The City of Gold (Part 1)

Chapter 6

<<<<<Chapter 6>>>>>

     “There will be three groups all together. Each group will take turns walking in front, middle and back. We will leave when Headmaster Stumpton and Caretaker Judy get back with provisions,” Landon said with a commanding tone in his voice. “I will organize the groups. Headmaster Stumpton will be with the first group, Caretaker Judy with the second, and I with the last,” he paused and thought to himself. “Peter, Nancy, Thomas, Kathleen, and Clara, you will be in group one.”

     They grouped together as Landon called out the second section.

     “For group two I need Patrick, Bill, Andrea, Dan, Mary, and Nash.” stated Landon. 

     Dale winced at those words. He always was accustomed to doing things with Nash. They were, as Kallin might say, ‘closer than two beans in a pod’. Almost everyone had a best friend. Bill was always with Dan, Andrea with Kathleen, and Thomas with Peter.

      The house looked merely like a tall ash heap with glowing embers. Its frame was still intact and burning but it had lost a great deal of its form. The orphans had to stay closer to keep themselves warm. Any of the remaining neighbors had long since left. The clusters of stars were growing dimmer, signaling the approaching dawn. It had been at least two hours since the elders left for provisions.            

     The leftover orphans gathered in a group, forming section three. There was Kip, Dale, Tannor, Kallin, and Sarah. Dale would have done anything to get out of group three. It was bad enough to be away from Nash, but being with Sarah Fenwick was horrible. She hated Dale. Of coarse she never said that, but it was the way she looked when he was talking or maybe a casual snide remark.

    Dale didn’t have but a moment to think about his traveling partners before Judy and Jeff’s arrival interrupted him. There was a look of despair in their eyes. The headmaster ranted on about something to Judy who was nodding her head in agreement. He was carrying canteens under his arms and they were both wearing coats! Not only were they wearing them, they had loads of them hung around their wastes and arms. The orphans were delighted by the surprise. They weren’t in great shape, but that didn’t matter. Each group was given three coats. They would pass them along whenever the caretakers would tell them to. Judy passed a canteen for every group. 

     “I can’t believe those stingy rotten little buggers!” Judy exclaimed to Landon. Her face was red from the frost, although Landon couldn’t help wondering if it was from her intense rage. The headmaster was saying something to the orphans as she continued whispering to Landon.

     “We went door to door for two hours, two hours you hear? Most of the people didn’t answer their doors at all. The ones who did slammed it right in our faces the moment they heard the word orphanage! The nerve, I swear those creatures wouldn’t give medicine to their own mother if she was sick, to their own mother I say!”

     “What about all of these coats? Where did they come from?” Landon inquired.

     “Let me tell you, these coats are of our own doing only. There was no charity involved here! We were on your way back, about to give up when we saw our little friends, the Bleds. They were out in the streets making up some trouble. They had broken into the supply store and were taking all sorts of things. You should have been there, there was at least ten of em. I think they were drunk. They didn’t even notice us slip past. They were making such a racket you would think they would wake the whole town up. We got there too late though, they had taken all the food, well, at least most of it.” She said pulling something out. It was wrapped under a coat. Landon’s eyes widened as he saw two large braided loafs of bread. They looked warm and delightful. Each little bump and imperfection made the loaf look tastier.