The Iudex's day off

Short Story 4 - Happy birthday, my sweet child

 I was satisfied with that. Far too much so, actually, as the next day I went back and told the people I overheard about it.

 They were shocked at first but then they burst out laughing and I received a few headpets.

 I only discovered much later that they had spread a rumor about it, something like a warning.

 Should anyone attach any other meaning to my name, they would suffer their wrath.

 Looking back at it now, that was a reckless move. Luckily, nothing had come of it and it had become more of a joking threat over the years.

 It was when I had turned six that I started to understand just how much my mom was struggling for me.

 She was in no way physically strong. She was sickly even. Often ending up in bed for days for something as minor as a cold.

 I had offered to help her, to run errands for coupons, but she adamantly refused.

 "Children should be able to play. Don't worry, my sweet little Claude. Mom will take care of it."

 I did not believe her. I could not do so. Not when even as she said that her face was pale and she was barely holding back her coughs.

 She worked almost all day for us. That's why I was around to go around so freely.

 But even so, on every single one of my birthdays, I was always given a cupcake and a small present.

 Even so young I felt that this wasn't right.

 Her health was getting worse and I couldn't just watch and let it happen.

 As such, while she was working, I secretly started running errands for other inmates.

 It was mostly just delivering this and that from one side of the fortress to the other.

 At first, it was just the inmates but slowly even the guards gave me things to do.

 While I earned coupons this way, I could just give them to my mom. She would surely scold me and forbid me from continuing.

 So, a system was developed.

 Instead of giving the coupons to me, the people I helped gave them directly to my mom, telling her it was just a bit of help in raising me.

 And it was, it was just a bit. But it was enough to lighten her workload somewhat.

 She could finally get enough sleep and three meals a day coupled with a snack in between.

 She was none the wiser to what I was doing. At least that's what I had thought till I turned 10.

 It was on my tenth birthday that she stopped me from going out in the morning.

 "Take a day off, at least on your birthday." She had said.

 Panic rose within me right that instant but she merely petted me on the head.

 "I'm taking a day off as well so let's spend your birthday together."

 And so I did.

 We never discussed the matter further, but she didn't stop me from going out the next day.

 "Just be careful." She said, planting a kiss on my forehead.

 It was around the time when I turned 12 that His Grace came to power.

 Much changed very quickly and many inmates were frightened of him.

 I certainly did not expect him to show up at our door one morning.