Cash's Gift Showcase

[Cash]

From now on, my writing/drawing gifts shall be posted here (DA, too). First one is CE's present. CE, if you want me to change it (cause you have a story for Tekallon) then I will

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A young boy tucked his bruised and scraped legs under himself, tucking his knees up to his pointed chin. Forlorn blue eyes stared through startlingly silver bangs at the people passing by in the snow-powdered city street, blinking slowly as the cold seeped into his thin, scarcely covered body.

It was the beginning of winter - he had lost track of how old he thought he was - was it five winters he could remember? Six? Probably around eight, actually . . .

The wind blew fiercely, tugging at his unkempt hair, biting into his skin through the sparse brown shirt and ripped pants he wore; pulling the edges of his shredded blanket closer, he closed his eyes, leaning against the large waste bin beside him in an attempt to get farther out of the wind’s clawing grasp. Huddled there, he was ignored by the people walking by quickly, hurrying to their homes and families . . . forgotten by the world. But not unnoticed by one child.

A child of nearly the same age bundled up in warm clothes smiled widely, her right gloved hand firmly held by her father’s. Her short reddish-brown hair stuck out from the pink and purple hat perched on her head, the faint outline of pointed ears visible through the wool fabric. Her cheeks were a rosy red from the cold, frosty smoke coming from her nose with every exhale. Suddenly, without warning, her head turned towards the alley to her left, away from the frozen lake she had been gazing at moments before. Through the gaps in the steadily thinning crowd she spotted a snow-laden waste container. Stopping abruptly, she let go of her father’s warm, calloused hand and tilted her head to one side.

The rush of sad emotions coming at her made her heart ache; they drowned out the happiness emanating from those around her. It was painful . . . so much so that it brought crystal tears to her eyes which froze quickly on her rosy cheeks.

Her father, who had walked a few steps and suddenly realized she had disappeared, looked around just in time to see her enter the crowd of people. Running over to where she had gone, his heart pounding, he started to go through the cluster of warm bodies.

The little girl, who was much smaller than her father, was able to penetrate the group much more easily. After less than a minute of walking, she emerged on the other side, the sudden gust of cold causing her to squeak. Running now as best she could, she entered the lee of the alley and walked slowly towards the source of these lonesome feelings.

Abandonment, loneliness, hunger, anger . . .

The scuffling of boots caused the boy to lift up his head groggily, eyes opening to slIts. Once he saw the face right in front of his own, he gasped, pulling the ratted material he was clinging onto closer to his thin body and sidling up even closer to the corner. Bright eyes, one green and the other brown but both very warm, opened wider with surprise.

Fear, sadness, disappointment, hate, shattered hope . . .

“My name’s Taelinia. What’s yours?” she asked, stepping back a bit until the boy relaxed. Standing up straight, she clasped her hands behind her back and rocked on her booted feet, observing the silent boy in front of her.

The silver-haired boy averted his gaze, his swollen chaffed lips barely moving as he muttered something barely audible to her. His name; “Tekallon.”

Surprise, guarded curiousity, pondering . . .

Taelinia sat down on the cold wind-swept cobblestone ground, bringing her knees up to her chin. She smiled sincerely, then sidled a bit closer until she could tell he was getting uncomfortable. “That’s a nice name. Where are you from?”

“I dunno . . . around?” he rasped.

Taelinia’s eyebrows went up at the painful sound of his voice; it was unused, low, and uncertain.

“Taelinia! Taelinia! Where are you?”

Taelinia looked up from the gaze she had on the boy in front of her, an even broader grin replacing the faintly dimmed one she had donned at the sound of Tekallon’s voice. “Daddy!”

Her father walked over to her, his heavily booted feet making large indents in the snow. Once he reached her, he scooped her up in his arms and hugged her fiercely, putting the glove she had left in his grasp back on her now cold hand. “Taelinia, you should know better than to run off. Something could have happened,” he scolded her. She bit her lip, then nodded apologetically.

Confusion, despair, solitude, anger . . .

This cascade of emotions caused Taelinia to squirm in her father’s embrace; he let her down quickly lest she fall down onto the hard alley floor. Following the direction his daughter walked towards with his eyes, he finally saw the person who she had left him in search of.

“Taelinia! Come! We must get home to Mom and the baby,” he said, his voice harsher and more hurried than he had intended.

Looking up in surprise, Taelinia sensed the urgency, fear, and anger surging towards Tekallon from her father. Quickly, she smiled once more at the boy. “I have to go now. My Daddy’s right; my Mommy and baby brother are waiting at home for us.” Taking off her woolen scarf, she draped it around his thin shoulders and skipped towards her father before he could refuse the gift. Pausing just in his sight, Taelinia grinned so broadly that her remarkable eyes closed for a brief moment. “Bye! I hope you have a good festive season!”

And with those last words, she left, leaving the silver-haired boy behind, the scarf now wrapped around his neck still radiating her warmth.

[Crayon Eater]

O: CASH. I love it. :3 I love how the story takes place during winter, and when they're both children. So cute. <3 A simple story, but with meaning. It's great. And very well-written, as always. Thanks Cash!

[Cash]

Thanks, CE! It really jerked at my heartstrings while I was writing it; it's so painful to think of someone that young being alone in the world. It's even sadder when you realize that it happens in real life, too.

Now I'm off to make more presents!