Angel on earth

The seamstress quietly speeded up her work by taking advantage of the light from the kerosene lamp, feeling that it was extraordinarily warm tonight, and she reduced the frequency of rubbing her hands a lot.After delivering the goods tomorrow, she can buy a piece of sausage back, plus the imminent milk that I don't know if I can grab it, so she and her little daughter can have a pretty good Christmas Eve.

Mikhail asked: "Is he a bad guy, Aaron?"

"How does that count? He's just a kid. But it counts. Because his family and masters will teach him to be a bad man," Aaron said. "What does it matter to us? Maybe it does, but, Mi Hayle, this is what he deserves, even if I don't let him take over, I won't feel a little bit guilty. Do you know what he did last year? Last Christmas Eve, he robbed another boy's candy, Pushed each other into the snowdrift, cold and hunger took the boy's life that night. But did he want to become such a person? Who laughed at his kindness, who praised his evil deeds? What's the matter with children Can do it all."

Mikhail rubbed his chin on his shoulder: "But I still don't understand why the world is incomprehensible, Aaron?"

"Who knows." Aaron leaned on his shoulder, as if there was no one else around, "Then what does it matter to me?"

"You're just stubborn."

"What's the use of being sad?" Aaron asked back.Mikhail supported him by the shoulder, looked at him earnestly, and said:

"It's useless, but there's no way not to feel sad, right? Now that you're no longer alone, I can comfort you."

Aaron laughed out loud, "Obviously I am comforting you, Misha."

"You called me Misha again." Mikhail still held him in his arms, feeling that he was much stiffer than the previous few days, "I don't want to go back to the Cathedral of Flowers, I want to stay with you for a while."

"But the children in the square will freeze to death." Aaron said, "Jarranburg has already been calculated, and if you go further north, many people will freeze to death every winter. Was the church so hard-hearted from the beginning? Many places are just powerless... What should I do? I don't want to hate anyone, Mishenka, do what you want."

"I want to stay here."

"Then forget it." Aaron didn't know if what he said was sincere, and even if it was sincere and whether it was a willful statement, but he was still very happy, got out of his arms, and said, "You go first, I Send the kid back later. Tell Geese, don't say anything about it, Beaton will kill the boy."

"Can I kill Beaton?" Mikhail sounded polite and serious.Aaron froze for a moment, then laughed:

"Do what you want, Mishenka. We still have many places to go, but you can't lose to these inexplicable things. Don't lose to the wind, don't lose to the rain, don't lose to the storm!"

He whispered and stood up.It wasn't really standing up, he had to bend over so he wouldn't hit the roof.

"After the end of tomorrow afternoon, you can find me at the Tata Hotel on Pea Street. Well, go home first and change into new clothes, which are the white ones you ordered last week, and bring over two boxes of alcohol - it's better not to be found .”

"What if they are discovered?" Mikhail asked with a smile, tilting his head.

"Then we'll run away," Aaron announced happily.

Mikhail almost squatted on the ground and moved out the door.The hostess said sorry that the room was too small and there was nothing I could do.He said, sorry, it was our fault.The hostess didn't understand, and went back to make a dress.

In the evening of the second day, Santa Claus finished distributing the last candy, shook his head hard and said "no more" to the remaining children, quickly changed his clothes, washed his face, and ran to a place almost at the other end of the city. Pea Street.But the owner of the Tata Hotel told him that Dr. Edwards had gone out half an hour ago, and the room was also checked out.However, the doctor specifically explained that a tall man would come over later and asked the boss to reserve a place for him on the first floor.

The first floor of the Tata Hotel is a greasy and dirty cafe. The boss reserved the best window seats for the doctor and his housekeeper.Judging from the layout of the coffee shop, the rooms upstairs must also be cramped, crowded, and dirty. It was hard for Mikhail to believe that Aaron would disappear from the social scene every month and come to live here for two or three days.

There were two boxes of alcohol at his feet, and many people cast their eyes on him.It was the first time he was looked at like this, not because of what he did or how he was, but because he was Aaron's housekeeper; Dr. Edwards generously paid twenty crowns to ask the boss to heat the stove, and on Christmas Eve and Shelter some homeless guys for two extra days at Christmas.He said, at least they can't be frozen to death in these two days.

Those who come in can spend a copper coin to get a cup of thin but unlimited hot tea and a small piece of free bread; although it is black bread, it can be baked by the stove, and another copper coin can Get a dollop of cream or butter.If someone has some spare money, or wants to treat themselves on Christmas Eve, they can buy a plate full of mutton stewed peas that usually sell for six Slick silver coins, but only one today [2].

