Wintertide was the special time of the year, wasn't it? The time where most would break out the finer wares and then shatter them all in the same hour. The sounds of merriment in scattered homes broke the silence of the night. The insides were full of life…while the outside was dead…with the only light being that of the moon, the unfortunate were forced to trudge through the snow, no real joy to be found in their hearts nor warm food in their stomachs. No fire to comfort them...and no one to embrace them but their brothers of misfortune.
Amongst these was a young Baskin, bundled up in the only 2 layers that he could scrounge up before the year's trash was hauled away. It was like hibernation in a way, find as much as you could before the season changed and all there was to find was whisked away. His little body shivered with every gust of wind as he cursed himself for not getting more layers, especially for not giving up his decorative tea pot for a near-intact frock coat. But there are some things that a boy just cannot part with.
As he walked on he stopped, turning to the sounds of joy and laughter emanating from a house. He stood there staring, a thought simmered in his head. Perhaps? No, they wouldn't, no one would let a dirty unsocialized child into their party. He sighed and shrugged the idea off and just continued to walk before he was stopped again...the idea returned, he looked back to the door and his mind raced with the ideas of food, warmth, shelter for a night, maybe if he's lucky some better clothes from a stranger that felt particularly merciful towards him.
He reluctantly made his way over to the door. It almost glowed in his eyes. It was like the light at the end of the tunnel or an oasis in the desert...or a fire in a desolate ice plain. He stopped a mere foot from the door, raising his hand and balling a fist as he was prepared to knock. He could feel the heat on his face and soon there would be more.
...Only one knock…
...Come on...
…What are you waiting for?...
...
-KNOCK KNOCK-
The noises from inside ceased, so much so that it was almost like no one was there at all. Baskin moved back, feeling that he had made a mistake by knocking, as if he had made a grave error or that he was intruding upon hallowed ground. A shuffling came from behind the door and soon enough it flung open. A large Ailor male stood before him with the door in his hand, dressed head to toe in what Baskin could presume was his holiday best. He looked like the sort of respectable man that one would find working in a shop or managing finances. Before Baskin could continue his assumptions of the man's character, the man called out to him...
"What is it you've come for, boy?"
His tone was stern and to the point, making the boy a bit more nervous than he already was. The boy cleared their frozen throat and spoke as best they could...
"..s..'Scuse me mister, d-don't mean to inter-...interr--up...keep you from your business but...it's so cold tonight and I was h-hoping I could trouble you for some shelter for the night? J-Just for the night sir…"
Baskin's words were strung in such a way that he thought that the man would roll his eyes and close the door in his face. He never asked for things, at least not in this fashion. That business was left to the beggars. But Baskin wasn't among the beggars. He was a dogface, a trash hunter. The man seemed to ponder this a moment, looking off to the side at the street as the wild whipped snow through the air. A sigh left his mouth as a cloud of steam and he looked back at the boy before saying "...Alright, you may come in, but be no trouble." Then he moved aside and held the door open for him
Without a word, Baskin trudged his way back over to the doorway and slowly entered the household. The first thing to hit him was the warmth, oooh the warmth, nothing had ever felt better. For one of the first times in a while, his entire body wasn't completely stiff and frozen.
The second was the smells, a mix of cooked poultry, sweets, and alcohol which seemed to be plentiful on a table next to the fireplace.
'Course above all were the sights of the décor. The entire house was adorned in festive decorations, candles wrapped in holly and the fireplace covered in garland and little candles with ribbons and bells on the bases. It was enough to make him cry in joy. However, his near-shedding of tears was interrupted by a sudden stinging of his cheek
"What an adorable little boy!~"
To his surprise, the one thing he hadn't managed to notice was the great number of people at this 'House Party'. Nor did he notice the young woman standing over him, a large giddy grin plastered on her face as she pinched Baskin's cheek like a grandmother did her grandkid.
Baskin frowned and let out a slight whine, pulling himself away from the woman and rubbing his reddened cheek. The man from the door chuckled as he shut said door, "Leave the kid be Louise. We don't need another one strangled." he jokingly scolded. Louise just huffed and playfully frowned "I was just, saying hello is all."
