#heardtale

Small problem, 1-4 pages.

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Christmas is coming soon, and for everyone in town, it's a joyous holiday. Many have begun preparing for the holiday, both adults and children. Unfortunately, however, work leaves no one alone. Even those who want to calmly prepare for the holiday.

—--------

"How did the operation go?" Jin asked the guys. They had to go out on another rescue mission: Spooky and Posty nearly fell through the ice. Luckily, everything was fine.

"Everything went well." All four reported to the dispatcher. She was glad to know there were no new problems. Although it was obvious they were a little tired. This day had been a bit grueling for them.

"You're not broken, are you? You know, I can fix you." the Girl clarified, her voice betraying concern, to which the guys hastened to reassure her:

"My propeller's fine, don't worry, Jin," Helly said cheerfully.

"My arms are fine too." Roy reassured her, which couldn't be more pleasing.

"We're fine too," both Poli and Amber noted this too. The girl was very happy to hear this. At least her friends (family) were okay.

"Where are the kids?" the ambulance van asked the dispatcher. She simply pointed to her watch; it was 6 PM.

"They left for patrol an hour ago. And as you understand, we're taking a break today. Knowing these two, they won't let you work tired." The rescuers weren't surprised after this answer.

"Looks like we'll have to wait for them." the fire truck said, to which the others reluctantly agreed.

"By the way, should we start decorating our break room, guys?" the helicopter suddenly asked, but joy and excitement could be heard in his voice. This was a bit of a surprise to everyone in the room, and they looked at the calendar. In a couple of days, it was Christmas.

"Oh, you want to be prepared, bro?" Jin asked the young rescuer, who nodded vigorously with a smile. The three other senior rescuers giggled a little.

"Then let's get out the decorations and start decorating the room little by little," Poli suggested, to which Roy and Amber agreed. Well, they had some work to do, but this time around the house.

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Time passed. The patrol had already been completed for both assistants; in winter, children's shifts start earlier, but at least they wouldn't be back late. At least the patrol usually ended by 9 PM. Everything was relatively calm, just a few minor scratches, but nothing more. The children gathered up some fabrics and set them on fire. When everything had burned away, both boys put out the fire.

"I hope there's no ice here, especially not the color of ash," Conrad said cautiously, and the boy with long hair agreed.

"Finally, we can go back now." Kim said happily, to which his friend with glasses agreed. Relieved, they headed home. As they approached the station, they sensed the auras of rescuers outside their rooms. This was a bit unusual for the children, and they decided to check other places. They headed toward the break room. Then the children realized the rescuers were there, so technically they had already found the people they were looking for. They even heard parts of their elders' conversation.

"Poli, hang this circle here, please," the children heard Jin's voice, and it seemed the rescuers were busy again, but this time not with a rescue. When the children entered the room, they saw the rescuers decorating the entire room with Christmas decorations. Conrad quickly wiped his glasses, knowing they would steam up. Poli hung a green circle with several toys.

"Is that all right, Jin?" the police car asked the girl. She looked in his direction to check the result. She was pleased:

"Yes, it's good, thank you very much." Jin gave a thumbs-up, indicating that everything was fine. This pleased the rescuer. Helly was hanging some red tinsel on the walls. Next to the junior rescuer's seat was a box of decorations, and next to the box was a purple icicle-shaped toy. A short time later, Helly finished hanging the tinsel and giggled proudly, delighted with his accomplishment. At that moment, the junior lifeguard began to reach down to grab another tinsel, and he accidentally stepped on a toy.

The children were tense, sensing an accident was about to happen, and rightfully so; everyone heard Helly struggling to maintain his balance. Kim quickly realized what to do and used his wind power to pull the box to safety as the younger rescuer began to plummet toward the decorations. Amber managed to catch Helly before he fell, and a boy with long hair caught the box of decorations in mid-air, but also nearly fell. He leaped backward and tripped over his own foot, sending him flying back toward the wall. Luckily, Poli managed to keep the boy from falling. But as the box fell toward the children, a couple of balloon-shaped toys and icicles with garland flew out. Fortunately, Conrad grabbed them quickly as he leaped forward, but landed on his stomach, hitting the floor lightly, managing to raise his hands, so the decorations were safe. The boy was about to get up on his own, and he was making slow progress. At that moment, he felt himself being lifted and set on his feet.

