The Lost Scholar

CHAPTER: 02

THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE

Gabriel stood outside of his church while his mother spoke with the priest and other members of the community. To his surprise, almost everyone was normal after such a gruesome event. They probably were used to that by then, however, no sane person could tolerate such a level of dehumanization. Like it or not, this wasn't right and paranoia was just adding salt to the injury. Humans have no right to kill, unless it is the ‘devil's seed' they must destroy any traces.

The humiliation after death was the most savory of the execution. it felt like a scare tactic, a reminder of what will happen if you ever cross the line with God. “Wasn't God merciful?” Gabriel asked softly.

He stared at the girl hanging in the gallows. He would gladly take her out of that situation and dig a proper grave for her or anyone who has been through this morbid situation. He realized it would be awhile till they take her down, at least till she rots and the sight or the smell is too much to tolerate. He will have to stalk the body carriage every night till he goes to pick her up. She wasn't one of the first to die under such wild accusations. He can't really imagine someone like her to be evil, her heart had none space for it no child had, mischievous acts perhaps, but he can't think of her as accepting the devil. If he is truly as frightening as they depict him to be then Gabriel had no problem running from him.

He never knew this girl. But he can be sure she would have been playing with dolls or playing with her friend unless she was like him and had none. Maybe she was questioning too much about what she believed in. Now he thought of it he never seen her in town at all. “Was she a hermit?” Gabriel wondered.

He needed to investigate. He didn't really know why, maybe to calm his nerves. “Mother,” he spoke and turned to her, tugging at her black skirt. “Who was that girl? The one that's...”

“Amelia the lost child, as they dubbed her. She lived down the road of the plaza. Her family owns an inn. Don't you remember her, she used to come to our clinic for treatment?”

“I honestly never seen her before,” he answered honestly.

“Well, you work the entire day with me in, I suppose you don't really have time to act like a child. Have the day to yourself,” his mother smiled. She may be strict about her job and her believes but she was a doting mother to him and a lot of children she delivered.

“I'll be back by supper, Mama.” He gave her a big hug and ran out into the snow to find the inn his mother spoke of.

After finding it he walked in, it was full of travelers buzzing with life and cheers. Seems they were pretty used to this thing or they are ignoring the sore thumb in the middle of the plaza, like most of the locals do. No one else minded the plague of rats walking amongst them. It disgusted him.

Gabriel noticed a man drinking by himself in the back of the room. He was sulking in his own sorrow. He wore a cloak to hide his entire physical form the only clue to who this man were his eyes, hidden behind tinted glass, unlike Gabriel’s that were transparent and slightly scratched. He looked down at Gabriel and then back to his glass of what he assumed was adult juice. “What is it, kid? Shouldn't you be out playing?”

“Shouldn't you not be sulking the entire morning?” Gabriel spat back. locking eyes with the strange drunk. He didn’t look too happy Gabriel actually sassed him. “Back off, boy. I have my problems to deal with.” He didn't want to be bothered, Gabriel knew this, but he continued to pester him. “What happened? Is it fixable?”

“A child will never understand what an adult is going through, no adult understands what it's like. I suggest you go out and play with your other friends.” The man stared down at his red beverage hunching over the table.

“Well, you and I have two things in common, we have a problem that's eating away our humanity and no one has the sympathy to help, and we have no friends,” Gabriel reasoned and crossed his arms. He sort of enjoyed bothering a stranger for no particular reason.

The man looked at Gabriel and squint his eyes in contemplation before he asked, “what makes you assume I have none.”

“For one, you're all alone, you smell terrible and you're literally avoiding everyone that come close to you,” Gabriel answered and the man’s eyes widen slightly. “...You're too smart for your well being…” the drunk finally answered and looked back down at his empty glass.