A laugh came from another room, followed by an Altalar female, almost as tall as the man, coming out with a large cake. "Hah! Yes, 'hello', basically translating to 'Crack their ribs with violent affection'." The woman joked, setting the cake upon the refreshment table.
The rest of the room laughed with one another at the expense of the young woman, Baskin letting out a small giggle of his own, as the girl just huffed again and walked off to another part of the room to speak with a group of ladies.
"Oh don't you mind that hostile hugger there boy, she does that with everyone new" one of the older guests reassured Baskin from a seat, a cane leaning against the wall next to him. He gave a little nod in return with the same small yet nervous smile. The Altalar's gaze moved to Baskin as they frowned at his poor-excuse for layers. "Ah! Dear boy, you must've been freezing out there!" she exclaimed, grabbing a few coats from a closet and going to wrap him up in a particularly large and fluffy frock coat.
"There we are! How's that now?"
The poor boy was definitely warm, but for once in his life he knew what it was like to be TOO hot. "U-Uh...It's definit-" he didn't get a chance to finish as the woman flashed a wide-toothed grin, fluffing up his hair as she walked off "Good! Here, let me get you a warm drink dear"
Baskin just shrugged and looked back at all the rest of the room. It was a comforting sight to see so many people. He glanced over at the man who let him in, watching him tend to the fire as the woman brought him a mug of hot chocolate. The man looked at her with an appreciative grin, giving her a quick kiss before getting up. The young boy winced at the sight, as most young boys would, and looked away to something else but this was interrupted by a hot mug being forced into his hands.
"Here you go, be careful with it now don't burn yourself" the woman replied as his skin was burning against the mug. "T-Thanks…" he offered a pained smile up to her, getting a pleased smile back as she went off to the kitchen.
The night went on slowly, Baskin sat in a chair by the food table drinking his hot chocolate as the room seemed to fill with a few more people. He had been able to make out a simple structure of the family, or what he assumed were from listening in on some ideal conversations.
The two old folks were grandparents, no real way of denying that….
Louise, one of 4 sisters, after overhearing them talking to the other 3 about a Wintertide Ball coming up…
Then finally the Altalar and the Ailor, which were the head couple of the house…
No names as of yet, strange enough. Could have sworn he had heard one of the grandparents mentioning a name but he was likely wrong.
Once the fire was tended and fueled the father stood up and sat in a chair beside Baskin, raising his drink to his lips to take a sip and letting out a low sigh. The boy looked up at him a moment before taking a sip for himself.
"Heh, gave you the big coat huh?" the father started speaking to him. Baskin looked back and gave a slow nod
"Y-Yeah, I'm very grateful for it..but it is a tad warmer then I figured.."
The father chuckled, "Ah it's alright, Sharniu always knew how to make the warmest coats but of course she couldn't help but go all the way could she?"
Baskin chuckled a bit at that remark, "I wouldn't know but I guess I'll take your word for it."
The father smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "Good lad, enjoy the party." Then he got up and walked into the center of the room, calling the room's attention to himself
"Everyone! Your attention for a mo'! Well it's almost midnight and I believe it's time for our family toast wouldn't you say?"
The room all nodded and spoke in agreement, Sharniu exiting the kitchen at that moment to begin passing out the drinks for everyone. Just like clockwork it seemed. Once the woman reached Baskin she smiled down at him and gave him one, something that surprised him seeing as it was a family tradition and he was anything but family. She looked at them with a motherly grin saying, "All flesh is family, hm?" before moving on to pass the last of the drinks out, then took a side by the father.
Though seeing as this particular one conflicted with the hot chocolate, Baskin removed a dirty canteen from his pocket and filled it with the previous beverage before scooting the mug under his seat. With that he looked up to the center of the room as the father began to speak.
"Another Wintertide gone again, and our family having been the best it has ever been. Plenty of food, money, good health. What more could be asked!?"
"A bigger bedroom perhaps?"
