Perception

Sometimes we humans, are not sure of our decisions until we are tested. Chris is what most people would consider an accomplished man. His hard work and studies paid off, since at the young age of twenty-seven he was already a doctor, steadily gaining fame and acknowledgement towards his practice. Nevertheless, he still felt unsure of what he was doing, of which path should he take and whether the path that he has chosen will prove to be of an advantage towards his future. In the end the persistent thoughts kept hunting him and this brought him a foul state of mind.

On a cold winter evening, after long hours of work exposure, Chris decided to take a detour back home. He thought that this would help him sort out the unevenness which was building inside him. As he walked through the narrow, pleasant path, the cold wind played with the collar of his coat and a droplet of the fresh drizzling rain fell on his cheek. He immediately opened his umbrella and continued to walk down the faintly lit way, apparently not affected by the little rain. The unknown route guided him to an untamed, small garden, dimly lit by a sole street lamp. At some distance there were also some scattered, dull houses. However, what interested Chris the most, was a wooden bench, situated near the old fashioned lamp. Sitting on this bench there was what seemed to be a human figure. Chris rubbed his tired eyes, incapable of understanding the reason behind visiting this abandoned place, especially with this weather. On instinct, he hurried towards the presence, now clearly visualizing the person. It was a girl of about eight years old, with snow white skin and dark, thick locks. At that time, she was looking at a passing ant on the ground, however, when Chris advanced she lifted her head, locking eyes with the doctor. Chris did not know what unsettled him the most, her distant gaze or the drenched summer dress. The only movement he could produce was the shifting of the umbrella, so that it would cover them both.

Chris thought that it would be best to think thoroughly of what he should say, since he easily perceive that this was one of those delicate matters. Therefore, he sat silently near the girl, and took his time to speak. All the while the girl kept her gaze on him, which made the doctor shift unsettling on his seat.Then a foreign thought came to him, he almost felt like she was reading and threading around his soul. Finally, after moments of absolute silence, the troubled doctor successfully uttered a phrase.

"It's a bit cold tonight..."

The girl's' gaze shifted to a nearby bush, while she hugged her cold body with her arms.

The girl nodded silently, but otherwise she did not speak. Then the doctor asked her where her parents were and to his surprise she responded.

"...Parents...?"

Her thin voice was barely audible, not more than a whisper.

"Yes, your mum or dad" continued Chris, trying to wrap this up so he could go home and have a warm beverage.

Once again their eyes locked, but this time her eyes were red rimmed, and filled with tears. Chris patiently, sat down near her, sheltering her from the rain while waiting for an answer.

"My mum...-"

Her expression broke and tears streamed down her face. She clasped her hands tighter around her waist, wrinkling her flowered patterned dress even more.

"-what is it, -are you hurt? - I m a doctor, so I can help you."

"-I am cold, it's so cold. Mum I am sorry, please do not go, - I am sorry"

She whispered, unable to control her tears. Then on impulse Chris surrounded her body with his warm coat and tried to understand her distorted speech. He had some difficulty to make out what was being said, however with some effort he caught a few words. Apparently she had a fight with her bedridden mother.