Chapter Text
Pov: Yohi
This damned boy shamed me in front of everyone, and now he's trying to justify why he's right and why lying is bad! As if his tales of cannibals and children drowning in the river don't look like lies to our small town! It was more realistic that she truly did whine, begging all men for /xxxx/, rather than her drowning children in a delusion and crying about it, which is senseless and illogical! It was my first time speaking directly with this lad, and he's already spoiled everything for me!
— Finding pleasure in uncovering people's lies is wonderful, but you, Hio, are hardly going to understand that, you ugly liar! — said the boy with his soft voice, sitting not too far from me and smirking cunningly, happy that he could catch me in a lie and disgrace me, — Your fabrications are very rotten!
"Yes-yes!" — he squeaked even more shrilly, mimicking the voice of a knitted toy bird on his hand. Such toys were usually used in street theaters in bigger towns, where people put the toys on their hands and, controlling their movement with their fingers, performed little scenes.
— My fabrications? — I asked in a gruff tone, shifting my annoyed gaze to the boy's shoulder, as that was all I could see around the corner of the house, — And what about your stories, Oliver? Aren't they absurd? Cannibals and women drowning their own children in the river, in our small town, what nonsense! Perhaps you're a liar too?!
— I never lie, I seek out stories, roaming the town all day, while you just spread baseless rumors! — the boy retorted, stamping his foot and sticking his head out to look me straight in the eye with his one good eye.
Oliver wanted to continue, but at that moment we heard footsteps. At first, we both thought they were just passersby, but then more and more townspeople began to appear, their faces filled with anger and irritation, which was... unusual. We were almost idols in this town! I was considered a gem, given my incredibly handsome appearance, and Oliver, not only blessed with beauty himself, was also seen as the "poor blind child," which he wasn't, but still received affectionate treatment. However, now people looked at us with disdain, it was a new experience for both of us. A group of townsfolk, armed with ropes, knives, and farming tools like shovels, sickles, and pitchforks, surrounded us. Where there was once goodwill and admiration, now there were only angry shouts and threats. Well... we were in trouble...
The townspeople rushed at us, intending to twist our arms and tie us up, but I instantly assessed the situation. Without a moment's hesitation, I grabbed the edge of the roof of the house we had just been sitting by and pulled myself up. I wasn't a strong youth, but my height allowed me to do this, albeit with difficulty. From the roof, I could see the entire town, and I immediately ran towards its outskirts, understanding that the armed people clearly meant me no good.
My interlocutor, shorter than me but more agile, chose a different tactic, as he essentially had no choice. He abruptly darted towards the townspeople, confusing them with his unexpected move. They tried to grab him, but he was too fast. With incredible agility, he slipped between their legs, using his compactness, and dashed through the city streets, creating a small distance between himself and the enraged townspeople.
I ran across the roofs, occasionally looking back to make sure Oliver was managing, but in reality, with every step, the boy was losing speed, or rather, the townspeople were gathering their wits and began to run at him full speed, throwing stones and tools at him. I saw them gradually catching up to him, their angry shouts becoming louder and more insistent. He was so young, and I couldn't allow myself not to help him.
Glancing around, I spotted a low house whose roof was almost as accessible as the one I had managed to climb, and the boy was running towards it. Realizing this was my chance, I slowed down a bit and descended to the very bottom of this roof. My heart pounded in unison with his rapid steps.
— Grab on! — I shouted when the boy approached me, looking at me with hope.
At the moment he grabbed my hand, I felt adrenaline flood my consciousness. The lad's fingers clasped around my palm, and then I forcefully pulled him up to the roof with me. Now we were both here, high above, far from the crowd but not safe, as some had also decided to run across the roofs, hurling objects at us.
We both dashed forward again, and it wasn't so bad, for we were already approaching the tall wall — the town's fence. Getting close enough, I grabbed Oliver by the arm and quickly threw him towards the fence, and thankfully, he managed to grab on. Then I jumped after him, grabbing on as well, but not as adeptly as the little one. I was literally hanging by my fingertips, while the lad had already managed to stand up... I reached out my hand towards him, hoping for help, but he didn't even turn back, just quickly jumped off the wall and fell into the river below, at the base of the low plateau upon which our town stood. Anger and resentment welled up in me so strongly I wanted to throttle him, and, to fulfill this desire, I gathered all my strength and climbed onto the wall, barely avoiding becoming a victim to the hands of the townspeople, who had already reached for my feet.
Casting a fleeting glance over the town, I sighed with sorrow and jumped down. Everything was left behind...
***
We walked down the winding road, from which dust rose with every step, for about an hour, finally getting away from the townspeople. Evening was beginning to fall on the land, but it was still light enough, and the sun beat down on our heads, though not as fiercely as at noon that day. Our clothes were still damp from the river, not even thinking of drying. Despite the beauty of nature around us, tension between us, like a shadow, followed us.