Louise commented, resulting in the collective laughter of the room. The father grinned and chuckled a little with them, "Heh, well sure maybe not all of us are…content but, the bulk of us are I reckon and that's what matters!" Sharniu stood close to the man as he continued to bellow.
"Because in the end what are we all, but a family." They held the father's hand, glancing up with a grin. "The spirits have truly brought us good fortune, and we pray that they bring us just as much hereafter!"
"Here here!"
The room cheered and drank, Baskin piping in as well with a little joyful smile on his face and took a few sips. It was a contagious joy and in that moment the little boy forgot all about his hardships and suffering, only the celebration and merriment of his hosts, or rather in his mind, his momentary saviors.
The party soon resumed, the family conversation dominating the room and Baskin, who had now gotten up from his chair to walk about the room some more with his mug in hand, was looking towards the mantlepiece, and the large family portrait that hung upon the wall.
It wasn't anything particularly special at face value, just a painting containing the three main sisters and their parents, all depicted with small smiles on their faces with great attention to detail. However one odd thing that Baskin could not seem to help but notice was that there was a large hole where Sharniu's arms should have been.
Tilting his head to the frankly puzzling instance of strangeness, he was soon passed by one of the grandparents, the grandmother specifically, which prompted him to tap her leg and speak up.
" 'Scuse me mum" he asked in a light inquisitive voice. The elderly woman looked over to him with a shaky grin on her face "Yes my dear?"
"Ya wouldn't happen to know why her arms are gone would ya?" He pointed to the gaping hole in the portrait and the elderly woman followed his fingers up. The elder's smile suddenly left her and she looked downwards in a rather dejected manner.
"Um-...Well…" she sighed and looked down to Baskin with much sadness in her eyes "Well, you see dear, a good few years ago my daughter gave birth to their 4th child. They were very vocal about how much they desired another girl. They were even so confident that when this portrait was painted, they had the little daughter-to-be pre-painted being cradled in her mother's arms." Baskin stood staring at the woman as she spoke, gazing back at the painting for just a moment as the information helped him fill in the blank space a little bit. "Oh..so- it wasn't a girl?" the elderly woman smiled halfheartedly towards him "No, no it wasn't. It was a boy as you said and upon hearing this, everyone was quite furious. My son-in-law especially, who had the painting commissioned."
Baskin winced a little bit as he listened, "Jee wizz…well in that case what happened to the lil guy?"
The elderly woman huffed at his question, looking off to the side a second, "Something I still very much regret my dear. From what I know they left the poor dear out in the cold to freeze. To let nature reclaim what they had obviously misgranted upon them, or so my son-in-law said.."
The boy's face contorted into a hard frown, one that was entirely justified as far as he was concerned. To just leave a child for dead? Just because they didn't get what they wanted? How, how-
"Fecking disgusting, how could they do something so selfish?" Baskin said, feeling a small surge of anger within him. Having come from a very similar situation, he's views upon his 'generous' hosts changed very much.
The elderly woman gave a small nod to his words, "Indeed my dear, I agree it was most cruel. However, what is done is done…the deed is done and we could not change the outcome no matter how much we'd like to."
Baskin let out a sigh and tapped the side of his mug in a melancholy manner. "Yes..I guess you're right...still wish the ending was a bit happier" He said as he looked up to the painting again
"Indeed my dear, I very much would have liked to see him grow." she looked up as well, her face turning up into a small smile and she chuckled. "He had the cutest round face and blue eyes, little bits of brown hair growing. Two left feet though, which was rather odd."
Baskin laughed a little with the elderly woman as she described what she remembered. That was until something started to dawn in his mind. It started a little passing notion...till it returned in full force, growing, growing, growing, till he was left staring off into the distance like a mortar had gone off beside them.
It couldn't
Could it?
Impossible
Is it though?
"..Dear?" the elderly woman asked as she noticed his sudden change in action. Baskin slowly looked at a mirror on the wall to the left of them.
Sure enough-
Brown curly locks,
Shining blue eyes,
Round face
And two
Left
Feet
--SMASH--
His mug shattered upon the wooden floor and in an instant the room went silent. Sharniu and the father rushed over to the boy as the grandmother backed away with a gasp due to the shattered ceramic (Or perhaps she was struck with the same realization).
