There were a few kids playing in the middle of the garden. They were running around, chasing after each other, and having a really good time. They seemed to be having fun. They seemed happy.
A little boy moved branches away from his hiding place so he could get a better look at the kids. But then the moving sound seemed to catch the unwanted attention of the kids.
"Who's there?" One boy, who seemed like the leader of the group, asked with a commanding voice.
The little boy was startled. He covered his mouth with a hand, stopping him from letting out any more sounds. And hoped the boys would go away.
But the other boy didn't give up.
"Are you going to come out, or do we need to drag you out?" He was really scary. The little boy pouted. Why he was so scary? Then he crawled out of his hiding spot.
"What are you doing here?"
The other boy's voice became angrier after seeing the one who came out of the bushes.
"No-Nothing."
The little boy stuttered, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. Oh, there was a huge dirty patch on his shirt. How did that happen? He was going to be scolded for that too. It was unfair. He had been careful.
"Nothing!" The same voice echoed, startling the boy once again. There was a deep scowl set on his face. "Are you saying you did nothing inside that bush?"
"I..." The little boy stuttered again. "I was just sitting."
The laugh echoed, startling him once again. It wasn't only a mean boy. His friends also joined the laughter.
"He is clearly lying."
A girl in the group pointed it out. She was also the same age as them but had a mature look.
"Yes, he is a crazy freak!" Another boy joined.
"A cursed."
"Dirty."
"Fool."
"Useless."
The little boy stared at the floor without responding. He can wait until they get tired of name-calling. Yeah, he can wait until then.
But a sudden sharp pain occurred as someone grabbed him by his long hair, forcing him to raise his head. His eyes met with molten gold ones.
"So, what do you want, freak?" a mean boy spit in his face.
His head was hurting. How he had so much strength. Weren't they both the same age? The little boy tried to break free from the grip. But he couldn't. So, he decided to answer. Maybe then they will let him go.
"I... I want to ask..." The little boy said in pain. "Can I also join your game?"
Then again, a mean laugh came out from the kids, like he had told the best joke in the world.
"You are so funny." The mean boy tightened his grip on his hair more. "Why do you think we would let a freak play with us? Go away."
The boy showed the little boy to the floor. He fell to the floor with a thud and placed his elbows so he wouldn't hit his head.
But then he felt a sting and a pain ran through his elbow.
"Let's go. This freak destroyed our whole day."
With that, all of them walked away, but not without throwing more curses at him.
After everyone disappeared from his sight, he slowly sat down and inspected his hand.
The pain increased as he moved his hand. It couldn't be broken. Right?
There were a few scraps on his arms and blood. There was also so much dirt. His arm didn't look broken. Maybe twisted. But it wasn't a problem.
The problem was now, there were blood stains on his clothes. And dirt. Well, he was going to get in trouble for this. That was sure. He hoped his punishment wasn't as bad as last time.
***
A young boy started out of the little window. It was dark. The only thing that lit the room were the little lights that came out of the window.
He didn't know what they were.
But they were pretty.
There were hundreds of them. No, maybe thousands. They were like little stars that floated through the night sky.
He spent lots of time thinking about what they could be. Were they fireflies? But they were large and shining. There was no way fireflies could be that big. Then they could be some floating flowers. He had seen flowers that could emit light before. But what were they doing in the sky? Maybe the people in there had lit some sort of light. Or maybe they were actually some stars.
This was the fourth time he had seen them.
He didn't know how long he had been trapped here. But those little lights he could see from his little window were the only thing that brought him some hope.
Maybe one day he will be able to go and see them. Not only a tiny window. Just in real life. Then he could figure out what they were.
Yeah, one day.
***
"Just a little bit. Please, just a little.'
A six-year-old boy murmured to himself as he tried to reach the top shelf from the stool on which he was standing on tiptoes.
'Yeah.'
Finally, he was able to touch the box. Now he needed to get it down safely.
'CRASH!!'
Suddenly, he lost balance. But he didn't want to let the box go. In the next moment, both the boy and the box landed on the floor with a loud thud.
'Oh! It's hurting!"
He rubbed his aching arms as they took the painful impact of landing. Then his eyes landed on the box on the ground. Now its lid opened, and the delicious goodies spread out on the floor.
'Cookies!'
The boy's eyes lit up with happiness as he finally took one and showed it to his mouth. So delicious. He hadn't eaten anything for the whole day. So, he was hungry. The cookies were the best.
"What are you doing here?"
A loud voice echoed, making the boy jump. Then the room lit up, making him blink for a moment. He blinked several times and tried to adjust the sudden light.
When things became clear, he could make out the figure of an angry woman standing in front of him. Her eyes widened and her face was red with anger. He could imagine the steam coming out of her ears and nose.
Ops! Evil, which was here!
"You try to steal from my kitchen!"
The woman snarled at a little boy on the floor.
The boy swallowed the last bit of the cookie. It was delicious.
"You want cookies, little freak; let's see how you get them."
The evil witch gathered the cookies that had been spread on the floor with an angry scowl. Then, before the boy could make out what she was doing, she threw everything into the fire that was on the fireplace at a corner.
'No!'
He wanted to shout. But no sound escaped from his mouth. He just stared at the orange flames that engulfed innocent little cookies. Poor cookies. They did nothing wrong.
"Get lost, freak, before I call guards."
The evil woman's shouting reached his ears.
"If you ever try to steal from my kitchen again, I'm going to burn your hands."
She didn't forget to threaten him before throwing him out of the kitchen.
A little boy slowly started limping through dark corridors to his room. Everything was pitch-dark. The boy knew how to avoid guards, so no one came to disturb him again.
