Memoirs of Les Amis de l'ABC

Chapter Three: The Meeting of a Little Fellow

The city of Saint-Michele was tiny, and the walk to the town square was not long. Cosette inquired about her sister's past favorite spots, but Sybill did not want to disclose that information so easily. Sybill was unsure of whether or not she was going to be able to revisit those locations on her first day back in the town of her poverty-ridden childhood.

"There's a fountain," Sybill finally decided with a small shrug. "It's in a park. No one would go near it when I was little. It's a decent distance."

"Well, we better hurry off then," replied Cosette with a smile. She looped her arms through her sister's which was holding a basket that the girls had that contained some money and some bread.

Together, the two walked the cobblestone path of Saint-Michele towards the fountain. It was clear on the other side of the town making the pair walk near half a league. Cosette would point out buildings, asking if her sister knew them. Usually, Sybill would answer that she did. The ends of Cosette's simple lavender dress nearly dragged across the brick path. Sybill was dressed in a simple maroon dress herself that fell in a straight line down her body. She didn't want them to draw any type of attention to themselves. It was for the best if the pair kept a low profile as they traversed the streets of the little town.

By the clear afternoon, they neared the stone fountain where Sybill was surprised to see a figure sitting there. There were trees which hid the old, run-down fountain from view. Cosette almost asked if they could turn back upon seeing the wooded area although her sister refused.

Currently, she saw a childlike figure staring into the water in a mesmerized state. She looked at a Cosette who now kept determinedly on, and so she followed in her sister's step towards the child looking into the stagnate waters.

"This fountain hasn't actually run for quite some time," Sybill told Cosette in a whisper. The whisper was loud enough to draw the attention of the young boy. He turned towards them and was standing on his feet in a flash. His eyes were narrowed at them in suspicion though they could see his face shift almost automatically once he looked at the pair.

The boy's hair was blonde underneath his cap although it was riddled with dirt and tangles. His blue eyes kept burning an icy stare at them. His pale skin made him look sickly, but even if it did not then his thin appearance would have. The pant and shirt he wore were absolutely torn to rags. However, the boy had been whistling a merry tune while looking into the depths of the fountain that never ran. It was a strange sight for the girls.

"Who are you?" questioned the boy as his whistling stopped. "No one comes here."

"Who are you?" inquired Sybill before Cosette could say anything.

"I'm an orphan," Gavroche said pitifully, choosing carefully the angle he wished to play. "My parents just... They just left me."

"I'm so sorry," Cosette said with true sadness in her eyes and in her tone. "Oh, I am so sorry."

"And now I'm all alone without any money," whined the little boy. He was doing everything in his power to bring tears to his eyes.

"I'll help you," Cosette announced. She turned to Sybill who was holding the basket of their items with the money, but Sybill brought it out of her reach with a shake of her head.

"No, you don't," Sybill protested in a whisper.

"Sybie," started Cosette with clear confusion. "Sybie, he's just a scared little boy."