Lost and Found

The sun's rays shone brightly upon the small town, casting light over the buildings made of wood and stone. The streets were crowded with all sorts of people, some carrying their wares, others going about their business.

A young boy was standing outside one of the wooden houses, looking around. His eyes darted from here to there, taking in everything he could while he stood there.

His hair was a mop of brown, almost black, wavy locks that cascaded down below his shoulders. His skin was covered with several days' worth of dirt and sweat which made him look like a wild animal. 

The townsmen looked on as the boy, dressed in worn leather clothes and boots that seemed about three sizes too big for him, began wandering about aimlessly, seemingly lost.

"What will become of him?" a nearby man asked his wife, looking down at the street where the boy was wandering. "Who could possibly survive in this day and age without any guidance or education?"

"He looks hungry, maybe we should give him something to eat," another man said, nodding before walking forward to hand a piece of bread to the boy. The boy quickly grabbed it out of the man's outstretched hand with a look of pure gratitude, stuffing the bread into his mouth.

"What if we give him more? We mind him eating it all though, right?" the second man asked, holding a large basket of food up, the loaf of bread sitting atop it. He then proceeded to hand the basket to the little boy.

"Here, take a few slices of bread, and I'll give you some vegetables. Maybe some water would be good too…" the second man said, beginning to load food items into the basket.

"Thank you, kind sir!" the boy said, smiling broadly. The townsmen watched as the boy began stuffing his mouth with food, his hands full of bread and vegetables.

"What should we do with him? If he's just wandering around aimlessly, then he'll probably die," the woman said to her husband, looking at the little boy with pity.

"Well, why don't you invite him in here? Let him stay a few days while we figure out what to do with him. It wouldn't hurt anything, I think," the man suggested, watching the boy happily eat his fill.

The wife hesitated for a moment before she nodded.

"Alright, we can at least give it a try. Maybe there's a way for us to find his parents?", the woman said to her husband, watching the boy finish off the last bit of food in his hands. She turned to face the boy once more, offering him more food, which was accepted even more eagerly this time.

"Come now, come inside and let us get to know you," the woman said kindly. "What is your name?"

"My name is Delmo."

The boy walked into the house, smiling brightly as the woman closed the door behind him. 

He had been through so much in his short life already that he wasn't sure where to begin when it came to telling them about himself. However, after being treated to an extremely lavish meal consisting of fish, chicken, vegetables and rice, he decided to start from the beginning.

"I have no family left," Delmo began, sighing softly before taking another bite of chicken. 

"My mother died shortly after giving birth to me, and my father was killed by soldiers." The boy swallowed the meat whole before continuing. "As a result, I'm alone in this world..."

Delmo looked up at the couple sitting across from him, a piece of bread still clutched tightly between his fingers. The woman sat back in her seat, eyes wide with shock while the man stared at the boy for a long moment before letting out a breath.

"We're very sorry for your loss," the man said somberly. "Please accept our deepest condolences. You've suffered far too many tragedies for someone your age. We don't wish to ask you anything further, but we do hope that you'll allow yourself some time to rest here as well."

Delmo nodded. To think that he might actually be taken care of...

The young boy looked down at the plate of food spread out before him. He felt bad about lying to them about everything. If they knew how he got lost and ended up wandering aimlessly through the forest like an animal, they probably would not feel comfortable keeping him around any longer than necessary.

Riding around on the kindness of others, he eventually ended up at this village, which had welcomed him in. 

He could have told them the truth, that he was from a neighbouring village called Rolod. But, this was his only chance to see something new for once. He could finally get away from home and see the world. All thanks to these people's generosity. So, why ruin their hospitality? Besides, his family would be okay without him for a little while. 

His older brother and sister were both adults now. If anything happened, they'd surely take good care of their parents. They weren't stupid either. And, they did look after each other quite often, didn't they?

After finishing off the meal they offered him, Delmo took one last guilty look around the room where they led him to rest. A warm bed covered with soft blankets greeted him upon entrance. 

"I'll go back home in a couple of days."

With that thought, he laid himself down on the bed. He let out another sigh as he felt himself relax under the covers. After being so exhausted since the moment he woke up, his eyes grew heavy very quickly as well. Soon all sound faded into nothingness...

***

A loud banging noise brought him back from his sleep.