Chapter 1 - The lonely bird (Part 2)

The scorching air was enough to boil every desire to be anywhere but outside. Sorin did not care, his happiness was too brighter than the sun.

A little ahead, on one of the three benches, was sitting an older woman. She was leaning forward, her expression acting as a mirror to her exhaustion. Her trembling hands were resting on her knees, and from under a colorful kerchief, a few grey strands escaped. She raised one of those trembling hands to wipe the thin veil of sweat on her forehead.

Sorin approached with quiet steps, setting his bag down and then taking a seat on the sun covered bench. The woman looked up at him, her eyes blue like the summer sky. The corners of her mouth raised slightly, like she wasn't sure if she wanted to smile or not.

Before responding with a smile of his own, Sorin took a piece of paper from the bag, which he then used to wave in front of the woman.

This time, the older woman truly smiled.

"Thank you dear, you didn't need to." She said with a trembling voice, but as she continued to look at him, a slight frown appeared on her face.

"Whose child are you? I feel like I know you" She turned more towards him, trying to take a better look.

"Oh, I am George's son. George Fantanaru." He continued to wave the paper in front of the kind stranger.

The woman clapped her hands together with a delighted expression. "My, my. I cannot believe my eyes. When did you get so big, huh? You are just as handsome as your father."

Sorin smiled. He was happy when people compared him to his father. Before he could respond, the woman talked again.

"Where are you going, if you do not mind me asking?" She looked down at the heavy bag resting against his leg.

"I am going to Sirinaia to look for work." His voice was soft.

"Oh my. That is a big responsibility, isn't it?" She then waved a hand. "Do not worry, my son did the same and now he has a small, beautiful family."

The sound of wheels and the loud horn made Sorin's heart fall deep into his stomach. He was happy, of course, but now a fear of the unknown settled in his bones.

The last remaining birds flew away with terrified little sounds.

A sigh left his lips as Sorin got up and took his and the woman's bag. He then helped her towards the train. They sat together; Sorin was close to the window, and they continued their conversation. Sorin learned she was named Ana, and she was going to visit her son and daughter-in-law. He also learned they were living in Raureni, a small town next to Sirinaia. She talked with such love Sorin couldn't help but listen.

After hours of talking, of admiring the green hills and the small passing villages, the view slowly changed into something Sorin never seen before. Colorful houses, big, luxurious carts. Oh wait, were those the carriages he always saw in newspaper? They were so... so...

His heart fell again as the train came to a stop.

He grabbed his bag with trembling hands and sighed. He got to his feet and looked down at Ana.

"I wish you all the luck in the world. To have a prosperous family and to live 100 more years." He then bent down and hugged her.

The woman chuckled and patted his cheek tenderly.

"Go ahead, mamaie. Be careful."

With that, he left the train through the tight doors, his bag bumping into the rusting metal of the train. As soon as he touched the ground, his eyes widened. His heart was beating so fast he didn't know what do with it.

Everything was so different from the village he grew up in. He looked around to make sure he was not imagining things. The buildings were so elegant he believed he was dreaming. Compared with the small houses he saw daily, these were so unique. Exactly like the photos in the newspaper. The smell of animals gave away to floral perfume and the smell of... he didn't know, but he didn't really like it.

Even the people, even they looked so... rich. Who knew clothes could be so beautiful? With so many details.

But he was not the only one staring. The others were doing the same, looking down at his clothes with something close to disgust.

Sorin then looked at his own clothes.

Ah, right.

He was the weird one here.

"Come dear, it is that period again. Peasants are everywhere." An older man scrunched his nose while pulling his equally disgusted wife away from Sorin.

He nearly felt bad, but something caught his eyes. A few steps away, tucked between two houses with colorful roofs, was a tall tower. And on that tower was the biggest clock Sorin ever saw.

He covered his mouth in shock, looking around. He couldn't be the only one shocked at the size of that, right?

The setting sun reminded him of the place he needed to find. As much as he would like to walk around and admire every corner of this place, someone was waiting for him.

