Chapter 7. The Name
The faint chirping of birds entered through the small window at the top of the basement wall and a slim ray of sunshine through it as well. The ray of light promptly ended on the young boy's tired face as he lay on a simple bed.
Unable to ignore the light from disturbing his sleep any longer he opened his eyes, wincing as he realized the folly of opening them up in direct sunlight.
Giving a tired grunt the boy leaned up in the bed. His hair was a perfect image of craziness after a rough night of sleeping.
Unused to sleeping on a mattress he found it strangely different compared to the piles of garbage and stone he used to sleep on in the alleys of the town.
Taking a glance around at what he knew to be his newly acquired room he smiled to himself at the prospect of having a living space.
The simple room had floors tiled with wood and neatly carved cobblestone walls trapping the cool air in the room. There was a simple wooden desk to the side of the bed and a standalone closet next to it.
For what he thought to be a luxurious housing arrangement provided by the church he would later find out is a standard, sometimes lowly, living situation of the lower middle class.
His ignorance allowed him to feel elated at the sight of the room he sat in and began to think about the events of the day before.
Where he had woken severely beaten and bruised, slowly making his way to the church he found food, a bed, and healing. The bed was a bonus that he had not expected but was grateful to receive.
Remembering what elderly Sister Isha said the night before, he slid off the side of the bed and slipped into shoes provided for him.
Feeling the unnatural nimbleness of his body he had never felt this healthy and energetic before. He knew this to be from the healing waters he had bathed in. The priest, Father David, had told him the water had special healing properties and had the Ocean God's blessing upon it.
He did not know much about the Ocean God but knew he had him to thank for the rejuvenated body.
Opening the door of his room he was welcomed to the sight of a long hallway with similar style to the room with its wooden floors and neat cobblestone walls. The hallway was lined with rooms similar to his in size and layout and were all confirmed to be empty of any occupancy.
Heading up the stone stairs at the end of the hallway he was met with another wooden door, he slowly opened to a sunlight hallway filled with stained glass.
Looking one way he could see the cafeteria lunchroom he had dined in the night before. The opposite path leads to several other rooms and a doorway to the outside gardens.
Walking down the stained glass windows he headed towards the kitchen. Smelling the sweet aroma of food cooking he opened the hinged door and was greeted by the sigh of elderly Sister Isha, who was once again cooking for the church members who lived here.
Already sitting at the table and eating breakfast were the three younger nuns, the twins Maya and Mia, and the self-proclaimed triplet of the two, Diane.
Finding himself in an awkward position he didn't know how to properly walk into the room and stood there without knowing what to do.
The internal battle of his awkwardness and lack of etiquette led to him just standing there in a daze until Isha happened to turn around to welcome the young boy standing by the door.
Noticing the young boy standing at the entrance the elderly lady's features glowed in pleasant surprise. "Oh hello, Charon!" She greeted the boy. Looking out the window of the kitchen that led to the dining tables, she called to the younger women eating. "Ladies! I would like to introduce to you our newest member, Charon."
This caused the young nuns eating breakfast to erupt in greetings to the young Charon.
Maya placed her fork down and hurriedly moved toward the young boy, scooping him up in a bear hug.
"Nice to meet you, Charon!" She said happily as the young boy struggled to escape from the tight embrace.
"Maya please, I don't think the young Charon likes to be hugged." Sister Isha said with a hand on her hip.
"Yeah Maya, look how he's trying to escape!" The chuckling Diane exclaimed from her seat, still evidently working on her food. She found the food in front of her more important than greeting the young boy.
"Ugh fine." She clicked her tongue in disappointment as she released the Charon from her grasp.
Scrambling free of the woman's grasp Charon took a deep breath accompanied by a couple of steps away from the woman.
He didn't like close physical contact much. Though last night his guard might have fallen due to emotional circumstances he would only allow Sister Isha and perhaps Father David to touch him.
Like a feral cat, Charon looked at the woman who had just released him from her grasp.
"Oh Charon please ignore her. I'm sure she won't bother you again this morning. Right, Maya?" Sister Isha stated with a cold glare at Maya telling her to stay away from the boy.
Drooping down she bowed her head to Charon and apologized for her unwelcome hug.
"Thank you, Maya, now please go finish your food."
Nodding her head Maya turned around and joined the other two young women at the table.
"Here you go little one," Isha said with a bowl of food in her hands gesturing for Charon to take the bowl. "And don't worry about the ladies, they just get excited sometimes. I'll make sure to keep them in line from now on." She said with a grandmotherly smile as the young boy named Charon took the bowl from her hands.
With bowl in hand, Charon trotted over and sat down on the table he was eating at the night before. Placed right next to the window and in the furthest corner of the room from the others, he felt at peace and looked down at the contents of the bowl he was given.
In the bowl was a brown sludge he overheard the women say to be beans of some sort and a single egg cracked and cooked on top of it all.
Spying at how the others ate their food he studied them to give him some sort of inkling of how to eat this dish which he had never encountered before. Following their steps he grabbed a salt shaker from nearby and added it to the beans and eggs. Unsure of how much to add he put what he thought was the right amount.
He soon found the amount of salt he judged to be right was way too salty and began to regretfully scoop out salt with his utensils. Taking another taste test of his dish he found it to be much better and began to eat with intrigue.
Sitting in the furthest corner of the room which housed a window that overlooked the apple trees next to the church he ate in silence enjoying the sight. He thought the apple trees to be a beauty of nature and found himself looking at them more and more in admiration.
Watching the birds landing on the small branches of the fruit tree he watched them scavenge for any loose twigs and leaves for their nest before taking flight once more. He spectated as the squirrels ran by chasing after one another in competition of a nut.
With this sight in front of Charon he ate his breakfast in contentendedness.