"Oh my gosh, what was that?! Are you hurt dear?" Sharniu asked in a worried tone as she bent down to check the boy for any marks. Baskin only stared on, soon looking at the mother with a look of total blankness. "All flesh is family, you said that right?"
Sharniu looked at him with confusion, slowly returning a nod "Y-Yes that is what I said"
"Mmm.." the boy huffed, taking off the big coat soon after and dropping it on the floor to land in the spilled contents of the mug
"Wha-" the mother began before Baskin started to speak "My flesh is clearly not welcome"
He then turned away from her and began to walk towards the door without another word. The room's eyes all followed his steps, faint mutters and being heard around before Sharniu exclaimed
"Wait!"
He stopped moving and turned his head back, Sharniu was stepping over with the grandmother now behind her. She bent down again and looked the lad over with eyes wide with surprise "Oh my God, it is you!" she gasped, fighting through a choked voice and backing away just as the grandmother did. "I-I…How.."
"How?...Oh you know...I guess nature just didn't want me back" He retorted, the same blank expression plastered across his face. He looked over at the father, who was standing uncomfortably by the mess Baskin had made prior "I think I've made much trouble tonight. I'll be leaving now. Good night everyone." And without another word he turned and walked out of the house and back into the blistering cold of the night.
As the boy trudged on again, his expressionless face began to crack as tears streamed down his face. He stumbled more and more as he cried and cried, the sorrow of his realization finally breaking out and forcing him to collapse into the drift. "Ah…fuck!." -Sniff- "c-come on!" He sniffled and coughed as he fought to pick himself back off the ground, only making it a few more feet before being brought down once again.
He burst further into tears, the tears freezing up even as they rolled down his face and meshing into the snow as they fell. He curled up instinctively as the bitter cold bit and whipped at his small body. He wished it would just kill him, freeze him, finish what it failed to finish so long ago. But despite its harshness, it was almost like nature was holding back, not willing to go all the way or perhaps feeding off his sorrow and desire to die at the realization of what he had been deprived of.
All around him the wind whipped harder, the snow fell harder, and the sound of caroling echoed from down the street.
Ah, Wintertide. What a special time of the year…
Amongst these was a young Baskin, bundled up in the only 2 layers that he could scrounge up before the year's trash was hauled away. It was like hibernation in a way, find as much as you could before the season changed and all there was to find was whisked away. His little body shivered with every gust of wind as he cursed himself for not getting more layers, especially for not giving up his decorative tea pot for a near-intact frock coat. But there are some things that a boy just cannot part with.
As he walked on he stopped, turning to the sounds of joy and laughter emanating from a house. He stood there staring, a thought simmered in his head. Perhaps? No, they wouldn't, no one would let a dirty unsocialized child into their party. He sighed and shrugged the idea off and just continued to walk before he was stopped again...the idea returned, he looked back to the door and his mind raced with the ideas of food, warmth, shelter for a night, maybe if he's lucky some better clothes from a stranger that felt particularly merciful towards him.
He reluctantly made his way over to the door. It almost glowed in his eyes. It was like the light at the end of the tunnel or an oasis in the desert...or a fire in a desolate ice plain. He stopped a mere foot from the door, raising his hand and balling a fist as he was prepared to knock. He could feel the heat on his face and soon there would be more.
...Only one knock…
...Come on...
…What are you waiting for?...
...
-KNOCK KNOCK-
The noises from inside ceased, so much so that it was almost like no one was there at all. Baskin moved back, feeling that he had made a mistake by knocking, as if he had made a grave error or that he was intruding upon hallowed ground. A shuffling came from behind the door and soon enough it flung open. A large Ailor male stood before him with the door in his hand, dressed head to toe in what Baskin could presume was his holiday best. He looked like the sort of respectable man that one would find working in a shop or managing finances. Before Baskin could continue his assumptions of the man's character, the man called out to him...
"What is it you've come for, boy?"
His tone was stern and to the point, making the boy a bit more nervous than he already was. The boy cleared their frozen throat and spoke as best they could...
