The sky was overcast, the clouds completely black, loaded with gallons of water and threatening to release everything at any moment. This is a clear indicator of heavy rain to come.
Normally, several people wander the streets of this vast place, going to their jobs, meetings or just exploring the many wonders here. But today the streets of Cindre City are deserted, and not a single person can be seen. Probably they are afraid of the impending storm.
Amidst such a desert landscape, a figure dressed in a blue coat walks with relaxed steps. He does not seem to fear getting wet or catching a cold due to the cold wind currents brushing directly against his face. Looking up, he cannot help but gaze at the many birds flying towards the south.
— Winter is coming, huh?
As he resumed the rhythm of his steps, he walked for a few more meters until he felt the drops of water falling on his face. Seconds later, his glasses were already covered in droplets and slightly fogged up.
Stopping once more, he took off his glasses and immediately put them away. It would not be safe to walk around without being able to see almost anything. It was at this moment that, as he looked into an alleyway right next to him, he noticed another figure lying on the frozen ground.
He decided to get closer to better evaluate who or what would be tossed around like that. Upon seeing it up close, he was in complete shock. She appeared to be a child, covered with tattered clothes, wounds, and dirt on various corners of her skin. It was obvious that she had not been there recently.
— Are you okay? — He asked, as he crouched down.
The child didn't answer, perhaps because he didn't have the strength to speak. Her extremely thin and scrawny body was trembling nonstop, most likely because of the cold. Her eyes did not show even a glint, it was evident how much she had suffered, just by looking at her deplorable state.
They both stared at each other for a moment. One was too shocked by the situation and the other had no strength to speak. It seemed that at that moment a connection had formed between the two figures. After some quick thinking, the figure finally made his decision.
Then, without hesitation, he took off his blue coat and covered the child. Seeing that she showed no sign of resistance, he held her in his arms and left the alley, running as fast as he could toward his original destination.
There wasn't much difference in speed from before, but the effort invested in this simple run was already significant. His breathing was getting heavier and heavier, his heart was beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of his mouth at any moment.
'Lucky I'm not that far from home!' - He thought, as he hurried on.
The sense of urgency increased with each second. His worsening breathing indicated his obvious lack of form, and adding this to the heavy rain falling on his head made the whole situation even more torturous. After a few minutes and short quick pauses, the two arrived at a house with gray walls and a beautiful lawn in the backyard. The door was opened in the greatest possible haste, startling even those inside.
— Son? What happened?!
From the corner of the entrance hall came a tall, bald man. Surprise was on his face. He clearly did not expect his son to arrive so urgently.
— I found that child in an alley in the middle of the rain. — He replied, as he hurriedly moved into the living room.
— And you just try to break down the door because of that?!
— Tch! Stop grumbling and get a towel right away!"
He quickly laid her down on the couch and removed his wet jacket from her. It was at that moment that the strength in his legs ran out and the sedentary boy lay on the floor. His breathing continued to become even more irregular, almost as if there wasn't enough air to be drawn in.
Huff huff huff
The man quickly returned with a black towel in hand. Realizing that the overweight boy would not be able to do anything else for a while, he immediately began to dry the child.
'Her condition is not good at all...'
— Hey, go draw a hot bath, quick! — Giving an order to the boy still suffering on the floor.
With his legs trembling and aching, he hurriedly made his way to the only bathtub in the house and turned on the hot water to fill it. It took only minutes to be ready for the bath. Without delay, the child was placed inside. Great haste was necessary to avoid a dangerous cold.
— While I give her a bath, prepare something to eat and some fever medicine.
— Right!
Not in as much of a hurry as before, the boy headed for the kitchen. He promptly reached for the medicine box and took out a pill capsule, placed it on the table next to a glass of water. He was afraid that she might not even be able to swallow it.
— That child barely had the strength to speak, who would have thought to eat anything.... I guess all that's left is for me to mash up some fruit and turn it into a vitamin.
The boy promptly gathered several fruits stored in the refrigerator, washed them, cut them up, and put them together in the blender along with a large portion of milk. In a short time, the vitamin was ready. The shower was also over, so the man left her on the couch again. This time her tattered dress was replaced by a clean blouse, but it looked more like a dress as it had grown. The child's appearance was much better now, even if her eyes still remained dull or the wounds could still be seen.
— I prepared this vitamin with some fruits, can you drink it? — Boy.
Nod your head slightly
The boy then put the glass in the child's mouth and held the base of the glass while she drank very slowly.
— She really wouldn't even have the strength to chew properly... — Man.
— Tomorrow we will take her to a hospital and try to find out who her parents are. —
The boy just nodded as he continued to hold the glass. The child also listened, but was only focused on his first decent "meal" after many days of eating nothing but what he found in dumpsters.
