I Will Hold Your Hand Gently

Chapter 20: Looking For Her Brother

I'll be back home before you know it. So, stay safe until I come back, okay?

"Brother..." the little girl cried in her dream.

Shivering from the cold air inside the jail cell, the little girl could only nestle herself against the corner of the stone wall to keep herself warm. Suddenly, she felt a soft warmness covering her out of nowhere. The little girl slowly opened her eyes and found a coat warped around her. She looks up at a woman sitting across from her, locked in the same cell. The little girl wondered why that woman gave her a piece of her clothing. She also wondered why that woman protected her at the risk of her own life. All of the adults she knew in her life were not to be trusted. They were greedy, vile, and selfish human beings caring only for their desire.

Forced by circumstances beyond her control, the little girl found herself resorting to thievery to survive. Each day was like walking on thin ice, trying not to get caught while stealing as well as trying to keep herself alive. If it wasn't for her brother, she would have been caught ages ago and sent to the gallows for all of her crimes. That's why she was determined to find her brother, but she wasn't expecting to get caught so fast. Her stealing skill must have gone soft after living in comfort with her brother.

She knows no other adults like her brother, and she trusts no adult who isn't her brother. So, who was this woman sitting across from her who gave her a coat to shield her from the cold? Isn't she another selfish adult? Was she also trying to trick her as well? Then why did she help her?

******

I never knew the jail cell would be this cold during the night. I was expecting it to be warmer since it's the festival day. When I get back into the office, I should revise the blueprint regarding the jail cell or have them provide blankets for the prisoner. A cold breeze brushed up against me causing my whole body to shiver. I blew on my hands to keep them warm. This reminds me of when I was getting beaten in the shed for running away from my marriage to Zwei. Well, if I knew it was him I was getting married to, I wouldn't have run away in the first place.

"Why did you do that..."

I was caught off by the soft voice coming across from me. The little girl placed her hand on the coat I had wrapped around her to keep her warm. Her eyes were full of suspiciousness and cautious towards me. I hug my knee to warm up my chest, "Do what?"

"This..." the little girl taps on the coat, "Aren't you cold...?"

"No," I answered despite my teeth chattering, "My side is a lot warmer so I'm good."

"...You're a bad liar," said the little girl as she scoffed at me.

I can't believe a little kid just scoffed at me...!

She peels off the coat and hands it to me without getting up or taking a step towards me, "You can have it back. I don't need it."

"It's fine," I was feeling cold, but she was just a child, "You need it more than me."

"...I don't want to be in debt to others."

I realized that the little girl in front of me wasn't acting like a child her age. Her actions and speech patterns were too mature for her. And if anything, else, I can't help but find her adorable. Her small frame resembled a small, scared kitten ready to attack me with her tiny claw if I were to act suspiciously. I can even see her fuzzy tail going up as she tries to put up a front when she is actually scared and trembling from the cold.

A laughter escaped from my lips, "Truly, I am fine. If you don't to be in debt to me then can you answer a few questions of mine?"

The little girl didn't rewrap herself with the coat, but she nodded at me. I smiled at her, "What's your name?"