"..s..'Scuse me mister, d-don't mean to inter-...interr--up...keep you from your business but...it's so cold tonight and I was h-hoping I could trouble you for some shelter for the night? J-Just for the night sir…"
Baskin's words were strung in such a way that he thought that the man would roll his eyes and close the door in his face. He never asked for things, at least not in this fashion. That business was left to the beggars. But Baskin wasn't among the beggars. He was a dogface, a trash hunter. The man seemed to ponder this a moment, looking off to the side at the street as the wild whipped snow through the air. A sigh left his mouth as a cloud of steam and he looked back at the boy before saying "...Alright, you may come in, but be no trouble." Then he moved aside and held the door open for him
Without a word, Baskin trudged his way back over to the doorway and slowly entered the household. The first thing to hit him was the warmth, oooh the warmth, nothing had ever felt better. For one of the first times in a while, his entire body wasn't completely stiff and frozen.
The second was the smells, a mix of cooked poultry, sweets, and alcohol which seemed to be plentiful on a table next to the fireplace.
'Course above all were the sights of the décor. The entire house was adorned in festive decorations, candles wrapped in holly and the fireplace covered in garland and little candles with ribbons and bells on the bases. It was enough to make him cry in joy. However, his near-shedding of tears was interrupted by a sudden stinging of his cheek
"What an adorable little boy!~"
To his surprise, the one thing he hadn't managed to notice was the great number of people at this 'House Party'. Nor did he notice the young woman standing over him, a large giddy grin plastered on her face as she pinched Baskin's cheek like a grandmother did her grandkid.
Baskin frowned and let out a slight whine, pulling himself away from the woman and rubbing his reddened cheek. The man from the door chuckled as he shut said door, "Leave the kid be Louise. We don't need another one strangled." he jokingly scolded. Louise just huffed and playfully frowned "I was just, saying hello is all."
A laugh came from another room, followed by an Altalar female, almost as tall as the man, coming out with a large cake. "Hah! Yes, 'hello', basically translating to 'Crack their ribs with violent affection'." The woman joked, setting the cake upon the refreshment table.
The rest of the room laughed with one another at the expense of the young woman, Baskin letting out a small giggle of his own, as the girl just huffed again and walked off to another part of the room to speak with a group of ladies.
"Oh don't you mind that hostile hugger there boy, she does that with everyone new" one of the older guests reassured Baskin from a seat, a cane leaning against the wall next to him. He gave a little nod in return with the same small yet nervous smile. The Altalar's gaze moved to Baskin as they frowned at his poor-excuse for layers. "Ah! Dear boy, you must've been freezing out there!" she exclaimed, grabbing a few coats from a closet and going to wrap him up in a particularly large and fluffy frock coat.
"There we are! How's that now?"
The poor boy was definitely warm, but for once in his life he knew what it was like to be TOO hot. "U-Uh...It's definit-" he didn't get a chance to finish as the woman flashed a wide-toothed grin, fluffing up his hair as she walked off "Good! Here, let me get you a warm drink dear"
Baskin just shrugged and looked back at all the rest of the room. It was a comforting sight to see so many people. He glanced over at the man who let him in, watching him tend to the fire as the woman brought him a mug of hot chocolate. The man looked at her with an appreciative grin, giving her a quick kiss before getting up. The young boy winced at the sight, as most young boys would, and looked away to something else but this was interrupted by a hot mug being forced into his hands.
"Here you go, be careful with it now don't burn yourself" the woman replied as his skin was burning against the mug. "T-Thanks…" he offered a pained smile up to her, getting a pleased smile back as she went off to the kitchen.
The night went on slowly, Baskin sat in a chair by the food table drinking his hot chocolate as the room seemed to fill with a few more people. He had been able to make out a simple structure of the family, or what he assumed were from listening in on some ideal conversations.
The two old folks were grandparents, no real way of denying that….
Louise, one of 4 sisters, after overhearing them talking to the other 3 about a Wintertide Ball coming up…
Then finally the Altalar and the Ailor, which were the head couple of the house…
No names as of yet, strange enough. Could have sworn he had heard one of the grandparents mentioning a name but he was likely wrong.
