"We're here!" Winston turned and faced Caleb as he pointed his finger behind him.
They traveled for around thirty minutes and finally arrived at their destination.
What's behind Winston, was a shabby run-down house. Scraps of wood almost occupied the wall and roof. It was good enough that it still standing strong even with these materials. "This is where I live. I'm sorry if it looks miserable. Hopefully, it can last long."
Winston explained with a dejected face. Originally, his house was totally broken before he moves in. With no other choice, Winston collected woods in different places and painstakingly built it alone.
Caleb waved out his hand, undisturbed by it. He walked in front of Winston and patted his shoulder, "It's a wonderful house. I can't believe that you build this with your own hands."
Winston was shocked to hear the man's words. He thought he would get disappointed. "Thank you, Mister. Please come in." Winston opened the half-destroyed plank door with joy in his heart.
Winston went on the corner of the house and looked at the pile of trash on the ground. He found a wooden board and place it on the ground.
"Thank you." Caleb smiled and carefully put down Kyou on the wooden board prepared by Winston.
"Excuse me, Mister. I'll go outside for a moment. And also, please don't go outside." Winston said with a serious face.
"Alright." Caleb nodded. He suddenly put his hand on Winston's head and smiled, "Also, don't call me mister. My name is Caleb, and she's Kyou. You can call me Brother Caleb if you want."
Winston was surprised. He nodded and said full of smile, "Thank you, Brother Caleb! I'm going now."
Winston then grabs a medium-size wooden pale and rushed outside his house.
'What a kind-hearted kid.' Caleb stated while looking at Winston's back.
He approached the unconscious Kyou and said, "So what am I gonna do now?"
Suddenly, a terrible pain pierced Caleb's chest. 'What the hell is happening?'
Caleb clutch his chest and sweating strenuously.
[Ding!]
Caleb's eyes contracted as he heard a very familiar sound! It was the notification alert of Tarros!
Then with a little energy left, he fainted and collapsed on the ground without knowing the notification all about.
*****
Winston came back into the house after an hour. He was tightly holding the wooden pale filled with hot water.
What appeared before him was Caleb lying on the ground. He silently went in his side and stared at him, 'He's sleeping. I need to do this quietly.'
Winston carefully puts the wooden pale beside Kyou. He lit the candle that slightly brightened the whole house and place it beside him. He grabs a brown towel and soaked it with hot water. He calmed himself down and gently rubbed the brown towel to Kyou's body.
A few minutes later, Winston dropped on the ground while wiping off his sweaty forehead.
Then, Winston lately noticed that Caleb was looking at him. Winston startled and nervously said, "I'm sorry, I woke you up." He looked at Kyou and said, "I can't help it. I notice she's having a high fever so I immediately do what I usually do."
Caleb smiled and said, "No need to say sorry, thank you for taking good care of her. I appreciate it."
"Thank you!" Winston touch his chest and breathed in relief. He thought Caleb will punch his face for touching his daughter. 'Luckily he was a kind man.'
Caleb was already awake a few minutes ago. He decided to stay quiet and patiently wait for him. 'Winston's focus was extraordinary.'
The terrible pain a while ago vanished like nothing happened. This makes Caleb confused. What Caleb noticed was the faint and gentle energy floating inside his bodies. 'It feels like I'm full of energy.'
While waiting for Winston, Caleb recalled the notification alert. With a smile on his face, he immediately tried opening the notification menu like he usually does. But nothing happened. This makes his mood fell. 'Am I hallucinating?'
Caleb decided to put these unexplainable occurrences at the back of his mind. Thinking about it makes his mind explode.
Caleb stood up and sat beside Winston. He looked at him and asked, "By the way, where are your parents?"
Winston was taken aback by Caleb's question, 'Why asking all of a sudden?'
Winston lowered his head and decided to tell a long story, "If you're looking for my parents, they already leave me."
Hearing this, Caleb felt sorry. Memories of long ago flashed to his minds. It was his parents. He suppressed his emotions and silently looked at Winston's eyes.
Winston continued, "It happened three years ago. I was raised by a good mother and a hard-working father. One day, we are buying some foods in the market, an old man caught stealing one of the vendors' goods. In fear of his life, the old man saw us while being pursued by many people. He ran towards us and grabs my mother's neck. He then pulled out a knife from his pocket and pointed it at my mother's chest. I was scared by then and only hid behind the box of fruits crying. Then I heard a commotion, the people where shouting and shocked filled their faces. Then I saw my mother lying on the ground motionless, with her throat slit."
Recalling all of this, Winston cried helplessly. He wiped off his tears and continued, "What happened next was another tragedy in my life. My father was devastated when he found out about my mother's sudden death. He went to another woman and neglected me. They treated me as a slave. They beat me and finally, they threw me out of this place."
Winston stood up and looked outside the plank door, "When I opened my eyes back then, I knew it was over. But I remembered my mother's teaching to me and those teachings give me strength. What happened next was a miracle. Three years had passed and feels like it was only yesterday."
Then Winston turned his head and look at Caleb, "I learned a lot by living in this place. Then I found myself in trouble. While trying to figure out to solve my problem... I met you."
Caleb looked at him not knowing how to respond. He was saddened by hearing Winston's story. Caleb was shocked to found out a kid like this experience that kind of thing.
Caleb stood up and stood beside Winston. He looked at him and smiled, "I'm sorry for bringing up those painful memories of yours. Cheer up. I'm here!"
Winston smiled back and said, "It's okay. It's part of life. Life goes on. I just want to say thank you."
Winston felt that the darkness shrouding his heart for a couple of years washed away. For him, meeting Caleb was like heaven-sent.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
Suddenly, Winston and Caleb heard a sound coming from afar. Caleb looked outside and curiously asked, "What was that? It sounds like a bell."
Not hearing a response, Caleb turned and looked at Winston and saw his shocked face.
He approached him and said, "What's wrong?"
Winston looked at Caleb and said with horror in his face, "It's a DISTRICT CALL!"