* * *
After coming outside of the small two-story house, El followed the man to get outside of the alleyway.
He looked up, only to be left agape. An unfamiliar sight like never before greeted him. Towering buildings, not made of wood like what he regularly saw, but from what he had heard in the village and read in the books, namely bricks or perhaps concrete blocks.
People walked about in every direction. Some were fat, some were thin, but they all shared one thing in common: they looked healthy. No fatigue nor anguish clouded their eyes.
Everything.
Everything was good.
He had heard that the people living in the city did not have to worry about dying from hunger, suffering from malignant diseases that would inevitably shorten their lives, or facing bandits who would kill, rape, and rob as they pleased if the village happened to be unlucky on any given day.
'I... I..'
'I feel uncomfortable… is this jealousy?'
'I can't deny that this is me and my thoughts. Of how lucky they all are.'
El stopped his steps, silently mulling over it in his place while looking down at the paved ground. He didn't know what to think at the moment.
Suddenly, El found a pair of black shoes right in front of his feet, similar to his own but larger. He looked up to see the man, now wearing a black mask and a large grey jacket, a bigger version of the one he was wearing.
"You're fine, aren't you, boy?"
Shaking his head, El tried to rid himself of the negative thoughts swirling in his mind. He gave the man a big smile and said, "Nothing, sir. I just remembered something when I saw all these people."
"Alright, lad, come on. This is one of the places you need to visit regularly if you're living in Mirthwater," he said, waving his hand in a motion for El to follow him.
Running to catch up to the man's long strides, El asked, intrigued, "Mirthwater???"
"Yes… This is the place you're going to live. At least for now."
"Oh, I see."
At last, they arrived at the eatery. It was a simple wooden building that appeared old but sturdy, nestled between grand and magnificent structures on either side. Despite its modest appearance, it attracted a large number of people, especially those already inside. Fortunately, there was a spacious yard outside, complete with shade, empty tables, and chairs.
Taking one of the empty tables, the man called for the waiter and ordered a variety of dishes with names El didn't understand from a thick piece of white paper wrapped in transparent plastic.
'If it's food made and served in the city, it's surely going to be good,' El thought, filled with expectation.
As they waited for their food, El asked the man, "So, can I have your name now, sir?"
Looking El in the eye, the man replied, "It won't do you any good if you knew my name, kid."
"… I see… What about my memories, then? What happened?"
"Ask other questions!!?"
"Uh, why?"
"Hmmmm… this time too, I will say it won't do you any good knowing that."
"Oh wow. You just don't want to tell me anything, do you, sir? 'Won't do you any good, won't do you any good.' How about a different answer next time?" El rolled his eyes, feeling indignant.
"No kidding," the man countered, then looked away.
El caught a glimpse of something behind that action. 'Is it… guilt?'
"Alright, here's another question," El said after taking a deep breath. "You are… sad, aren't you, sir?" He focused on the man's expression, trying to pick up on any clues.
"Huh. Why do you think so?"
The man raised an eyebrow and deflected the question with another question.
"When you touched those books, you looked sad. I mean, I don't know how to fully explain it, but I'm a sensitive person when it comes to others' feelings. I could feel it… and you were sad then. Still sad now," El recalled the man's expression and the emotion radiating from him when he brushed his fingers gently along the rows of books.
The only thing he could discern from him at that moment was that grief hid behind the façade of strength—a shroud of sorrow. It felt like the man was recollecting something from the past, helpless to change the outcome.
El noticed a crack in the man's expression, a fleeting glimpse of misery that lasted only a few seconds. Silence ensued, and El felt remorseful. 'Maybe it was a mistake for me to ask that.'
After a minute, the man broke the stillness, his eyes fixed on the void. "The place where you slept earlier… it was a room once used by my daughter."
"…"
"She liked reading books… and I was a criminal back then. So, for most of her life, she had to hide. Hiding from the failure of a father… I remember she was such a sweet child," he stated flatly, as if it were everyday news.
However, El could discern subtle hints of emotion from him. His lips trembled under the weight of the burden he silently carried.
"…"
"…"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," El said, tears streaming down his face and dampening his cheeks. He looked down, feeling ashamed because he believed that a man shouldn't cry.
He didn't want to cry. It was just… he couldn't help it. The sheer sadness behind the man's composure broke his heart. He didn't know when or how it had come to be, but El, since he was still a child, could feel the haunting emotions of others to an extent.
Sometimes, he was numb to any sensations. But today, unfortunately for him, his senses felt heightened, making him acutely aware of the man's suffering.
The man, caught off guard at first, eventually put on a smile. "Oho, you could guess it then. No worries, child; it was all in the past."
"I'm sorry… hic…"
"Nothing to be sorry about… You don't have it easy either, yet you still managed to cry for an old man like me," his eyes trailing on El, who was busy wiping his tears.
A moment later, in a panic, the man said, "Hmmm, you better stop crying, kid. Everyone is looking."
Looking up, El surveyed his surroundings. A few guests were now looking at their table with skepticism, especially a mother with several children sitting outside, glaring at the man with eyes that seemed to say, What are you doing to that kid, making him cry so much?
"… pffftt," El couldn't help but find humor in the whole misunderstanding.
Stealing a shy glance at the mother until their eyes met, she gave El the kindest and sweetest smile she could muster. El ended up nodding, replying to her with a smile of his own.
"Hmmm, you evil kid. I give that to you!" the man said, shaking his head with a grin.
Calmed down, El replied while wiping his eyes with the tissues the man had given him, "It's not my fault if you look so intimidating. Kekekeke…"
El laughed heartily, never expecting to find such comfort with someone he barely knew—someone who hadn't even given him his name.
* * *