrugged. There's a Anyone can read it. Oh wow! You're such a buzzkill! What map?! We're not here for We're here for…
A gorgeous living labyrinth twisted and turned like a sly serpent, coiling right and left, shifting paths at the whims of the garden architects—or maybe the landscape designers—or whoever had dreamed
up this evergreen masterpiece. A web of thousands, maybe millions of flowers and plants wove itself into this lush, complex creation that led to… where?
Well, let's find – Erich said firmly, and stepped first under the hand-crafted arches of green. His loyal companion followed close behind, sniffing the bushy walls with caution. Only Nibi lingered at the entrance.
Wow. This was actually brilliant. She didn't care much for plants—just like she didn't for animals— but she'd always admired the human ability to dress nature up in such wild and wonderful ways. She reached out, touched the leafy structure, closed her eyes, and breathed in. It was like inhaling a real- life fairytale.
Eyes shut, she moved forward slowly, guided only by M.K.'s barking and the occasional shout from Erich:
This way! We're almost there!
Almost where?