"Are you badly hurt?" Roy asked the boy worriedly. Conrad simply smiled, preparing to answer:

"I'm fine, thanks for picking me up." Everyone began to calm down after hearing this; it was good news for them.

"Have you two been back for a while?" Jin asked, approaching the guys. Helly and Kim had already slowly gotten to their feet.

"Just a few minutes ago," the boy with long hair replied. There was already a calmness in his voice. All the rescuers and the dispatcher were pleased to hear this.

"How was the patrol?" the junior rescuer asked the kids.

"Everything went off without incident or complications," Conrad said with a hint of joy in his voice. This couldn't help but please the older ones. Poli took the box from Kim, gently ruffling the boy's hair. The child giggled a little at this.

"Will you help us decorate, boys?" Amber asked both assistants, to which they nodded enthusiastically. For a moment, you could even see stars in their eyes.

"Then let's continue decorating?" Jin suggested, and everyone agreed. The housework continued. By about 10 p.m., the room was ready for the party.

"Good job, guys," the dispatcher praised, and everyone smiled, silently thanking her for the praise.

"I think we all need a good rest. Good night, everyone." Poli wished everyone, to which he received the same wish from the others. And everyone headed to their rooms to rest peacefully and sleep.

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The time was about 1:26 am. All the rescuers and the dispatcher were sleeping soundly. No calls, no serious incidents. Unless...

"Do you think we can do this?" Conrad whispered. A boy with long hair turned on the light in the kitchen, while his friend held up objects for something. They were shaped like a star, a fire, a plus sign, a circle, a hexagon, and two squares. And for some reason, the two were creeping closer, as if they didn't want to be heard.

"We have some time before the rescue patrol starts, so we should be able to make it. We just need to check the ingredients and where the utensils for our task are," Kim replied, also whispering. Surprisingly, his hair was pulled back into a ponytail. When they reached the table and laid out the items in Conrad's hands, they turned out to be molds. Both boys began searching for what they needed. Kim checked the utensils and cutlery, and the boy in glasses checked the ingredients, and he also checked a few other things. After a while, they pulled out everything they needed for their task. Next to them was a recipe book.

"Well... Cooking isn't the same as fighting cultists, of course, but... We need to try," Conrad said to himself, to which his friend agreed.

"The main thing is to get everything done before the rescuers wake up," Kim clarified, and they both really should start this task now:

Attempt #1

The dough was ready, at least outwardly resembling how it was described in the book.

"I'll check the dough, okay?" Conrad asked his friend, to which he nodded. The bespectacled boy picked up a spoon to scoop up some of the dough and taste it. When he tasted it, he was completely shocked, but not in a good way. Conrad spat out what he'd tasted and started coughing, which surprised the boy with long hair.

"What's wrong, Conrad?" Kim asked his friend, worried about him.

"The dough's too salty," the boy replied, surprising the other child. He checked the box that was supposed to contain sugar and realized something. Kim slapped himself in the face, muttering to himself:

"I'm stupid."

"What's wrong?" Conrad asked, surprised. To which the boy with long hair responded, confused,

"I mixed up the salt and sugar."

"Heck," Conrad said, realizing they were going to have to redo the dough.

Attempt #2

"Gently mix the dough." Kim said, as Conrad was in charge of the dough this time.

"I'm trying." the boy replied, and he really was trying his best. The boy moved his foot slightly to make it more comfortable, but accidentally moved it so far that a drop of water caused him to fall to the floor. Unfortunately for both of them, the dough spilled. They'll have to clean up.