— Your tales were too wild and absurd! — I suddenly blurted out, and the accumulated resentment made my voice sound sharp, — It was your accusations that led us here. You attacked me in the bar, accusing me of lying, and everything went downhill from there!
Oliver stopped abruptly and turned to me. His one eye flared with anger.
— No, it's your fault, Yohi! — he retorted, — You lied. I never lied. People are tired of your lies, your contradictions, and your slander!
"Yeah, tired!" — playing with the bird on his hand, Oliver said in that detestable, squeaky voice, as if mocking.
— And you, you only spoke well of them, huh? — irritated by his mockery, I fiercely asked, — Your stories humiliated the townspeople! They were angry because of that, while my gossip was just harmless mischief! Imagine, I called a woman someone who likes to have fun with men, you claimed she drowned her own children, that's much worse!
— It all happened because of your lies, Yohi. — he stated firmly, unwilling to listen any further, — You misled everyone with your stories, creating chaos and dissatisfaction. I told the truth, opening people's eyes! Your deceitful gossip is what angered the town! I was just caught in the crossfire as "another one who speaks unpleasant things."
I fell silent, feeling Oliver's words hit their mark. My gossip, though it seemed innocent to me, could indeed ignite anger. Accusing husbands of infidelity, I caused couples to argue, and they could uncover the truth through these very arguments. Talking about the dishonesty of some, I infuriated people who knew of their honesty. And I had plenty more examples... However, Oliver wasn't exactly innocent either, no one was happy about their secrets being revealed!
— I'm sorry, — I finally managed to say, — I... I didn't want things to end up this way.
Oliver turned away from me, after which we continued our journey in silence, immersed in thought, and likely our thoughts were similar.
— Where do we go now? — I asked, hoping to lighten the mood, as well as feeling the need to discuss our situation.
Oliver looked thoughtfully into the distance.
— We need to find a new place. — he replied slowly, — A place where no one knows us. Where we can start anew!
— Maybe get to another town? — I suggested, — I don't know where they are, I've never left ours. But if we follow the path — it'll lead us somewhere, paths don't just exist for no reason!
— And then what? — Oliver asked in an extremely pretentious tone, — Continue living as we lived?
— No, we'll start over... without lies and tales... — I replied, but Oli just smirked, seemingly doubtful that I could give up lying.
But there were no other proposals, so we tacitly agreed to it... though what do I care about his tales? We'll reach the town and part ways forever... I'm not planning to keep babysitting him, especially since I'm running low on money. It was a good plan, but the trouble was that evening was upon us. We couldn't possibly walk at night, could we? And what were we to do, there was nowhere to go. No town was in sight and the situation seemed hopeless. It wasn't night yet, but darkness was falling quickly, and sleep was beckoning... and in another couple of hours, exhaustion began to take its toll. Darkness enveloped the world, and my legs were breaking with every step...
— That's it... — I said, stopping. Oliver looked at me, but in the darkness, I could barely see his face expression, — I can't go any further, we need to sleep...
Oliver suddenly sat down on the ground, not even waiting for me to finish, and his head just dropped from his shoulders. He fell asleep in a matter of seconds, is that even possible?
— Oliver? — I said, shaking the boy, but he didn't react, just softly snored. I sighed heavily and, picking up the lad in my arms, carried him to a large oak in the middle of the field. The grass in the field was tall; we shouldn't be noticeable, but we'd surely pick up ticks...
I laid the boy down on the grass near the oak, then carefully lay next to him, looking up. Hoping no acorn would fall on my head while I slept, I closed my eyes and tried to relax. No more warm bed in the parental home, just grass and earth beneath me and the cool night air. Well... home was better, despite all its drawbacks...
***
Pov: Oliver
Warm rays of sunlight falling on my peaceful face woke me up this spring morning. My head was a bit sore, but it was bearable. Opening my eyes, I saw an adult, unfamiliar man standing over us, who had been there for who knows how long, waiting for us to wake up. I was scared, but the man raised his hands to show he didn't have any weapons or anything else that could harm us.
— What are you doing here? Did you sleep here all night? — he asked calmly, offering me a hand to help me get up, and I accepted the help, accidentally waking Yohi as well.
— We... we're heading to a town, we ran away from the last one because... — I started, but suddenly felt a hand on my mouth.
— Sorry, ha-ha! — Yohi said, forcing a smile and laughing, standing between me and the man, — He likes to embellish, imagining himself as some kind of rebellious teenager!
My heart split... it's not true, I never lie, unlike that scoundrel!
— We were visiting relatives, and now we were on our way back to the city from that small town on the plateau, but our driver turned out to be a bad person and, leaving us halfway, took almost all our belongings! — that scoundrel explained, making my stomach ache from such foolish lying, — My brother hasn't eaten since yesterday, and I think his legs still hurt. How far is it to the city, could you tell us, please? We seldom visit that small town, we don't know how much farther we have to go, we are lost!