Then he suddenly stopped by the large window. The moonlight leaked through it beautifully.
The boy took something out of his pocket. A beautiful smile spread on his face when he glanced at it.
It was a cookie.
He now had something for dinner.
***
"Wow!"
The little boy's eyes widened with awe as he took the scenery around him.
Large white flowers were shimmering under the moonlight. Their petals were pure as freshly fallen snow. They cast an ethereal luminescence through the entire garden overpowering all other beauties.
Then he heard them.
Whispers.
Little murmuring sounds called him, inviting him to enter a world beyond the veil of reality.
His tiny fingers reached out to touch a blossom.
His face was aglow with awe, and his ivory hair glinted with strands of moonlight that had woven themselves into his locks.
As he stood there, the night seemed to hold its breath. The moon, a radiant silver disk in the sky, cast a soft, gentle light. Stars blinked overhead like a thousand celestial fireflies.
As his fingertips brushed the petals, he felt a cool, soothing sensation.
A sweet and intoxicating scent filled the air blending floral notes with a hint of magic. It was as if the very essence of the moon had been captured in these blooms.
The gentlest touch of creamy, silken petals caressed his soul, mingling with his own unique aroma, carrying a promise of magic and mystery.
A reminder that beauty could be found in the most unexpected places, even under the cover of darkness.
The boy leaned down and whispered back to the blossoms, sharing a secret with them.
***
It was dark.
The only light in his room or cell was the little light leaking out from the corridor. But it was okay.
Darkness wasn't as bad as cold.
The only thin blanket he had did a poor job shielding him cold.
But it was better than nothing.
Curled on the cold floor wrapping himself in the blanket he tried to imagine he wasn't there. Dreamed he was somewhere with his family.
He could run around in the sunlight. He could play. He could do lots of things. He could even eat sweets.
It was a beautiful dream.
Well, no one could prohibit him from dreaming after all. So, he could.
Who knew maybe one day that would come true?
Yeah, one day he could be able to free.
One day he would be able to fly.
He shut his eyes and started to dream the sweetest dream of his life where flowers and sunshine were. Where he could fly around like petals in the wind.
The unfinished bar of chocolate clenched around his tiny fingers like dream dust.
***
The little boy clenched the small box in his hands.
He was nervous.
Was this okay?
What if he didn't like it? What if...
"What are you doing here?"
A loud voice startled him.
He tightened the grip around the box and looked up.
Oh, there, the golden orbs felt frozen in time.
Then their ice started to spread over him, making shivers run down his spine. He gulped and tried to speak.
"I..."
He started. But he felt like his throat was clenching.
"What? Cat got your tongue?"
A voice snapped, making him flinch away.
But with a deep breath and trembling hands, he finally offered the little box in his hands.
"I... I made... you something."
The other boy stared at the small box on his palms with an icy glare for a while. Then snatched it away.
The little boy's heart beat fast with a bubbling feeling inside as he stared at the other boy with hopeful, wide blue eyes.
But the other didn't open the box. He had other plans.
He gave a glare at a box like it heavily offended him, then slammed it to the ground with all of his strength.
'THUD.'
The little boy flinched and backed away.
"How dare a freak like you give me something?"
The other stomped on the box, crushing it.
"Go away, freak, you're making my day worse!"
With that, the boy stormed away, leaving a small boy and a crushed box alone in the empty corridor.
The boy stared at a crushed box for a while, like a stone still in shock. Then he slowly crouched down and took a little string of beads.
It was a small bracelet made from uneven blue beads. It was nothing. But still...
He shook his head and gathered the pieces of the crushed box.
It was okay.
He still tried.
He could have made something better next time.
Then he would finally accept it.
Yeah, he would try next time.
It was okay.
The little boy smiled as the faint light from a candle landed on a bead on his hand, illuminating little words scrawled on the back.
***
A little boy slowly approached the pile of clothes.
There was no one around this time. So, he could do a quick search and go out.
Yeah, that was the plan.
He slowly started to look for the cloth pile. It was a normal day, the palace threw out all unwanted clothing items. But for the little boy, it was a day for treasure hunting. Because he knew there were lots of treasures burrowed with all the unwanted
He quickly rammed over the worn-out blankets. They were rough, but they looked good. His fingers itch to pick them up and put them in his nest.
But then, he halted his thoughts.
Ouch!
He didn't have a nest.
Shaking his head, he reached up for some throne-worn-out clothes. There were some holes, but they could work. Yeah, with a little fix-up, they would be able to keep him warm since no one bothers to give him extra clothes in winter.
He picked up several shirts and pants.
That would be enough.
He turned to sneak back away, but then something caught his eye.
A little brown and yellow fluffy ball.
What was that?
With curiosity-filled eyes, he reached there, carefully picking it up.
Oh, it was a beautiful stuffed dog with a large black eye.
Well, there were huge slashes on his tummy, which let all the cotton out.
But still, nothing could be fixed. After all, he was good with needlework.
"Hello, from today on, I will be your friend, Mr. Fluffy."
He cradled the little friend in his heart. His heart was filled with warmth.
***
It was cold.
A little boy was sitting under the tree, trying to get away from the rain.
But little branches did a poor job blocking the heavy water. The boy was already wet from head to toe. He shivered.
And he was hungry.
All the hopes he had for the day started to fade away.
He was alone.
He was waiting for someone who was never going to come back.
***
Noah was dreaming.
It was dark and cold and he was alone.
He was crying and running.
But no one was there to help him.
He couldn't breathe. His lungs filled with water.
There was nothing except endless dark inky water.
They were clogging his throat, burning his lungs.
He was drowning.