“Is it a bad thing…?” Gabriel felt somewhat self-conscious about his existence and annoyance. “To this society it is,” The rough-looking man said, he lifted his arm to alert the wench he wanted another god awful drink. “I can guess you get in trouble a lot.” The man added. The wench approached them with five small glasses with the same drinks he had.

“Not really. Usually I'm helping mother delivering babies, so I barely have time to do anything outside my home,” Gabriel said as he looked at the wench. Her black hair was ugly and greasy, and her face had many imperfections. She looked down and glared daggers at the child. Gabriel shrunk back.

“Hey!” The little boy snapped towards the stranger who sucked the glass of its liquid. “I asked How Old Are You?”

“O-oh… I’m.. I’m seven years old...” Gabriel whispered. He ducked his head till the wench left the table. “I suppose you feel weird talking?” The child felt awkward, and he fiddled with his small fingers to give himself a task. “Slightly. You are mature for your age. I feel embarrassed honestly. What's your name, kid?” What an odd thing to say, normally many people didn’t take Gabriel seriously. “Gabriel, Gabriel Amesthyn. Son of Midwife Grizelda Amesthyn, and Johan Amesthyn.”

“That Gabriel, huh? Named after an archangel…” The stranger seemed lost in thought. He took a sip of his drink making a sour face. Seems to Gabriel like he's not that good handling his liquor. “Interesting.”

“Yes, it would seem my mother chose that name for me…”

“Do you like your name?”

“I— yes. Do you have a name?” He never really thought about his own name, he didn't think it mattered at this point.

“My name is Roy, Roy Firestorm. I gave myself my name because I hated the fact they named me after a saint. Never let them tie you down and never be afraid of them.” Gabriel was astonished honestly. He didn't know others thought of this lifestyle the same way he did. But he is an adult, and he doesn't depend on anyone but himself. Gabriel is just a child, he couldn't survive on his own. “Don't be sad kid, never be afraid of what anyone may think of you. Now get out of my sight I am sick of looking at you.” Gabriel felt attacked with that last statement but he nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Firestorm,” said Gabriel before he walked away to find the owner of this facility, the innkeeper.

The innkeeper, was standing behind his desk sulking. Gabriel approached the desk and asked, “excuse me, sir? Are you the father of Amelia?” It startled the man at the question and felt the need to hide, the boy could tell he was fidgeting in his chair. “Are you here to tell me she is an abomination of the devil? Sorry, but I have no time to--”

“No, sir. I wanted to ask, who was she? I never really met her. So, I thought since we might have both been alone...” The man calmed down, he then looked at one wench, the same ugly woman from before. “Grace.” She responded by almost dropping her treys. “Take over for me,” said the innkeeper walking up the stairs, Gabriel followed.

The man walked to the third floor; It was where the owners lived. He opened a door to a room; the room was delicate and white. The blankets, the pillow covers and the curtains were crochet with a story to tell with intricate details, one rag doll sat by her dresser next to a basket with balls of yarn, it was a room for a normal girl. The only thing standing out of the ordinary in the room was the raven gawking outside her window.

“She was a very ill girl. She couldn't go out, he couldn't make friends with anyone due to her frailness.”

“What did she have?”

“She was always sick. The cold hurt, she progressively got worse with hallucinations and headaches. She couldn't hold her food down, the Sunlight bothered her so much. Later on, her skin bruised and broke into hives. Since she couldn't leave her room, she made her own friends.” His eyes water when he told him about her.

“But, no doctor could help…?”

“Even your parents were at a loss... We left her in the hands of God only for him to take her away,” he sobbed he grabbed one of her dolls and held it close to his tear-stained face. This man has suffered too much for his daughter. “She was a nice kid. The only thing she wanted to do that didn't harm her was to sew. She was great at crafting and bringing her friends to life, and all the church saw was the devil possessing her and thought she was a witch. They wanted evidence, and they demanded that she produced her diary...”

“Where is this diary…?” Gabriel asked.

