Mine Part I

The boy crouched in the corner of an alley, seeking some semblance of shelter from the harsh, frigid winds of the winter. Snow rose and fell in taunting, threatening gusts, finally deigning to land upon the rag clad form, clinging to shaggy, brown hair and chilling his flesh as it melted against him. He drew a tattered, threadbare shawl tightly around his shoulders as he shivered up against the cold, concrete walls of his own, private hell. Not even the tomcats were out in this weather.

But the boy was.

Nameless, faceless, and homeless, he was out alone to suffer through the storm.

All alone.

The only sound to be heard was the faint click, click, click of his teeth chattering. No birds called. No people walked to and fro, chattering aimlessly. No cats hissed and spat and chased the rats. There was just nothingness. A vast, empty expanse of white and gray. A cold, unyielding silence. Nothing.

He raised his eyes to the heavens above, wondering if he would finally freeze to death. It was a wonder he hadn???t already.

The silence was broken then by the steady, mournful cooing of a dove.

Coo-hoo, coo-hoo, coo-hoo.

To the boy it sounded like a steady tattoo of no hope, no hope, no hope.

He fancied it an answer to his previous address to whoever might have been listening. No hope. He wasn???t going to die. He would live.

He would live.

Live???

Was that what this was called? Living? He wondered why no one else seemed to be condemned to this terrible half-life, moving from place to place as a ghost, unseen and unloved. Maybe he really was dead. Dead and condemned.

Had he done something wrong?

He didn???t think he???d been a particularly bad person. Yes, he???d stolen and lied, but that had been out of necessity. He was starving. And freezing. He???d needed the bread and the shawl more than the fat lady in the thick, wool coat did, anyway.

The silence was broken again.

He heard the distinct, rhythmic sound of feet squishing the wet, fluffy snow. A soft, squelching, crunching noise that was drawing nearer.

Who but him would be out on such a cold, miserable day, so cold that even the children dared not go out in the snow to play?

To his utter shock, she turned down the alley, moving towards him.

And she was beautiful. More beautiful than anyone he???d ever seen.

She was tall and lean, with a lovely, hourglass shape. Long, platinum hair whipped about wildly in the wind atop a face of an unearthly white, colored with a pale, rose colored flush from the cold. And her eyes! An icy, sparkling blue. They were shockingly blue. She was dressed entirely in dazzlingly white furs that made her blend hauntingly into the background like a beautiful camouflage.

She clucked her tongue, closing the distance and crouching beside him. Her voice was a beautiful sigh as she crooned, ???Poor, poor dear. You don???t like it here very much, do you???? Without waiting for him to answer, she cupped his cheek in a hand, using the other to stroke his hair. ???No home, no family, no one to love. How very, very lonely you must be.???

He watched her, transfixed. He couldn???t remember the last time someone had spoken to him. It had been even longer since anyone had spoken to him so gently. Her touch and her voice were intoxicating.

???Yes, dear, I know. Bella knows.??? With a sweet smile, she soothed, ???Hush, now, Love. Bella???s going to take you away from all of this. She will take you somewhere special. You will be loved???. Cherished. Never ignored again. Would you like that, Love? Then sleep. Sleep and when you wake you will be in a better place.???

The boy obeyed, leaning against her shoulder and closing his eyes. He mumbled, ??????M I dying????

He was asleep to quickly to catch her reply of, ???Not yet, Love.???