White Lies

The sky painted an intense black filled with stars that appeared as if grains of sand were sprinkled in the vast horizon. The young boy reaching his hand up to catch the frost-kissed petals that fell down from the sky in such a calm manner that one could stare at it for hours. His shuddered breathing creating clouds that disappeared as they came. He was a servant to the rich aristocrats that lived in houses filled with warmth, love and laughter. Yet he has never known what it felt like to have his frost nipped fingers warmed up by the love of another. Accused of theft and greediness, he was kicked out of the luscious building one could call home, except for him. Tears rolled down his cold cheeks, his lips trembling as he started crying. His posture is one of defeat. He was walking along the houses where the lights shone out of the windows and the warmth was shared by hearty and cheerful laughs. What did I do to deserve such fate? The young boy thought as he fell down on the pavement that was covered in a treacherous glaze of crystalized snow. Yet, he had to keep walking. He had to find shelter, at least for tonight. His feet were losing their sense of feeling, instead succumbing to numbness. He choked on a sob as he leaned against the cold brick wall of the bakery building.

The smell of fresh baked bread filling his nostrils. His pupils growing bigger as he quickly entered the bakery, a well-sized man gazing down at him with furrowed brows. ''What do you want, boy? If you don't have any money, go on and leave. I don't shelter little kids. '' The baker snarled, annoyance unmistakable in his voice. The boy's breathing filled the silence that fell after the man's demeaning words. He quickly reached into his pockets. ''What could I get for this?'' In his hands were a few bronze and silver coins. The baker sighed and went into the back of his shop. After a few moments he returned, his right hand holding a loaf of bread in a small cloth, in his left hand a thick scarf. He moved down on one knee and gave the bread for the little boy to hold as he wrapped the scarf around him. ''Three silver and two bronze.'' The baker said in a gruff tone. The boy nodded and handed him the requested amount in an instant. ''Thank you, sir.'' The boy whispered. His eyes brimming with gratefulness as he held the loaf of bread covered in linen cloth close to his chest. ''Go along now, make sure not to eat all the bread in one go. It's cold. '' He nodded and walked out of the building, feeling warmer than before. The little boy continued walking in search of shelter for the night. After walking for quite a while he stopped and sat on a snow-covered bench. He had first removed a bit of snow for him to sit, he didn't need much space. The boy's feet lightly swinged as he pulled at the knot that the baker made in the linen cloth to cover the bread. He took a few bites, chewing longer than usual to savor the taste of the baked good. His ears picked up the sound of a soft whimpering, he looked around not finding sight of anything that could produce such sounds. Not until he looked down, his eyes met the glazed ones of a puppy. He swallowed as he noticed the dog looking at his loaf of bread. ''Go away! You're not taking my bread!' The boy exclaimed, making a gesture with his hands for the dog to go away. He didn't want the puppy to attack him, even though it looked weak. He had learned that dogs were feral creatures to be afraid of. The puppy didn't listen, instead it jumped on the bench, sitting beside him. The boy flinched and tried to move away from the dog. Yet the dog whimpered once more. He quickly covered the bread with the linen cloth he had kept in his pocket and tied a knot. ''Don't attack me... '' He muttered before abruptly standing up from the bench and running. It was to no surprise that the dog started running behind him. Before he knew it, he was out of breath, he stopped for a second but flinched as he heard the puppy bark at him. He fell and held his hands out of instinct. What he didn't expect was for the puppy to start licking his palm and pushing its head against his hand. The boy looked at the dog with a confused expression, he had never expected the puppy to act like this. He swallowed thickly and stood up, still wary of the puppy. He grabbed the loaf of bread in his pocket and tore off a small piece and held it out in his palm for the little dog to eat. He quickly pulled his hand away after the puppy ate it in haste, trying to lick his palm again. ''I'm sorry, I have to be frugal with my food. I can't give you any more than I have. '' The boy said as if the dog could understand a word he said. He stood up from the bench and started walking once more.