As soon as Mikhail came in, he smelled the smell of food, mixed with a slightly unpleasant taste.Before Aaron came, he looked out of the already dark window, and unconsciously arranged his hair and collar facing the window.

After a while, he didn't notice Aaron coming until someone knocked on the window.

He picked up two suitcases and hurried out the door, and laughed when he saw Aaron half his face buried in the scarf.

"What are you laughing at?" Aaron said angrily, "Let's go. Treat you to dinner."

Mikhail followed him with alcohol, and stayed next to him.

The restaurant that Aaron booked was called "The Harp", which was a Noren style restaurant opened by Baron Spencer.The waiter led the two into the innermost box, Mikhail opened the chair for Aaron, and the latter waved after sitting down:

"Don't disturb my meal if there's nothing else, my butler will serve me."

The waiter nodded, and exited the door facing him, closing it gently.

Mikhail took off his white gloves and freed Aaron from his heavy outfit.The latter came out lightly, and the cold air of ice, snow and sea breeze rushed towards his face, which made Mikhail wake up a lot.

"There are still things to do later, but let's enjoy Christmas Eve dinner together first."

Aaron sat at the head of the table and said.

Mikhail blinked at him, took out a packet of seeds from his pocket, found the decanter bottle, poured a bottle of wine, some young peas and chicken on the table into it, cut his wrist and dripped some blood, and Scatter the seeds all in and close your eyes.Soon, 33 different flowers of different colors grew up, swaying under the light of gas lamps that luxuriously covered the room.

Aaron sat up and prayed: "Mikhail, Mikhail, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth. May you give us our daily bread, please forgive our sins, please Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen!"

Mikhail laughed and said: "Yes, I hear. So, do you have any other wishes, my saint?"

Aaron thought for a while and said seriously: "Don't say the food is bad later!"

Mikhail stuck out his tongue at him.

In fact, the food on the table was not bad. After all, it was an expensive restaurant. The wine that Mikhail just poured into the decanter was worth sixty ecu.The roast goose stuffed with apples and spices tastes good, a little wood; the kidney pudding is a bit weird, and Mikhail is not used to it, but it is not bad; the apple pie and raisin pudding are the best performances, just sugar There was too much; prosciutto tasted good, but Mikhail didn't eat much, and Aaron didn't like the smell of pork.

Aaron skillfully disassembled each flower with a knife and fork, and his posture was so elegant and dignified that Mikhail didn't find it weird at all.What's wrong with the two sitting together for dinner in festive formal attire, the fire crackling in the fireplace, and a belated snow falling far outside?

It took them two hours to have a meal, and the two of them huddled together on a stool and fiddled with the harp in the high-class box for a while.The fingers of the four hands were clasped together, and even the tone was lingering, but no one said anything during the banquet.Aaron noticed that Mikhail was looking at the strings, and suddenly raised his head and bit his lip, blocking his view of the two hands.

Mikhail's fingers were long, soft, smooth, and perfect, while Aaron's wrists and joints were numb from the accelerated flow of blood.Mikhail still smelled of sweets and cafes, but Aaron didn't care for that now, and he had just come out of an inn worse than the Tata Hotel.What a pity, why couldn't they have a clean Christmas Eve?

It was almost 09:30 when we left the restaurant, and Aaron wrapped himself in a plush cloak and thick scarf again, and Mikhail followed behind with two boxes of alcohol, expressionless.

Although it was snowing lightly in the sky, after coming out of the last few houses and consuming a case of alcohol, Aaron and Mikhail wandered aimlessly through the empty streets.

After walking for a while on the silent and dark street, Aaron said, "Sing a song, Misha."

So Mikhail sang "Jingle Bells" with his hymn-singing voice, and the empty darkness added a strange ethereal feeling to his singing.Aaron moaned, "Mikhail—"

Mikhail's singing became brighter, and he bent down to look at him.He said: "You're almost half a meter taller than me, Mishenka. You're the only one, what will you do when you grow taller?"

Mikhail stopped singing, wrinkled his nose, and thought for a while: "Micah is only 1.7 meters."

"It's 1.8 meters tall in high heels, don't mention him, Mishenka, why are you still thinking about him?" Aaron grabbed his arm and laughed.

Mikhail wasn't shy at all at this time: "If you prefer the current height, then I won't grow any taller."

"Is this manageable?" Aaron was surprised, "I think Micah really wants to grow tall."

"Didn't you say no?" Mikhail stuck out his tongue, "Because I can still grow taller. I will be what you want me to be. Doctor, I'm neither a devil nor a doctor. But I'd like to stop for you."

The author says:

[2] Cafe settings and prices refer to Jack London's "Dweller of the Abyss"