For her, the feeling she now felt was nothing but happiness. Even though she didn't have the strength to express herself, her joy was immeasurable.
Every day, be it a holiday, a weekend, or a normal day of the week, everyone ignored his presence on the streets. Cindre is considered to be a very lively town in ordinary times, but only those who live there know that its people can be as cold as they are ordinary.
With such a child thrown in the middle of the street, it would be no different. Nobody bothered to know if she had parents or even ate anything. They just saw her as someone whose parents use her for begging in the middle of the streets or a sneaky little child who would steal their wallets in a single moment of hesitation. In any case, no one thought of being in her place or how to help her in any way. After all, what would they do with her? Would they take her to the hospital and try to find her parents? What if they couldn't find them or weren't even alive? What if they couldn't take care of her? Would they pay her hospital bills and then take her back to the streets again? The rich people who run this city are not human enough to even bother to finance the "clandestine" orphanages that are supported by donations and can barely support more than 10 children, let alone care about the fate of a child thrown on the streets?
When that boy in the blue coat covered her, held her in his arms and lifted her off the cold ground, she filled her mind with thanks. She could think of nothing else but the fact that she would finally come out of the constant wave of suffering that she had not gone through since the incident...
'Thank you, thank you, thank you...'
After a few long minutes, she took her last sip of the vitamin. She was offered another full glass, which was readily accepted. A total of three glasses of vitamin were slowly consumed. The child felt, for the first time in ages, that her belly was full.
The next instant, the boy picked up the capsule that was on the table and pulled out a green colored medicine with a disk shape. He dropped the medicine into the glass of water, which soon after began to dissolve. Soon the medicine was gone, and only a green liquid remained in the glass.
— This is medicine to prevent you from getting a fever, can you take it? — The boy asked.
She nodded slightly.
The same process was repeated and slowly the medicine was consumed. This time it seemed faster, since it was a less pasty drink compared to the vitamin.
As soon as she took the last sip, fatigue took possession of her body. This was only natural; after all, there was no telling how long it had been since she had had a decent night's sleep. The comfort of a warm and cozy home, the pleasant sound of the heavy rain outside, the assurance that she wouldn't be bitten by an animal in the middle of the night, and the clean clothes she was wearing. All these factors contributed to her falling asleep in a matter of minutes.
— I can see I'm going to sleep on the couch tonight... — Said the man, already anticipating that he would have to give up his bed to the child.
— No need, Dad. I brought her, so I'll sleep on the couch while she sleeps in my room.
— Yes, that's right! Take responsibility for who you bring into the house! — Said the man, holding up his thumb and pointing at the boy.
— I know... You just don't want to sleep on that little couch. — The boy quickly took the child to his room, placed him on his bed and covered him with a blanket. He returned to the living room and sat down next to the bald man.
— Well, Gendred? — The man asked.
— Then what?
— Where did you find her? And, more importantly, how did you manage to run while carrying someone, even though you have that huge belly? — asked the father
— Hahaha! It wasn't as hard as having to look at that reflector of light you call a head, Dad — Gendred replied.
— Hahaha! Know that bald men are the trend these days!
— Like hell they are, you're just making excuses while you wait for them to come up with a way to grow hair again," Gendred retorted. The father and son duo continued to exchange barbs for some time. This type of conversation was frequent inside the house, considering that only the two of them lived there.
— Back on topic, where did you find her? — the father asked.
— In one of the alleys on Honest Avenue, she was lying on the ground and shivering with cold — Gendred replied.
— I see... sigh Sometimes, I think this town is filled with demons instead of people. It's even strange how the people in this place can ignore a child to the point where he is in such a state...
— That's right... — agreed Gendred.
Various memories of not-so-distant events crowded the boy's mind. He even felt chills just remembering the bruises on the different corners of his body.
— Your classes return tomorrow, right? You'll have to go alone, since I'm taking that child to the hospital first thing in the morning. I hope this storm passes by then... — the man commented, as he looked out the window and watched the heavy rain outside.
— Yes... — Gendred replied, with an extremely serious expression on his face.
— I'm also going to try to pull up her file to look for her motherfucking parents. My urge is to punch anyone who lets a child go through any of this.
— Don't worry, father. I'll do it myself in case you don't — said Gendred.
— That's the way to talk! I'll get your blanket and a pillow. Tomorrow will be a busy day! — spoke the father.
Before long, the man returned with the items in hand. Both went to bed much earlier than usual, one was exhausted from running a lot, while the other worked all day. Because of this, they were so tired that they didn't even realize it.
The next day...
The bald man was standing in front of what appeared to be a reception desk. A woman in formal clothes, apparently a hospital receptionist, was standing behind the counter as they both chatted.
— What do you mean you have no records about?!