Attempt #3

The kitchen was cleaned after about an hour. The dough had been remade and the baked goods were already in the oven. Both children nearly fell asleep while they waited, and then they smelled a strange odor. It was coming from the oven; there was no flame in sight, but they had better act now.

"Oh my God!" Kim quickly grabbed a rag and opened the oven, taking out whatever was inside.

"Ouch!! Hot, hot, hot!" The assistant was saying this more to himself. Conrad quickly turned on the cold water tap, and the boy with long hair quickly placed the baking sheet in the sink. Steam began to rise as the hot pan came into contact with the water. They were both honestly surprised the rescuers hadn't woken up yet, or at least they were hoping so.

"We need to clean this up before the others wake-" Conrad was about to suggest a task, but he was interrupted.

"What are you both doing here?!" Poli's voice caught them both off guard. His voice was full of confusion and shock.

"Were you baking something???!" This time, Roy was the one asking the question. Considering the steam filling the entire kitchen, the firefighter's voice was serious, almost as if he were about to get angry. Both children, to their regret, sensed ALL five children and mentally began to prepare for their deaths. They cautiously turned toward the rescuers, preparing to explain what this meant, but when they turned to the rescuers, they saw looks full of questions, shock, and one of them even looked irritated. The children began to realize they were screwed.

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"It's 4:49 a.m., you two... And you think that's a good time to bake?!" Jin asked both boys loudly and with slight irritation while Roy and Amber cleared away the baking sheet. Meanwhile, Poli and Helly looked at the children, waiting for their response, as did the dispatcher. Neither assistant knew how to look their elders in the eye. Considering the situation, the children were already bracing themselves for a scolding, especially for nearly starting a fire.

"We... wanted to surprise you?" Kim began cautiously. After his words, Jin's eyes narrowed slightly and an eyebrow rose. Both children tensed, but this time Conrad decided to try to explain the situation, although he was clearly nervous:

"We admit, the cooking time isn't…. the best... but we simply couldn't have done it any other way. Otherwise, there would have been no surprise."

"Couldn't this surprise have been prepared in advance, I mean, a week or so before today?" Helly asked the children, genuinely perplexed.

"Um... We just saved up for a long time, and only two days ago were able to buy what we wanted and also make a few things," Kim replied, signaling to Conrad and looking at the refrigerator. The boy with glasses approached the appliance and pulled out seven pastry bags. This surprised the rescuers.

"What were you two trying to make?" Amber asked the boys, surprised.

"We... We wanted to make cookies for you..." Conrad finally said, slightly embarrassed. Honestly, the rescuers were a little surprised by this.

"You two wanted to bake cookies for us?" Roy asked, earning a nod.

"Oh, you two." Jin simply covered her face with her hand. Of course, she was somewhat pleased to know the kids wanted to surprise the rescuers, but still, the fact that it almost caused damage to the kitchen didn't please her. At least she knew more precisely why the kids were trying to cook.

"Our patrol starts in an hour anyway, so we can try making them again," Poli suggested to everyone, which Jin reluctantly accepted. The others agreed with the idea. They all began cooking. By 5:50 AM, everything was ready. It was now cooling in the refrigerator. They had 10 minutes left before patrol, so they decided to start early.

"We'll go on patrol then, Jin." Amber said, to which she agreed. The children wished the rescuers luck, as did the dispatcher. The boys also wished the boys luck. When the rescuers left and the children were left with Jin, she turned to them with a serious expression.

"And you two are in for a serious talk." she said, and the boys realized it was inevitable. In fact, they knew it was well-deserved.

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Another day later, Christmas finally arrived. The evening patrol had gone well, and now they could have fun and relax. The rescuers, including the children, dressed up in Christmas costumes and placed presents under the tree. Jin took out the cookies the children wanted to make. The dessert itself was shaped like the cookie cutters the children had brought with them, except the other square was slightly rotated to form a diamond. They were mostly the same color and each had a letter, so everyone could recognize each other.

