A loud creaking noise woke up Nicolas from his slumber. It was already bright and the sun's rays are slowly making their way to his retreat. It took him a minute before convincing himself to get up and check what in the world was the obnoxious creaking is all about.
"Is this large clock broken again. Seriously, just every week?", he complained, vigorously rubbing his eyes as he let out a yawn. He had all the complaints he could think of waiting to be said when he's suddenly struck with a thought. "It's Saturday", eyes wide as he whispered to himself, looking down at the maintenance man who's already half-way up the old creaky spiral staircase.
He can already hear the whistles made by the man to a tune of something he could not recognize, interrupted by the occasional coughing. It made his heart rise more than the chase yesterday. With not enough time to collect himself, he quickly wore his cloak to make some space and stuffed all of his belongings in a bag, not even bothering to arrange them. This was the first time that he's this close to being caught, all because he overslept.
A loud thud made him know that the man is already at the top, the same time when he jumped off the open space from the other side.
"I can't let them find out that I'm sleeping there for free", he brushed off the sweat on his forehead. The thought of being caught while he's still floating in a dream woke him up down to the bones. "If they decide to put guards up there I don't know where else could I sleep safely next time", he was prepared to stroll away when he remembered one crucial mistake he made. "My goodness, Nicolas", he scratch his head, pulling his hair like a deranged man, "I forgot the fish."
Sprinting as fast as he could, he made his way back to the tower. Trying to be quiet and sneaky as possible, he ascended the stairs. Minding his every step, he put all his effort into avoiding the creaky parts of the staircase until he finally reached the top. To his relief, the man was on the other side of the cogs and did not seem to notice the fishes beside the entrance.
"There you are", said the man, startling him as he tried to reach for the dried fishes. He's sitting with his back towards Nicolas but still, he knew someone was there.
All of his hair stood up in shock as he thought he'd die from a heart attack. "How did he know", Nicolas could only wonder as he finally grabbed what he came for and ran like his life depends on it. It was a sure escape but another call for a conversation stopped him.
"Could you spare me a moment before you go?", the man asked. He's still busily reconfiguring the parts of the clock as Nicolas only replied silence. "I know someone's been staying here", the man gently advised as if he was talking to a very familiar person.
The boy could only pity himself as he slowly turned around, "I'm sorry. I'll leave as soon as possible", he assured him, not taking a step from where he stood.
"There's no need my boy", the statement alone melted Nicolas's heart. It's been so long since someone addressed him that way, back when he's still close to her mother's caring and warm embrace. "Don't worry I won't tell anyone"
"Why?"
"Hmmm? Do I need a reason to let you have a place to sleep?", the man heaved, dislodging another part of the clockwork for a new one.
"What if I'm a bad person? A person who can kill anyone in cold blood, or someone who won't hesitate to shoplift for no good reason, would you still—", he held back, leaving the atmosphere blank only to let the clank and cranks from the maintenance fill the air.
"Can you say to yourself that you are indeed a bad person?", the man once again asked.
"I…", he tried pushing his point but his voice failed him, leaving him with a sour face.
"See, you can't answer the question", the man coughed as he go. "I trust you, my boy. After all, you're just a human just like me. We all need to do some things in order to survive, that's all there is to it."
Nicolas sulked in the corner losing the will to counter the man's assuring statements.
"You can stay here for as long as you like—", there was another long pause before he let out an intensified cough, "Or for as long as I live", the man laughed breaking the awkward silence. It was supposed to, but even his laughter sounded more like a rough cough. Nicolas watched him as he took out a handkerchief then wiped the blood from his mouth.
The gears took over the atmosphere.
"How long have you known", Nicolas asked when the coughing finally registered to him. He was thankful that the man is facing away, for he knew that he might be talking to man who's almost at the end of his race.
"About a month or two at least", he coughed again, sounding as if his lungs are about to fall off. "This place does not clean itself you see. I immediately knew someone's staying here because it's always clean when I do my repairs"
"I got caught because of my desire to have a clean place to sleep", Nicolas laughed. "And after all that time you kept quiet about it… thank you. You can have two of these fishes, consider it as my gratitude"
"What's your name young man?"
He wanted to turn down the question but hushed himself instead. After reconsidering, he told him the name he also gave to that girl named Alice, "Nick, just Nick"
"That's a nice name", he prepared to stand up. "Well then Nick, see you again next Saturday", he added as he stood up but immediately wobbled down like a drunk man to his side. Nicolas ran up and caught him as he's about to hit the floor, "If I'm at least alive till then of course"
It was a rather sad encounter, not the kind of interaction Nicolas would want to start his day but ironically, just a few moments later, he found himself assisting the man home, deciding to call him 'uncle' and aided him all the way through. His desire to help is pure but he never bothered to ask his name, and surprisingly the man did not find the need to tell him too. Which to where he was grateful. The feeling of losing someone dear is still clear in his heart and memory, so he'd rather not have unnecessary interactions with a dying man.
The walk was a bit lengthy and the busy streets even made traversing the way harder, moreover, it was on the complete opposite side of the town, so he wondered what drives the man to keep on going despite his disease. It did not take him long to find the answer.