Once the fire was tended and fueled the father stood up and sat in a chair beside Baskin, raising his drink to his lips to take a sip and letting out a low sigh. The boy looked up at him a moment before taking a sip for himself.
"Heh, gave you the big coat huh?" the father started speaking to him. Baskin looked back and gave a slow nod
"Y-Yeah, I'm very grateful for it..but it is a tad warmer then I figured.."
The father chuckled, "Ah it's alright, Sharniu always knew how to make the warmest coats but of course she couldn't help but go all the way could she?"
Baskin chuckled a bit at that remark, "I wouldn't know but I guess I'll take your word for it."
The father smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "Good lad, enjoy the party." Then he got up and walked into the center of the room, calling the room's attention to himself
"Everyone! Your attention for a mo'! Well it's almost midnight and I believe it's time for our family toast wouldn't you say?"
The room all nodded and spoke in agreement, Sharniu exiting the kitchen at that moment to begin passing out the drinks for everyone. Just like clockwork it seemed. Once the woman reached Baskin she smiled down at him and gave him one, something that surprised him seeing as it was a family tradition and he was anything but family. She looked at them with a motherly grin saying, "All flesh is family, hm?" before moving on to pass the last of the drinks out, then took a side by the father.
Though seeing as this particular one conflicted with the hot chocolate, Baskin removed a dirty canteen from his pocket and filled it with the previous beverage before scooting the mug under his seat. With that he looked up to the center of the room as the father began to speak.
"Another Wintertide gone again, and our family having been the best it has ever been. Plenty of food, money, good health. What more could be asked!?"
"A bigger bedroom perhaps?"
Louise commented, resulting in the collective laughter of the room. The father grinned and chuckled a little with them, "Heh, well sure maybe not all of us are…content but, the bulk of us are I reckon and that's what matters!" Sharniu stood close to the man as he continued to bellow.
"Because in the end what are we all, but a family." They held the father's hand, glancing up with a grin. "The spirits have truly brought us good fortune, and we pray that they bring us just as much hereafter!"
"Here here!"
The room cheered and drank, Baskin piping in as well with a little joyful smile on his face and took a few sips. It was a contagious joy and in that moment the little boy forgot all about his hardships and suffering, only the celebration and merriment of his hosts, or rather in his mind, his momentary saviors.
The party soon resumed, the family conversation dominating the room and Baskin, who had now gotten up from his chair to walk about the room some more with his mug in hand, was looking towards the mantlepiece, and the large family portrait that hung upon the wall.
It wasn't anything particularly special at face value, just a painting containing the three main sisters and their parents, all depicted with small smiles on their faces with great attention to detail. However one odd thing that Baskin could not seem to help but notice was that there was a large hole where Sharniu's arms should have been.
Tilting his head to the frankly puzzling instance of strangeness, he was soon passed by one of the grandparents, the grandmother specifically, which prompted him to tap her leg and speak up.
" 'Scuse me mum" he asked in a light inquisitive voice. The elderly woman looked over to him with a shaky grin on her face "Yes my dear?"
"Ya wouldn't happen to know why her arms are gone would ya?" He pointed to the gaping hole in the portrait and the elderly woman followed his fingers up. The elder's smile suddenly left her and she looked downwards in a rather dejected manner.
"Um-...Well…" she sighed and looked down to Baskin with much sadness in her eyes "Well, you see dear, a good few years ago my daughter gave birth to their 4th child. They were very vocal about how much they desired another girl. They were even so confident that when this portrait was painted, they had the little daughter-to-be pre-painted being cradled in her mother's arms." Baskin stood staring at the woman as she spoke, gazing back at the painting for just a moment as the information helped him fill in the blank space a little bit. "Oh..so- it wasn't a girl?" the elderly woman smiled halfheartedly towards him "No, no it wasn't. It was a boy as you said and upon hearing this, everyone was quite furious. My son-in-law especially, who had the painting commissioned."