— Oh, what a nightmare! — the man exclaimed, looking at us sympathetically, — I'm actually coming from the direction of that town, though not exactly from there, I have some food with me, you can eat, and I can give you a lift! — he kindly said, pointing to his horse-drawn wagon.
— Oh, really? Thank you so much, kind sir, how much do I owe you? I have a little with me, but maybe you could take pity? — the brazen liar almost cried, as if manipulating the already kind man, praising his kindness and offering money in return.
— Ha-ha, no need for that! — the man said in a slightly awkward tone, starting to head back to his wagon, — Let's hurry, it's still an hour and a half drive to the city. Good thing I saw you, you would have worn out your feet here!
— Thank you so much! — Yohi overacted, holding his hands in front of him clasped as if praying for the man's kindness.
The man and the liar walked to the wagon, and I, for lack of a better option, accepted the deceitfully obtained ticket for the ride. It seems I'll have to join this lie for now...
The man took his place right in front of the horses, while we sat in the wagon itself, among much hay and a couple of empty baskets. Turning to us with a "Help yourselves" he handed over a bag, then gently whipped the horses with a rope, and they began to move. My so-called "brother" opened the bag and took out some white bread and a couple of vegetables, then handed some to me before taking some for himself.
— You're a liar... — I whispered, fearful the man might hear. I was genuinely hungry from the long walk, not wanting to have the food taken away and be left in the middle of the road again.
— And what do you propose? Tell the truth? Would he take to his town those who were banished, if you can even call it banishment, that is! — the boy whispered back, slightly furrowing his brow at my accusation.
— I'm not a liar! — I grumbled angrily, raising my hand with the bird on it and pecking, albeit softly, at the guy's nose with its beak, causing him confusion, which later turned into a cunning smirk.
— So, what are you saying now, the truth?
— Yes! — I responded a bit louder, after which Yohi again covered my mouth with his hand, turning to the man, but he did not react.
— Shut up... — the boy hissed at me harshly, looking at me with hatred. Well... it's the best thing to do right now... when I eat, I'm deaf and mute, after all.
We continued our journey in peace, enjoying the bread and vegetables... it wasn't the best food, but it was something, especially since I loved the loaf of bread we had. After breakfast, I just lay down on the soft hay and decided to rest... it was an hour and a half to the city, and there was nothing to do here. It would be easier to just sleep during this time... yes, I had just slept not more than half an hour ago, but I had no other options. Yohi understood this too and, clutching his own bag more tightly, lay down at the other end of the wagon...
The summer sun shone terribly strong, warming me, which made it difficult for me to sleep, but, still, I managed to fall asleep, so time passed quickly, and upon waking, I could already hear the voices of people and the clopping of hooves. Rubbing my eyes, I slightly raised myself and saw the wall of the town... people were milling about inside, and outside too. Rising a bit, I saw that the man who had given us a lift had stopped the horses and climbed down from his seat.
— Oh, you're awake! — the man said with a smile, looking at me and then turning to Yohi. He gently shook him by the shoulder, waking Yohi up, who groaned tiredly, — Time to get up! We're in the town!
— Oh! — Yohi exclaimed, jumping up quickly, — Thank you! It's not far to our home, we can walk from here! Thank you very much, may God protect you!
— May He protect you too! — the man replied, nodding slightly. Yohi almost immediately stood up and, grabbing my hand, we ran straight into the town.
We didn't run long, just a couple of minutes, then stopping in some alleyway to catch our breath and looking at each other. Yohi opened his bag and took out a small, jingling pouch. Taking a couple of silver and bronze coins from it, he tossed them at me, and I caught them with my right hand.
— Goodbye... — he said, abruptly turning around and heading towards the alley exit.
— Wh-what?! You're just going to leave me?! — I asked in confusion, grabbing the guy by the hand with both of mine and digging my feet into the ground, but he was taller and stronger, I could hardly hold him back, — But... but where will I go? I'm 12!
— Look for a shelter for the homeless children... I don't have money for you, I don't even know how long I'll last myself! I can't take you with me, you're just a burden... and we're not friends, we're just united by circumstances. — Hio harshly replied, pulling his hand away from mine but turning to talk to me.
— You... It's because of you I'm here, I would still be in my hometown, where I was loved by people! You should take responsibility for your actions! You apologized, so you admitted your guilt! — I exclaimed, angry at Yohi. Yes, we had our differences, but he was now obliged to take care of me, he was at fault for the fact that now I can't peacefully wander through my hometown!
— Yes, I'm guilty, but I still believe you were at fault too! They were chasing you, wanted to harm you too, so you share the blame for what happened! — Yohi answered, turning around again, — Do what you want, but I'm not taking you with me... goodbye...
Well... I left the alleyway following him and, grumbling "goodbye" resentfully, went in the opposite direction. I had no intention of going to a home for homeless children, I had enough of living with pig-like kids, their manners leave much to be desired, they would definitely take James — my toy bird on the hand, rip off my bandages and laugh at my burns and wounds... better to be homeless than that...
