Chapter 53: Chapter 52
"What?! What are you saying?!"
Large and seemingly sturdy gates blocked his entry. The cold eyes staring at him and the man carrying him now seemed undeniably filled with disgust.
"What do you mean you can't take him in?! He's just a child! Do you even realize how absurd that sounds?!"
The clicking of his tongue and his dark back retreating, nothing, not even the gazes of the children scattered in the courtyard beyond the gates, escaped his notice. For some reason, unlike the one looking at him with bright and happy eyes, those people remained etched in his memory.
"I'm sorry, but there's no more room for another child. Please, try elsewhere."
Those tear-filled eyes dripping onto his face instinctively reminded him of raindrops, causing Ethan to cry.
"Sorry, little one, but it seems I can't help you..."
The drops stopped, and looking up, Ethan saw, though he couldn't yet distinguish it, for the first time the expression of someone who considered himself miserable.
He raised his small arms and, smiling innocently, tugged at the man's beard. More force than expected was applied, pulling out some hairs from his face.
"Ouch! Careful, little one, that..."
His pure and beautiful eyes, unique in their purple hue, didn't allow him to muster the courage to let him go.
But the hairs in his hand made him widen his eyes. A funny scene to remember, at least when she is alone. Even back then, even Ethan seemed to enjoy doing it, as he tried to repeat it a few more times, but was stopped immediately.
"What are you doing? How many times do I need to tell you? That's not how you use it!"
It wasn't easy, certainly. The dreams make that even more obvious. Raising a child when you can't even ensure your own survival is far from a mere act of kindness.
Teaching him to brush his teeth when you don't even have a proper brush for yourself. Getting new clothes, especially during growth spurts, when your own are so worn they could tear just by raising your arms.
Who would be crazy enough to subject themselves to such a life?
"There, now you turn around and... done. That's how you use it, got it?"
Doing inhumane work just to give him a birthday present, a simple pair of shoes, even while your own feet are full of wounds from the places you walk.
Even having lived in a clearly miserable place, Ethan couldn't say he went hungry. Not because he never managed to feel it, but because they never allowed him to.
Illnesses and sadness are inherent to any person, so why, when he was in front of him, did he never, not even once, complain about his problems or express his sadness? That smile always fixed on a face that withered more each day, how did he manage to keep something so difficult?
"How could I be so careless?! You're already six years old, of course you need to learn to write!"
The fact that they lived under a bridge, a cold and dark place, couldn't be more irrelevant.
Each letter learned was a smile. Each word a congratulations. Warm and gentle pats on the back came with learning an entire sentence.
If anyone asked, his early years of life would certainly be described as the best. But, obviously, they weren't the only ones...
"It's okay, boy... Look at you, what are these things? Tears? What did I say before?"
Over time, something obvious happened. His weak body, which didn't even receive adequate nutrition, after all, a growing child needs to eat much more, continued to wither.
Working became complicated, as moving heavy things was impossible, let alone doing other types of work.
"These aren't tears... I'm not crying..." raising his arms and sniffing his nose, Ethan kept trying to wipe away what was streaming from his eyes.
"Yes, yes, I know..."
For Ethan, it was fine, after all, he never felt hungry. But what about the old man? A naturally weak body would need even more care and better nutrition. Yet, even with someone with a naturally strong body by his side, why did he never think to ask for his help? Use him? Was it because he was just a child?
Well, this fact certainly made things much harder for Ethan. Because, despite having a strong body, never getting sick, and not needing to eat if he didn't want to, he was still a child. What use would an eight-year-old street child have for the people above the bridge? How would he make money?
In the end, he couldn't.
Getting a job was impossible. Nobody wanted to take him in. And begging for money didn't guarantee enough to even buy some bread, at most three per day.
"I don't need this, boy. It's okay, you can eat."
His pale face and sunken eyes, Ethan didn't know what they meant, after all, no doctor wanted to see them, but he obviously understood they weren't good signs.
"I already ate mine, so..."
One bread in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one at night... For such a weak body, it was the same as nothing and Ethan knew it. Even with him giving his all, the bread wasn't enough, it wasn't sufficient. And it didn't take long for this to become evident.
"Boy, come here. I want to talk to..."
How long had it been since the first time he collapsed due to his physical weakness? Three weeks? Five..? In such a short time..., how could blood now be coming from his mouth?
"Old man!"
"It's okay, I'm fine... I'm..."
From a small amount on his hand to a huge stain on the ground... how could red dominate everything so quickly?
The next day, he no longer spoke. His breathing, erratic and heavy, carried the same warmth that enveloped his body. In the end, a week later, all the bread Ethan bought was hard... thrown in some corner under the bridge.
"Old man, you... you said you were fine... you said..."
The warmth had disappeared. Now, cold and rigid, his body didn't move at all. His breath no longer marked the air above his mouth.
In a city where, moments before, the sky was so clear and bright, now, dark and heavy clouds emerged. In an instant, before everyone's eyes, an abnormal event occurred. Not just a rain capable of flooding rivers. On that day, earthquakes arose and, splitting the ground everywhere, lightning struck.
"You're seeing this, right, old man...? It's raining, so..."
The water rose, reaching the place where they were, and slowly, lifting the cold and motionless body.
"I can... I can cry now, right...?"
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