Final Fantasy VII (7): On The Way To A Smile

Case Of Denzel: Page 13

"Hey, make way!", someone shouted angrily. Denzel looked like he wanted to protest against the one who said that but he didn't know who it was. There was nothing he could do about it so he put his hands around the boy's waist and lifted him onto an iron plate where it was safer. I was wondering why no one helped but I soon realized the reason why. The boy's back was soaked in a black substance.

Now that the path was free again, people started to resume walking. The little boy continued to cry repeating the words "it hurts" and "mama". I remembered how someone said "he's contagious." I felt like I wanted to cry. As I helped the boy stand up, I remembered about Ruvi. I remembered how I felt sick when I saw that black liquid coming out of Ruvi even though she was so kind to me. The me who got scared and ran away.

That was why I planned to wipe that sin away by helping the boy. I wanted to Ruvi to forgive me. I squatted down and asked him, "Where does it hurt?"

"My back hurts."

"Your back hurts, huh?"

"Yeah."

I lightly touched the boy's back with my hand. When I had a sore stomach, mum would rub it for me and the pain would go away. She done the same if I bumped into things. I might be able to use some of mum's magic too.

Denzel started to rub the boy's back while trying to ignore the sticky black substance. Although it was painful at first, the boy soon fell asleep.

Three hours went by. He continued rubbing the little boy for a little longer taking a littl break in between. The people around Denzel continued descending while ignoring Denzel and the boy.

"He's dead."

Looking up, he saw the tired face of a woman.

A baby was fastened around the woman's breast and a girl about the age of Denzel was holding her hand.

"That shirt looks like a girl's. It's so weird. Isn't it, mama? Lets hurry and go."

The woman the little girl called "mama" silently took off her daughter's blue jacket and handed it to Denzel.

"Wear this."

The sweating little girl was relieved. It looked as though she was wearing three layers of clothes.

"You can have it. It belongs to my big sister. That's why it's so big." said the little girl but it didn't seem so at all.

Denzel looked at the boy curled up asleep next to him. He couldn't hear his breathing.

Denzel was completely out of strength. The little girl quickly took the jacket from her mother and wrapped it around the little boy. His body was now hidden away from sight.

"He will be with my big sister." the little girl said.

"Thank you", I said with all my heart. The mother started walking again and the little girl followed her. Hand in hand with her mother. Both their hands were dyed pitch black.

Gazing at the Chocobo on the bag the little girl was carrying, Denzel was thinking.

Were they all going to die crying in pain with that sticky black stuff flowing out? Was everyone going to die because they were ill?

"At the time, we knew nothing about Geostigma. Those who bathed their bodies in the Lifestream would go out to "sea" and die. People said that you would get infected if you touched them. In truth, it's really because the thoughts of Jenova were mixed in with the Lifestream and that's what... It doesn't matter now. Even if we knew about it then, the situation wouldn't have changed."

"You're right. Especially with children."