“She said she never had one to begin with. But they called her a liar, and they confused her bruising with the devils mark and took her away...” The father of the lost child responded.

“...So the church rushed into accusations…?” Gabriel asked in a hush. The innkeeper nodded, sobbing quietly. “They came in and took her out into the snow and executed her in the middle of the night.”

“But there's supposed to be a trial for such accusations. Something's not right…” Gabriel was now swimming in a sea of doubts and contradictions. The most harm she did was probably prick her finger and bleeding on her first crochet. “And you said she was getting sicker…?”

“Yes, she recently turned blind. She told me this doll will help her see,” he said. He showed Gabriel the pretty doll, and he held her gently. The doll had beautiful pink eyes and blue curly hair. Her skin pigment was dark almost like the night sky. Her dress was elaborate, using a strange silver fabric that shifted in the light. In his opinion, if he could, he would love to give the doll a home. He looked up at the innkeeper and said, “sir, did anything else happened before she died? Maybe something odd?” Gabriel handed the doll back.

“... Y-yes. After a few months of being stuck in her room, she had one raven as a pet. She would take care till she invited more in. The day the church came I was asleep.” The grieving man propped the doll on her dainty feet over the dresser.

“Ravens…?” This was getting weird. “Yes.” The Innkeeper walked out of the girl’s room, Gabriel looked around the room noting what he saw before he left.

“It's such a shame you weren’t friends, but I feel as though you would suffer if she died.”

“I bet she would have been my best friend in the entire world,” Gabriel smiled before he added. The innkeeper smiled back. The boy thought perhaps that was the only gesture of kindness he ever received.

Gabriel, after he exhausted his questions left the inn, as he walked down the path back to his home the boy spotted the spirit of the girl of the other night. The Sun rays bended through her glass body and she emitted a rainbow aura. Gabriel's dark and muddled eyes widened, she looked similar to those fairies from the stories his father used to read to him. He didn't want to approach her for he didn't want her to break and vanish.

“It's...it's you!” Gabriel whispered, thinking if he spoke too loud the spirit would run away. She turned around and floated off, Gabriel follow suit dodging every obstacle in his way. He didn't know where she was going but he had nothing to lose if he tried to find out.

What surprised the little Amesthyn was the fact no one else could see her, despite how much she stood out in comparison with the rest of the world around her, especially with the fact she was floating and facing through everything in her way. To Gabriel’s demise he crashed with a carriage face first. The unlucky child landed on his backside groaning in pain. Little Gabriel stood up and looked for her again but she was long gone. “... Where did she go…?” he asked softly.

“Are you all-right, boy?” Gabriel looked back, seeing a woman wearing a burgundy gown and matching hood. “Y-yeah I’m okay.” He didn’t feel comfortable around her, she had a body similar to those girls who hang around the brothel. The woman had a silver smile and long, long dark silky smooth hair, signifying she took care of herself.

“What were you running away from that you thought you could face through my carriage?”

“I honestly forgot… Maybe I hit my head too hard…” Gabriel rather keep it a secret till it deemed wise to spill his tea.

“I can see that,” the beautiful woman giggled. She used a handkerchief to wipe the blood off the boy’s red nose. “You should be more careful. You could really get hurt running around aimlessly…” She smiled and walked away.

Gabriel Shivered. She did not feel like a normal woman. She had an air of class and luxury, adorned with gold and rubies. The child was grateful she was kind to him, he honestly was. With the stories he heard and what he witnessed, this random act of kindness was a blessing.

The tiny Amesthyn vaguely remembers something as he searched aimlessly for the spirit, the bible says once someone dies they cease to exist. He stopped once he made that realization. If that were the case, then what did that meant for the son of god, and what of the holy spirit. Unless Gabriel was projecting her because he had a guilty soul, but he met her after death and did not know of her existence till she hung for crimes she never committed.

Gabriel returned home thinking his mother could explain what plagued his little mind. Instead of his mother offering a hello and a warm welcome back, screams greeted him in the clinic.

