frost

The little beggar ran away and hid in the darkness of the storm. After he left, three delicate snowflakes slowly rose from the bedroom door, following the little beggar through the hole. After the three flakes had left, the ice in the store began to melt. Just as quickly as it freezes, so does the world of ice.

The soldiers shouted loudly to get out of the store, so far, no one dared to enter. It was not until noon the next day, when the officers of the soldiers gathered fifty men to break the door, that they found the drugstore owner, who had long been frozen into a Popsicle, and the small hole in the wall in the toilet.

Small beggars cover hands, in the narrow lane shuttle. These dirt roads, which normally only mice would pass, allowed him to escape the snowstorm in the street outside. The bread in my bosom was already frozen to stone and stuck to my skin, bringing me blood

Also solidified like cold.

But the smell, it's still so strong.

The little beggar swallowed his saliva and stopped biting the bread. The rest of the food will carry him through tomorrow, so there can be no extravagance. Now he would go back to his nest at once, hide his bread, and hide himself like a hamster that stores grain. Yes, he must go back at once, before the storm kills him.

Cha...

At a t-junction, the little beggar stopped.

He looked at the two roads before him. One of them leads to his own nest, the place he calls home. Just cross the path a little further and you'll reach the bridge.

But there was another way to the alley where the woman and the baby were. I once said, will take medicine to her.

The little beggar thought for a moment and walked home without hesitation. Come to think of it, he even regretted his irrational promise. What does that woman have to do with herself? Why should he risk his life to fetch her medicine? Her daughter died of illness, and she was only to blame for her lack of protection as a mother. You can't blame yourself for not helping.

Besides, he didn't get the medicine. Now go back, just watching the baby girl die, nothing to do. And what's more important is that...

The little beggar looked at the bread in his arms, his eyes shining as fiercely as a wild dog guarding its food. Now go back, the woman may come to grab her bread. Who CARES if you helped yourself when your life was in danger? After all, he's an adult. He might kill himself and take the food.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt he had made the right decision. With his back to the direction of the girl, he strode faster and faster, faster and faster...

The three snowflakes did not follow the little beggar around. At that t-junction they floated out from behind the little beggars. These snowflakes seem to be hesitating what, in that t-junction constantly wandering, seems to be hesitating should continue to follow the small beggar, or back to the master's side?

As the little beggar's figure in the alley gets smaller and smaller, snowflake seems determined. After circling in the air, they hurried to where their master was and abandoned the little beggar.

The foot, step on the snow, squelching sound.

The little beggar had come to the end of the alley, and through the street outside he could see the bridge and the hole under it. But somehow, he was about to take the road home, but stopped there, did not take for a long time...

Women holding babies...

The snow dyed the woman's cloak white...

Baby crying...

Little face with a high fever...

And then there is little girl slowly, slowly, stopped breathing.

Is it an illusion? Why do you see such scenes?

The little beggar didn't know.

Reason told him to go home at once. But no matter how his reason persuaded him, his steps could not be taken. As if the frozen world, the little beggar, also frozen there.

Night, deeper.

In such a storm, that women and girls must not make it through tonight...

Unconsciously, the little beggar raised his hands slowly. He looked at his fingertips, where the shopkeeper's blood had crystallized. But somehow he remembered a feeling...

He touched the baby girl to help feed her.

He, feeling the warmth of the baby girl, knew she was feverish.

On the tips of his fingers, on the ten fingers that were almost numb with cold and even covered with blood clots, he felt a faint warmth...

...

............

...............

Snow, falling.

The small lane leading to the street, but there are no small beggars. Street, piled up snow to form a large carpet, perfect, stretching away into the distance...

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Why... ?

As they took their steps, the little beggar kept asking himself why. He couldn't find the answer and was ashamed of himself. This is not what a man who wants to live ought to do. He ought to go into his little nest now, and put on that old blanket, and bear it till sunrise tomorrow. Instead of letting his feet run so fast and go where he should never have gone!

The figure of the little beggar in the alley shuttle, his physical strength has been exhausted a lot, even some out of breath. But he did not stop, little by little. Instead, he ran faster and harder. There was a vague fear in his heart. He did not know what he was worrying about, but in front of his eyes the little girl's burning face was still hanging there. What does it mean for a newborn to have a high fever? Don't have to say.

"Ha... Ha... Ha... Ha..."

Finally, he arrived. The little beggar was standing on the wall at the corner of the alley, dragging his body to the inside. His eyes anxiously looking for here, he opened the trash can, through the mouse straggling gutter, move down inside.

No.

Snowflakes, flying here. But the woman and her baby had disappeared, leaving only the place where the woman had sat, where the snow lay in disorder.

"Ha... Ha... Ha... Ha............ Whew... "

The little beggar straightened up. His remorse for his reckless again. The woman had already gone, and she was an idiot herself, running to a place like this where no one was there. Now, should be able to give up, also can go back.

The little beggar let out a long breath. He brushed the snow off his head and stood up straight. He turned...

A sword, silently held his throat.

The sharp edge of the sword made him feel an ice colder than a snowstorm! With the presence of the sword, a huge palm slammed against his mouth, dragging him backwards into the back of the alley...

The fear of death reappeared, and things came so suddenly that the little beggar could not even think of a solution! In the twinkling of an eye, he was pulled into a corner of the alley by the hand. At the same time, a young male voice, suddenly from behind him --

"Boy," keys "have come? Say! Where is he now? !"

It sounded like a man in his twenties. He lock the little beggar's hand like the strongest chains, let he couldn't move.

As the beggar struggled to figure out what to do, a familiar voice echoed from behind him.

"Byron, wait!

The sound was followed by footsteps. Then a young woman with a baby in her arms and a cape came around from behind, and when she saw the little beggar's face, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "byron, he's not the man with the keys. The boy I told you about."

The young man breathed a sigh of relief and slowly began to move away from the blade, which he held against the beggar's throat. At the moment when his blade just moved away, the little beggar broke free from the other's bondage and quickly jumped forward a few steps to escape!

"Boy, you are not the 'key' man, but please stay here a little longer."

The young man stretched out his hand and grabbed the beggar by the back of his neck with ease. The little beggar fell on the snowbank, although not too painful, but the heart of the warning is more serious.

Now, he can clearly see the person in front of him. He was a handsome swordsman, probably about twenty-two or thirty years old. He was dressed in rags and stained with blood and dust, but the fine workmanship and gold buttons were a mark of distinction.

But perhaps the most striking thing about him is not his clothes, but his waist. There were two scabbards at his waist, one of which was out, and the precious sharp blade was in the man's hand. But the sword in the other scabbard was locked in so many chains that it seemed impossible to pull it out. The shape of the handle is also very strange. The pattern on the hilt looks like a human skeleton, with a small round hole in the center. And the man in the hands of the decorous decent sword formed a sharp inverse contrast.

The woman holds the baby and stands very close behind the man. The man took a good look at the little beggar and looked at the woman with slightly puzzled eyes. After getting the woman's nod, he put away his sword.

"Has anyone come up in the meantime?"

The man took a paper bag from his chest and opened it. Inside are delicious little cakes. The seductive fragrance floated into the little beggar's nose, making his not too full stomach growl.

The woman saw the little beggar's stomach cry, she smiled, took out a cake and handed it over. But the little beggar did not take it, he just holding the half of the frozen bread in his arms, watching the two men warily.