Baskin winced a little bit as he listened, "Jee wizz…well in that case what happened to the lil guy?"
The elderly woman huffed at his question, looking off to the side a second, "Something I still very much regret my dear. From what I know they left the poor dear out in the cold to freeze. To let nature reclaim what they had obviously misgranted upon them, or so my son-in-law said.."
The boy's face contorted into a hard frown, one that was entirely justified as far as he was concerned. To just leave a child for dead? Just because they didn't get what they wanted? How, how-
"Fecking disgusting, how could they do something so selfish?" Baskin said, feeling a small surge of anger within him. Having come from a very similar situation, he's views upon his 'generous' hosts changed very much.
The elderly woman gave a small nod to his words, "Indeed my dear, I agree it was most cruel. However, what is done is done…the deed is done and we could not change the outcome no matter how much we'd like to."
Baskin let out a sigh and tapped the side of his mug in a melancholy manner. "Yes..I guess you're right...still wish the ending was a bit happier" He said as he looked up to the painting again
"Indeed my dear, I very much would have liked to see him grow." she looked up as well, her face turning up into a small smile and she chuckled. "He had the cutest round face and blue eyes, little bits of brown hair growing. Two left feet though, which was rather odd."
Baskin laughed a little with the elderly woman as she described what she remembered. That was until something started to dawn in his mind. It started a little passing notion...till it returned in full force, growing, growing, growing, till he was left staring off into the distance like a mortar had gone off beside them.
It couldn't
Could it?
Impossible
Is it though?
"..Dear?" the elderly woman asked as she noticed his sudden change in action. Baskin slowly looked at a mirror on the wall to the left of them.
Sure enough-
Brown curly locks,
Shining blue eyes,
Round face
And two
Left
Feet
--SMASH--
His mug shattered upon the wooden floor and in an instant the room went silent. Sharniu and the father rushed over to the boy as the grandmother backed away with a gasp due to the shattered ceramic (Or perhaps she was struck with the same realization).
"Oh my gosh, what was that?! Are you hurt dear?" Sharniu asked in a worried tone as she bent down to check the boy for any marks. Baskin only stared on, soon looking at the mother with a look of total blankness. "All flesh is family, you said that right?"
Sharniu looked at him with confusion, slowly returning a nod "Y-Yes that is what I said"
"Mmm.." the boy huffed, taking off the big coat soon after and dropping it on the floor to land in the spilled contents of the mug
"Wha-" the mother began before Baskin started to speak "My flesh is clearly not welcome"
He then turned away from her and began to walk towards the door without another word. The room's eyes all followed his steps, faint mutters and being heard around before Sharniu exclaimed
"Wait!"
He stopped moving and turned his head back, Sharniu was stepping over with the grandmother now behind her. She bent down again and looked the lad over with eyes wide with surprise "Oh my God, it is you!" she gasped, fighting through a choked voice and backing away just as the grandmother did. "I-I…How.."
"How?...Oh you know...I guess nature just didn't want me back" He retorted, the same blank expression plastered across his face. He looked over at the father, who was standing uncomfortably by the mess Baskin had made prior "I think I've made much trouble tonight. I'll be leaving now. Good night everyone." And without another word he turned and walked out of the house and back into the blistering cold of the night.
As the boy trudged on again, his expressionless face began to crack as tears streamed down his face. He stumbled more and more as he cried and cried, the sorrow of his realization finally breaking out and forcing him to collapse into the drift. "Ah…fuck!." -Sniff- "c-come on!" He sniffled and coughed as he fought to pick himself back off the ground, only making it a few more feet before being brought down once again.
He burst further into tears, the tears freezing up even as they rolled down his face and meshing into the snow as they fell. He curled up instinctively as the bitter cold bit and whipped at his small body. He wished it would just kill him, freeze him, finish what it failed to finish so long ago. But despite its harshness, it was almost like nature was holding back, not willing to go all the way or perhaps feeding off his sorrow and desire to die at the realization of what he had been deprived of.
All around him the wind whipped harder, the snow fell harder, and the sound of caroling echoed from down the street.
Ah, Wintertide. What a special time of the year…