A brave woman was bringing another child into this world. Gabriel hurried into the labor room to help his mother. The girl giving birth look no less than fifteen, her voice, facial features and body type wasn't mature like other women who come here. She had no ring on her finger, and to make matters worse, her stomach was too small for a full-term child. Gabriel was not ready to help deliver children, but he was an excellent supporter for those women that walk in alone, so, he stood beside her and brushed her hair away from her face. The little boy held her hand already used to the mighty grip.

“Helga, child, breath. Push,” his mother instructed, but it seems she was in distress and she couldn’t hear anything around her.

“I-I can’t do this..!” she yelled, repeating it over and over till her gross sobbing took over. “Helga, you're doing great. I can already see the baby’s head.” His mother encouraged the girl.

Gabriel felt something shift in the atmosphere. The boy looked beside him and a tall man wearing a glossy leathery hood stood near him. The young boy definitely never seen this man before, he could be the father of this child. “Mom, who is he?”

“Not now, Gabriel!” his mother shouted, her hands were bloody and covered in fluids. The midwife looked nervous, something was definitely wrong. The soon to be a mother was hysterical but after several more pushes, her babe slid out and into Grizelda’s hands. The new born's skin was blue and its umbilical cord coiled around its neck; it was premature, tiny and thin.

Grizelda was trying to save the child, but it was already dead by the time he finally came out.The mother was unresponsive and hemorrhaging. It's not the first time the mother and child died during birth. This kind of work is difficult, and he admires every single woman who goes through this process. She had seen it all in this labor room, she even induced abortions for the safety of the woman's life and for that, her glass heart developed a protective shell of steel.

Startled by the man's sudden disappearance, Gabriel pleaded to his mother. “Mom…”

“Go to your room Gabriel…”

“M-mom I… There was a man here…”

“Gabriel, go to your room. A child shouldn't even see this atrocity…” Grizelda mourned quietly. She felt at fault she couldn’t at least save one. Knowing well enough there were no room for arguments, the child retreated to his room.

"Father, where art thou…?" Gabriel asked softly as he opened the door to his room. He gasped as ravens plagued his small room. "ow..? How did you all get in?" They were just there, doing nothing but croaking. He didn't know how to get them out without them pecking him to death.

The little Amesthyn made brave steps inside his room. All were observing him as if they were happy he returned home. “A-are you going to leave soon…?” he asked. Probably they understood him. “I... I can’t feed you... I don’t…” He trembled, the whole day was nothing but strange. There was too much on his mind to grasp. He didn't want to bother his mother, his father wasn't around to help him, and he couldn't do anything by himself. Ravens are normally harmless but this was already an abnormality.

There was a single raven poaching an egg in a nest made of ripped book pages in the middle of the room. She was rather larger by comparison. She looked at Gabriel and he stared back, gulping down his fear. She croaked, the other birds croaked as well and flew around the tiny room surrounding Gabriel. He jolted to the door, but the door closed with a loud slam. He ran to the window and tried to pry it open.

The frightened soul whined and grabbed anything heavy to break the window and jump out. It scared Gabriel out if his mind; he was crying and frantically trying to escape his room and failing. The murder pinned the small boy onto the ground. One by one, each pecked at his clothes till he was nude. Gabriel was fighting them off his small hands. “Please…! Stop! Mom!! Mom!!” he shouted for his mother. His throat breaking with each piercing shriek. They pecked at his skin,;ripping off the flimsy flesh. the pain was and will be the strongest he ever felt. They pecked his nose; he overwhelming scent of carrion was present in their beaks. They pecked at his ears, Gabriel could hear every single detail enhanced into an ear-splitting tone. They pecked at his eyes, finally loosing sight of everything. Gabriel continued to scream. This is his punishment for ever doubting God. He knew this, he accepted his demise and prepared for the nine gates journey in hell through a fiery pit.