4 Chapter 3
The second floor of the building that they were living had three room
The one which belonged to Athor had a small old rug on the floor and his luggage that he kept clothes inside it.
In the corner of the room there was a simple broken bed and always made so many noises. He had to fix it himself with some rubber belt. There was no window so no light could get in. That wasn't a room, but a dark cell. He had to keep the light of the candles on to do his homework and study. Certainly, they made that extra room themselves.
At night they used to stay at home after seven o'clock and never going outside. Their superstitious belief had made all those ugly attitudes because they deemed at those hours little dwarves are walking on the street and beat everyone they choose. The victim, the ones who got attacked and hit by their hoof, will die afterward -of course, all those beliefs came from their connection with cunning witches that injected all those stupid things into their minds and fooled them-
They would take the garbage out earlier, every evening which made all stray cats dance around the trash box, making a big mess and the noises of their fights could annoy ears harshly. Some of the neighbors confronted them for that case, but they regretted it afterward as no one could handle Mrs. Ferssi's bad-mouth. So, they would rather be far from them.
That night the weather was so cold, even crickets' voices had frozen. There was no blanket or heater inside the cellar. Whatever was in that darkness, he wasn't able to see them. He was shaking from the cold. He thought and searched for a way to rescue him as soon as possible. If he wanted to handle that life, he would lose his mind as fast as breath. He slept while sat on the floor and hugged his knees. He woke up when spiders were walking on his face, although sleeping shape had no meaning in that cold.
In the early morning Mr. Ferssi left the house for work and his wife came over and opened the door of the cellar and said "I'm going shopping, be careful. Don't make another mess again. Hope you have gotten your lesson last night. I don't think that you want to come back to that orphanage again".
After she left, Athor used that perfect chance and got up. Hardly he felt that his stomach is very empty, but had no time to think about it. His decision was serious and said "Crystal was right", He went to his room swiftly and rolled up all his stuff in his bag. He put it on his shoulder and peered at the room, shrugged triflingly then left the room and stepped down the stairs hardly because of the leg cramps pain that he still had. Firstly, he checked the yard carefully.
That time destiny was on his side. Yard and the street completely fell into a deep solitude. A perfect situation to say goodbye to that house then he turned back and looked at the building and said "I won't die without you, I'll take care of myself" he kept his head up, looked at the forth path of himself, and again said, "Dear destiny Athor is on the way".
First days of living as a homeless, he had to sleep under a ruined stone bridge to be out of black watch sight. But after a while, he found a good job in a bar which was owned by an old nice man with wavy white hair, but a cold sad face. The bar owner was thin with average height. Adolf was a lonely man so when he saw that Athor is an honest good boy, allowed him to stay there and live with him. The old man didn't like to be alone and was so tired of it. Sometimes he would tell memories about his young age before that devilish war.
He truly had missed that period. Always emphasized that human turned back to thousands of years ago and that's a duty for the new generation to make a better future and not to repeat their fathers' mistakes to make sodality or love instead of odium and hate which were rising fast.
He introduced Athor to his friend who had a library. He was also a nice old man too. Very tall and his ears were the same as Athor's. Every week he was permitted to borrow two books from him then bring them back and takes new books. Most of the time the library was empty, no one was interested in reading books anymore.
Regular people wouldn't even take a simple look at the board on the top of the door, but sometimes a handsome boy with clean clothes who was obviously from a noble family came over. Against others he was so kind, even the librarian Mr. Atendor loved him so much and said "He is different, he has the heart of an angel and a pure human at the same time when I see him I still can hope for a better future. I knew his mother, she was a perfect woman."
With all those good compliments Athor felt well about him although he couldn't like others. They hurt them a lot, especially his step sister Crystal got hurt by so much of them.
Working at the bar was fine till pirates with loud noises rushed into there and making it the worse job ever.
Last year early in the autumn, a big storm had come and shaken the windows. The wind was blowing in its horn and seemed that had made an army ready for a rough battle. The rain was whipping the ground and the sky was so angry. Pirates were the only people who gained so many benefits from the last war and rubbed everything from everywhere. Athor hated that night, they hit the door and came inside with so many noises.
One of them kicked a man who was sitting quietly and was drunk. The poor man was scared badly and without any protest got up and left quickly, like he never was there. They pushed tables beside then sat. Athor gazed at them demurely. He didn't endure that moment. They got super drunk, shocked the town, and bothered many people in the street. Some of the citizens used to lock doors and windows to be safe from them.
One of them who had a dark long beard and golden teeth pointed to Athor and said "Hey, you girl! Hurry up, fill the mugs, bring us that berry drinks", then all of them start laughing. Adolf gloated at him rabidly and narrowed his eyebrows. The others called the man golden teeth. They didn't like that look of Adolf, so he said loudly "Hey grandpa! Is there any sticky?"
