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On the desk of a large company sat a young man with striking features and blue eyes, staring intently at a picture of two children. One was large, slightly dark-skinned with beautiful brown eyes, and the other was very fair with blue eyes. The two children were laughing joyfully in the picture.
The young man then stood up from his desk, tore the picture, and threw it into the trash.
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Aurelius woke up happy because he had received a promise from his parents for a tour around the entire village. He quickly got out of bed and found breakfast on the table. "Hurry, Dad, hurry!" he exclaimed. His mother replied, "Eat first, my dear." Aurelius answered politely, "Yes, of course."
The family had breakfast and then left in their beautiful car for a drive around the village. The villagers had different opinions about them. Some were jealous, some envious, others wondered how strangers could live among them, while some welcomed them, others were surprised, and some thought they were arrogant. That day, no one in the village talked about anything but them—the wealthy family, the famous archaeologist, the elegant woman with her expensive clothes, and the intelligent and polite child.
Among this, the family explored the village, but Aurelius got a little too excited and wandered too far. Perhaps he thought that villages were like cities, but he encountered a snake that coiled around his foot. He didn't scream or ask for help, just stood still, shivering, and began to cry.
In a moment, the snake's head was chopped off by an iron axe, and Aurelius fell to the ground, trying to catch his breath. He then heard a gentle voice from a child, looked up, and saw a large hand (for a child) reaching out to him, asking, "Are you okay?"
Aurelius, wiping his tears, responded, "Thank you," and reached out to the other child to help him up. As soon as he stood, he hugged the child and said, "Thank you, you saved my life."
The child's cheeks turned red, and he replied, "No thanks are needed." Aurelius smiled and said, "I'm Aurelius. I'm happy to meet you." But the child turned his back on him and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm busy." It seemed that the child was scared, and he didn't seem comfortable.
Aurelius left the child alone and said, "Come, let's go back. My parents are not far, and I think this place is dangerous. I once heard on TV that animals are usually in groups."
The child replied, "Don't worry, I'm used to staying here."
Aurelius, now angry, said, "I won't leave you alone."
The child replied, "Please leave. I'm used to it."
Aurelius looked at him and said, "You're hiding something. Tell me, and I'll help you, please."
The child, after his cheeks flushed again, finally spoke, "I work here, cutting wood to sell, while my father is at the big market selling wood." The child seemed shocked after saying that and appeared to regret it, but when he looked at Aurelius, he felt at ease. Aurelius, on the other hand, reacted differently from what the child was used to, as he was deeply impressed.
The two of them went to one of the trees, and the child started teaching Aurelius the work. It seemed the two children had started to get comfortable with each other.
Then they heard the sound of a car horn, and Aurelius exclaimed, "Oh, that's my dad. He's calling me!" He thanked the child, saying, "I'm really grateful for your help, and I'm so happy to have met you." The child offered to escort Aurelius to his family to make sure he arrived safely, and Aurelius gladly accepted.
When they got close to the destination, the boy stopped and felt shy despite Aurelius's attempts to get him to come with him. The boy firmly refused, and Aurelius bid him farewell, returning to his parents.
He told them what had happened, and his mother cried, while his father got angry. They agreed that they wouldn't leave their son alone like that. As for Aurelius, he felt sad because he didn't ask the child for his name.
Later, when the family arrived at their small house in the village, Aurelius's smile was as bright as the earth itself, for the kind child in the family, Vitus, was the same child who had saved Aurelius. Aurelius wished he had asked the child for his name.