Silver mittens (🎄BibleBuild Xmas AU🎄)

one

It's the day before Christmas, and the pastry shop is full of people — you can't get through this crowd. People who did not have time to stock up on gifts for their loved ones and sweet treats for themselves besiege showcases with cupcakes, stollen, gingerbread and marzipan.

"The most profitable time, boy!"

The mustachioed master with the smile of a Cheshire cat, winks at his young employee, a nineteen-year-old Bible. Four months ago, he needed at least some work. Studying and living in Cologne, with scanty help from his parents, did not come cheap. And although the position of an apprentice pastry chef did not promise fabulous income, there was enough for the most necessary things, and the warmth, comfort and special smells of this place gave hope for better times. Or at least they could cheer up on a bad day.

Bible, smiling, nods, but barely turns his gaze to the glass doors — the smile is gone.

He's been stuck here for more than two hours...

The fact is that outside the doors, in the real December snowstorm gaining strength, a boy is standing for the third hour in a row. He looks about ten or twelve years old. Funny, with pinkish ears, white headphones on his head, cheeks red from the frost and a button of a nose, and also his hands, cold without mittens, from which he constantly holds the phone.

What do you want here?

Although, of course, Bible can guess.

After waiting until there are fewer customers, under some absurd pretext, Bible throws a jacket over a red-green work apron and goes outside. Without any unnecessary ceremonies he addresses the freezing boy in German:

"Hey. Where are your parents?"

The child does not react without taking his eyes off the phone screen.
And here Bible notices another oddity: the screen is completely dark. The boy is not stuck on some toy in the phone, and there are no sounds of music coming from the headphones.

"Uh..." Bible takes out a small denomination bill from his jacket pocket, "here, take it. A little, of course, but... you're probably hungry..."  the guy mumbles being very confused.

Here the boy looks up at him with his eyes — dark and round, like two black grapes.

"I'm not a beggar," he replies in pure Thai.

Aww… Well, wow!

"Uh... oh... okay," Bible switches to his native language, shrugging his shoulders and still holding the banknote in his hand, "but maybe you don't have money for a trip and you can't get home?"

The child shakes his head:

"I have money, why are you bothering me?"

"Otherwise,"  the guy takes off his snow-covered glasses, -"a little more and my master will call the police."

"Let him call! I'm not going anywhere!"

"You don't have to hang around here. It's late, it's not safe outside. Where are your parents?"

The next few seconds make Bible, if not regret his words, then certainly experience embarrassment on the verge of shame, because the boy's eyes fill with tears, and he begins to rub them with cold fists.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing, kid?" Bible automatically touches his elbow — a simple reaction with the desire to comfort by the touch and show that he wants to help, "what's wrong with you? Tell me, don't be afraid."

The child swallows tears and, stuttering, blurts out:

"I-I... m-mm... w-wai-t-t-ing... f-for m-my m-mom,  and-d she d-doesn't c-come b-back..."