Adolf turned his face without responding to them and walked behind the counter. Athor noticed a weird heavy glance on himself while filling the mugs. There was a big man with a red beard, black teeth, and his mouth smelling like rotten fish. He was looking at him with a disgusting sneer. Athor was filling his mug when he suddenly grabbed his wrist; he pushed his hand away quickly and left to the counter swiftly. He was about to throw upon his face, but at the corner of the bar, beside the window, a loud soft voice said, "Stinker! You have nothing to do with that boy."
Athor said to Adolf quietly "They make me feel sick".
They had to prepare the food for them which was a big roasted turkey. After finishing the food, the bar wasn't clean anymore. It was like pigs were eating in their pigsty. Pirates loved to throw foods at each other and laugh with a mouth full of chewed food, but the one who was sitting beside the window on a single desk, that was completely a different person. Small body who wore off man clothing.
She was the one who supported Athor a few moments ago. One of the pirates who stood on the table, others called him mini rat loudly, he was a half-man with curly brown hair; the very rude clown said to that weird person "Hey Morwarid! Why do you always show us the cold shoulder maybe it's because you are captain's daughter?!"
Athor thought "Wow that's a girl, unbelievable!" Now it was clear why that person didn't show any reaction against that rude behavior, it's like she couldn't hear them.
A young boy with blond hair laughed and said "If you want your head on that useless body, just don't mess with my sister"
Morwarid took off her hat with a strong self-possession look. She was gorgeous and wasn't like other dirty pirates. She had long wavy brown hair, black eyes, and wheaten skin which completed her beauty with a slim, but strong body. Without looking at the mini rat, she brought out a small dagger from the pod on her leather buffalo boot. She threw it exactly in front of his toe just one inch far from it. Suddenly everywhere was drown in silence for a few seconds only, then they all were laughing. But the mini rat turned completely quiet and scrambled on his seat like a coward rat.
The whole time they were talking about their traps for the sharks and the mermaids, he knew that they were very dangerous, but not as much as he observed personally at that moment.
He always tried to be far from them. He turned his eyes to Adolf to see if he is showing any reaction, but he was also shocked.
After all, having eaten, drunk, and damaged everything, they threw some silver coins on the counter and left hopefully. For the first time, they went to a bar without a fight, cause they used to damage the whole bar as a hobby.
Adolf never spent their money for himself, but always donated that money to the poor families and said "This is the nastiest money ever." And he wasn't even interested in touching it in hand and carried them with sheets.
Everything was fine till Adolf got a heart attack and fell in the middle of the bar. He was on the bed for a while, but too tired to grasp life. He just wanted to rest in peace forever. After he passed away his sons closed the bar and again Athor had lost another person who loved him so much. A father who never had before and thought "Maybe Ferssi was right and I'm malevolent." He was thinking that way because he had lost those who cared about him more than anybody else.
Adolf's children started a fought for inheritance. Before that time, they only came over to visit their father to take his money then again leaving him alone.
Athor bought a second-handed blanket, a rug, a small lantern and moved to the Mirano old stone ruins in the south of Tegan which was connected to the oak woods from one side and the gray mountains from the other side. Recently cedars and plane trees were planted to rebuild all the dead nature and make a new forest to keep the air clean and safe from dust that came from west-north deserts and the dried lakes. In summer times they had to face sand and salt storms, meanwhile from the south excepting the sea storms in winters was at least. In Mirano all people were poor and never hurt anyone, everybody had temporary sales jobs.
It's been two years from the day that Athor left that house and has been successful to take care of himself, but how long he could handle every tough moment? For a fine life, he needed a miracle.
After all, finally, he closed his eyes and got into a deep sleep while the rain was starting to sing a lullaby.
Early in the morning, he woke up quickly because he must get into the first passenger carries before the cart station gets crowded.
If he loses this one he has to walk along to the center of the city or wait one hour for the next carriage. He changed his clothes which were too dirty and stinky. He put them all on a bag because he intended to give them to Anna, the wash lady who used to wash people's clothes. Against four pears he could ask for that favor. He checked himself in the broken mirror on the wall; his hair was untidy, he brushed it and covered his ears under his hat then left his very small house.
*
The weather was partly cloudy, he arrived at the center of Mirano town which a broken sculpture of a woman could be seen. A good place for the black crows to have a sit. He went to the source water and washed his face and after drinking some water, walked out to the cart station. But he noticed that Angel was sitting on Jimmy's shoulder, he got shocked. He fetches up for a few seconds.
He had no idea that this bird goes around others since she arrived. He called her loudly "Angel! We are leaving." She flew over to him and perched down on his shoulder.
Athor waved his hand to Jimmy and left quickly when he arrived so many people were there earlier. He sat on a stone bench for twenty minutes.
On the way of Tegan while passing by the forest he was scanning his plan into his mind "I must sell all of the pears today, then I'll go to a bar and wash the dishes, that way I can reach more money and get ready for the school the next year."
After an hour he acceded to the park. It was early and no one was jogging around. He sat and waited for the store across the park to open. He could buy a bowl of warm kale soup. It was the cheapest one.