"Let's try these," the girl suggested, to which everyone agreed. Luckily, the cookies were delicious. Everyone liked them.

"What's the icing on the cookies?" Roy asked the children. They began pointing to specific cookies and naming the flavors:

"Star cookies, blackberry flavor."

"This one, shaped like a flame, is watermelon flavored, but we're told there's cherry too."

This surprised everyone a bit. But on the other hand, it was an unusual combination of flavors. And the children continued to tell flavors:

"Plus-shaped cookies, strawberry flavored."

"This green frosting is apple flavored."

"And the last frosting is orange flavored."

"You hit the nail on the head with the last flavor, kids," Amber said, to which everyone agreed. So everyone continued to have fun, and fortunately, there were no serious incidents, so the party went well for everyone.

"Let's open our presents and see who got what!" Helly said happily. The children were also excited by these words, and the rescuers simply giggled a little and agreed.

"Then you three go first," Roy said, turning to Helly, Kim, and Conrad. The three children's eyes lit up. Helly picked up both boys and they ran to the tree, while the older ones watched the younger ones rejoice at the moment. The younger rescuer received several new tail rotors along with a board game, and he could already tell which gifts were from whom.

"Jin, I haven't broken the rotors many times."

"I know, I just figured if anything happened, we could swap them out right away," the girl replied with a light laugh. Well, Helly could understand that and thought it was a little cute.

"Got it, thank you so much for the gifts, guys," the helicopter said joyfully, hugging the others. They were overjoyed and hugged him back.

Suddenly, they all felt a hug. These were children. They were holding small mugs with a single stuffed animal in each hand. Genuine joy was evident on their faces. They were probably overwhelmed with emotion, so they decided to just hug the kids.

"We're glad you liked the gifts." Amber said with a smile, and everyone was happy too. Now it was the older guys' turn to open their gifts.

Jin received new instruments and a mug with the inscription "Best Sister in the World ;)”

For Poli, there were a few photo frames and a couple of new books. And they were the ones he'd always wanted to read.

For Roy, there were small warm blankets, as he's much more likely to freeze in winter.

For Amber, there were a couple of plant pots, some seeds, and some good bandages for work.

Then, a large box caught the older boys' attention. Poli and Roy picked it up and placed it in the middle of the room.

"Wow, that's a big one." Jin said, to which all the rescuers agreed.

"Oh, this... This is from us, for all of you," Conrad said, to which Kim agreed. This surprised the rescuers a little, and they opened the box. Inside was one large blanket, large enough to cover all of the rescuers, including Jin.

"That's why we said we saved for so long." Kim said, rubbing his head with his right hand. The rescuers turned to the children and saw smiles on their faces.

"Maybe you'll have movie night this winter, and this blanket will cover you all." This time, both of them said it in unison. The rescuers were touched by this gift, as they were by all the others they'd received. First, Helly hugged the children, then the others joined in. The children hugged their elders as best they could.

"Merry Christmas to you," the children congratulated everyone in the room.

https://www.tumblr.com/annintheclouds/765601587242647552/the-tale-of-the-insatiable-boy?source=share

A little bonus:

The crew came at the wrong time.

(Initially it was supposed to be just a drawing, but in the end it turned out to be a mini comic😅) Oh, by the way, this is what inspired me to do this:

Just a small animatic. (Conrad is 3-5 here, I'm not sure😅)

Our babies are just sleeping <3.

Small bonus (sorry for the poor quality of the Korean text).

Without English translation:

-"Why are you crying?"

-".......I'm not crying...."

-"Not on the outside, but inside your soul is breaking. I'd say it's crying because of guilt."

-"....."

-"You've been feeling this way for a week now..."

-"........it's my fault......"

-"...Do you really think so or do you think HE blames you for this?"

-"!....."

-"Little one, he doesn't blame you. He understands that you tried-"

-"I DIDN'T TRY ENOUGH!!!"

-"....."

"Nervous breakdown"

.

.

.

-"........"