After a few minutes of walking, he stopped abruptly. The feeling of something following him present, he looked behind him and his eyebrows shot up. The puppy was following him, its tongue out, tail wagging as it sat in front of him. ''Stop following me, I don't have food for you.'' he exclaimed, before turning his back and carrying on with walking. The puppy was persistent, sure that he had found its new master. It continued following him until the boy turned around once more telling the dog to go away. No matter what the little boy did, the puppy kept following him. ''I told you to leave me alone!'' The boy snapped; the small dog looked up at him with its glossy eyes. The boy stopped in his tracks and sighed. He picked up the dog and looked it in its eyes. ''Listen. Don't come after me again. I don't have food for you. So, leave me alone!'' He wanted to put the dog down, but it suddenly started licking his face making him drop the puppy. He gasped as he did so. A guilty feeling filling his chest and he quickly got on his knees to check if it was hurt. ''I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you.'' The boy apologized in a soft manner. He felt like he had hurt the puppy, causing him to start crying. Even then the small dog got up again and started licking his face once more. ''Fine... You can come along.'' And so, the boy gave up on trying to tell the dog to go away. He picked up the puppy, which started wagging its tail in excitement and barked as the boy moved his scarf over the dog, so he and the dog were both covered in it. The puppy barked as the boy started petting it to calm him down. In due course he and the puppy reached a new neighborhood, it was quieter now. He didn't know for how long he had been walking in pursuit of shelter. He sighed and sat down, the puppy sitting on his lap. It was getting colder, and colder, and he was getting sleepier. His head shot up at the sound of a drunken man singing loudly, beside him. How had he not noticed the dirty stench? He had to move. ''What a nice scarf you have there, little boy. Why don't you go on and give it to me, I'm a little cold. '' The puppy woke and started barking at the unfamiliar man. The drunk groaned in annoyance and yelled at the dog to cut it out. The puppy, not knowing otherwise cowered behind the little boy. The man got closer and without warn snatched the scarf from the boy his neck. Not giving him enough time to even run. He tried grabbing it, but the man simply pushed him away. ''Scram, brat.'' The little boy knew that he stood no chance against him, deciding to give up he grabbed the puppy, shoved the bread in his pocket, and started running, afraid of any harm the man might inflict upon him. It was tough, considering the fact that his only source of warmth was stolen. The boy held the puppy close to his chest. His breathing heavy. So, he stopped in front of a house and sat down in front of it to catch his breath. His eyelids became too heavy for him to force open. His eyes closing as he embraced his exhaustion and surrendered to dreams. A harsh cold wind was all he felt before falling asleep.

The boy's eyes opened due to a bright light that budded him into consciousness. He looked around, the puppy laying peacefully at his feet on the spacious bed. Was this a dream? He didn't feel any cold anymore, and the numbness that his feet suffered due to it was also gone. Everything felt surreal, if this was a dream then he never wanted to wake up. The door opened and he immediately sat up, a woman entered. The young boy's brows furrowed as he couldn't see her face. It was as if the light shone so brightly that her face could not be seen because of it. The woman sat down, her dress flaring as she did so. He finally could see her face. ''I found you, child. You were... Sleeping in front of my home. What is your name? '' The woman said, her voice soft and filled with kindness. ''I don't know.'' The boy muttered, ashamed that he didn't know his own name. He was used to always getting called 'boy' or 'servant'. ''That's okay, how about I call you Cassius? Would you like that? '' The woman asked, looking intently at him for confirmation. The boy whose new name was Cassius nodded. Still in awe of her beauty and her home. ''Thank you miss. I like my name a lot. '' he beamed, a happy expression adorning his face. Not knowing what he did to deserve such kindness. He lay back down, his head resting on the soft pillow. ''Could you stay with me for a bit longer? I'm afraid of the dark. '' he asked, a bit hesitant. The woman nodded admiringly at his manners. ''I will always stay with you.'' She muttered as she stood up. Cassius was quick to fall back into a slumber. The woman smiled. The boy's soul so pure he turned all the hatred and darkness that confined in his heart to a whiteness akin to snow. The woman pressed him against her chest and smiled in elation. Her words were a white lie, he could cry and laugh from now as much as he wanted. She would watch over him and melt as the snowbound months that gave Cassius hardships, which were not only cold but also desolate would cease to exist. Why? Because the floral season Spring awaited him. Now, he could sleep quietly beyond the point of time's gentle grasp.