He pulled out the crumbling piece of paper and looked at the address. To find something in a new city was an arduous task. With so many streets and houses, Sorin wondered how people here didn't get lost.

He asked a few people, but after each of them threw a look of disgust at him, their faces transformed into something that Sorin could guess was fear. They asked why would he want to go there? Some of them even recommending other places to stay.

Sorin refused each suggestion with a frown. What was with these people? They looked afraid, and it made something inside Sorin... equally afraid.

Then he finally found someone able to help him.

"Uhmm... you sure you wanna go there? Mama said it's bad place. Not good." The small boy looked at him in confusion and a hint of curiosity.

Sorin nodded.

"Yes." He said, trying to stop the boy from pulling the embroidery on his vest. "Why is everyone scared of that place, huh?"

The boy tried to reach out again, but Sorin stepped back, making him pout.

"I don't know." The boy said absently, still looking at Sorin's vest. "Everyone avoids it. Say they think a bad man lives there."

Sorin frowned. Was that a misunderstanding? Maybe his father wrote the address wrong. He would never send him to someone who put so much fear in others. He looked again at the paper, his heart beating faster, but not in fear. It was a feeling he didn't want to name.

The boy helped him find his way, his voice loud and cheerful, talking about Gods knew what. Sorin was not listening; the sound of his heart bleeding made it impossible to hear something else.

The hand tightened around the paper.

The streets were narrow, the houses small but colorful, as if trying to reassure him.

Then, the boy stopped and pointed ahead.

Sorin was silent.

He was silent because what could he say? His eyes fell on the kid, a brow raised.

He then looked around because... because this couldn't be where he will leave... right?

Ahead of him was a... a mansion. He looked at the address again and then showed it to the boy again.

"You sure this is the one? Look closer, I think you read it wrong." He bent towards him, but the boy only raised his shoulders.

"Yap. I know because I saw the number when I passed once... without telling mamma."

Sorin held his breath for a few moments, then he sighed heavily and scratched his head. Alright, this was not what he expected. At all.

He reached into the pocket of his vest and handed a pack of candies to the boy.

"Here, you can take these for yo..."

"No, thank you." The boy turned around and ran back, leaving Sorin with his hand hanging.

He coughed, looking around, hoping no one saw.

The confusion and shock were still there, standing as tall as the mansion. The hesitation made it harder for Sorin to step forward, but slowly, he made the first step. Then another and another. The sound of his leather sandals was the only companion for his racing heart and spiraling thoughts.

As he got closer, an air of sadness hit Sorin right in his chest. Two enormous trees were on each side of the house, the branches stretching towards the sky, as if trying to steal the sun and drown the world into darkness. Unfortunately, the absence of leaves reminded them the sun was too far away.

The gate was barely standing, forgotten and left to rust. As Sorin gathered courage to finally step beyond the decayed entrance, a few cats ran from the shelter of a dying bush. They bumped into his legs, desperate to find a new place to hide.

Moss was growing from the cracks, extending along the entire building, as if trying to make it more alive. But all the paint was peeling off, tired of shielding the walls. Motifs of crows and flowers were the only proof of what once was.

Tangling curves adorned the tall windows. It felt like they were trying to make Sorin dizzy on purpose, to lie to him about the old age surrounding this place.

The entire place looked like it was mourning, but Sorin continued to walk, slowly approaching the door.

He hesitated to knock.

How could he not hesitate? All the reactions, the fear, as if a demon itself was living here. He wanted to turn away and to go back home. But the other part of him was blindly trusting his father. He was the one that sent Sorin here.

And that was reason enough to... Knock! Knock!

A moment passed. Then two.

No one answered.

Was no one home? Should he try again? Maybe the one that lived here did not hear. Sorin raised his hand again, then hesitated. His heart never beat faster; he never sweated like this before. All his instincts told him to leave, but he ignored them.

As he prepared to knock again, the door creaked open. All the air refused to leave his body, and he took a step back. The door opened more to reveal... no one.

Huh. Sorin scratched the back of his neck and looked around. Maybe it has been the wind? Should he go inside?

He did.