It was an especially dark, windy and rainy morning. The sky was covered by dark clouds, rumbling loudly, lightning crackling from time to time.
It was pouring very heavily as if the heavens were crying for its people's loss.
A few people surrounded the grave as they went through the last part of the ceremony. In the end, everyone left, leaving only a little boy drenched, in and out, completely by the rain.
The lone figure of the grieving child looked so lonely in the rain. His face was wet and cold. From time to time a hot drop of tear or two fell down his cheeks. Grief and sorrow flashed in his beautiful deep blue eyes.
Suddenly realising that he was completely alone, he silently searched for the people who brought him here but silently returned, sitting beside his mother's gravestone, when he found no one.
Eventually, the rain slowed down to a little pitter-patter. It was already dusk when the clouds cleared, painting the sky a brilliant red and orange, especially beautiful. Casting a lovely glow on the daffodils that grew beside the other old gravestones.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over the small child and high-quality black leather shoes came into his view. It was the same kind that he would choose to polish in the mornings since people wearing this kind would usually give more pennies than others.
Looking up, he saw a handsome man in an expensive-looking black suit looking down at him with an expressionless look on his face.
It was then, Noah remembered that one of the people who brought him there had told him that his father would come to pick him up, but he was too depressed at the time to remember.
Despite still grieving, he couldn't help the happy feeling that suddenly bloomed in his heart.
That man was his father!
Exhaling an excited sigh, he tried to speak but was cut off by his father.
"Fa—"
"Come on, let's go."
'No worries. Father must be unaccustomed to talking with a child. He must also be very sad and tired. I must be considerate and not trouble him.'
When they reached the parking lot, the man took out his keys and opened the door of a big black car. This would be the first time for Noah to sit in such a big luxurious car. Actually, it was his first time sitting in any car altogether.
Pushing down his feelings of awe and staring at the man's face in worship. He laboriously opened the door on the other side and was about to enter when he realised that he was still soaked from the rain. Not wanting to wet his father's car and possibly make him angry, he awkwardly stood there.
"What are you waiting for?"
His glass-like eyes that were looking at him were terrifying and emotionless. Their golden shine looked like the light of the stars in the night sky. They were a different kind of beauty than his mother.
"I'm talking to you."
Noah looked at him, hoping he would release his troubles without him having to say them out loud.
When Noah didn't give him a response, his eyebrows furrowed. Noah almost stopped breathing in fear of doing something wrong.
'This won't do.'
He wanted to calm down but he didn't think he could!
"I-I'm getting in now!"
'This was the first meeting between me and my father. I mustn't give him a bad impression.'
——————————
In his short life, every night, without fail, Noah would hold his hands and pray to the brightest star.
"Please always keep my mother safe. Oh, and please let my father come back to us."
Slum children couldn't do much, since people from the lower tier would not usually hire labour from the slum, even if they were only children.
But, Noah was a diligent worker. He had a reputation for being meticulous and not damaging or stealing his employer's things.
His arms would shake and sweat would run down his forehead, but Noah would scrub the floor vigorously with both hands, relentlessly. He liked to do something as simple as that since he could drift off to his dreams and thoughts.
On the days dedicated to cleaning the kitchen of the restaurant, he would dream.
Imagining his father's return.
In his reverie, his father was a faceless man with a handsome label on his face. He would return and have a tearful and happy reunion with them. He would tenderly explain to them that he didn't want to leave them but it had taken him a long time to wrap up his business.
He imagined his father returning in a long, long, long car and taking them to a big, huge, humongous mansion, where they would spend the rest of their life with nothing to worry about.
These dreams would linger in Noah's thoughts.
When he thought about them, he didn't find the work so difficult and finished it quickly.
And now his faceless father had a face!
Although the star was inefficient and took his mother from him, it seems like the star still had some conscious and had granted one of his wishes since now he has reunited with his father.
Although he doesn't have his mother anymore, now he has his father and together they will support each other and live a good life.
He and his father.
Just the two of them.
Noah clenched his little fists in determination, but his moment was disturbed by his father.
"Oi, get off."
"Y-Yess, fa—"
Noah was again cut off by the car door getting shut loudly. Flinching a little, he hurried to follow his father and got off.
What he saw was a cosy and luxurious looking 2 story house. It was a 100 times, no, a 1000 times better than his previous home. Trotting behind his father, he saw him ring the bell and a woman opening the door.
This woman was gorgeous, almost as gorgeous as his mother and maybe a little, just a tiny bit more. Her eyes were full of joy and vigour. When she looked at Noah, her eyes changed a little.
Something, smugness and…..contempt flashed in her eyes but it was so well hidden that Noah didn't have the slightest clue.
"Is this Noah? Hello, come on, come in, come in don't just stand there. Come in son."
This was the first time in Noah's life that someone has spoken to him in such a gentle and loving way. This was the way he wanted his mother to treat him. His eyes watered.
Not wanting to make a fool of himself, he bowed his head and blushed from head to toe.
The 2 adults and 1 child entered the house with the door closing behind them.
This was a very warm scene.
As surreal as a fairytale.
But what Noah did not realise was that…
In real life, there are no fairy tales, no happily ever after...