Once Upon A Time

Chapter 15

Gray couldn't stop smiling all the way home. He couldn't believe it. A silver piece. He never thought he'd ever see money like that in his young life. He could hardly wait to see the look on his mother's face once she saw it.

"Mother I'm home." He said almost breaking the door to their house down in his excitement.

"My you're in a good mood." She observed. "Anything interesting happen at Macao's shop?"

"You could say that."

"What happened?"

"Well he couldn't pay me the eight copper pieces he owed us for the fabric."

"Oh...I see." She said in disappointment.

"So he gave us a silver piece instead."

"What?"

"Uh-huh! Look it's real silver." He gave her the coin which she gazed at in amazement.

"My goodness. This is silver. And Macao gave us this?"

"Yes. I tried to give it back to him but he insisted that we have it. He said that I earned it."

"Oh God bless that man. He's been a saint to us for years."

"I know and I'm going to try to pay him back for this. I don't know how I'll do that because we're poor as dirt but where there's a will there's a way."

"We'll worry about that later. Right now I want you to take that silver piece, go to the market, and buy enough food to keep us sustained for awhile and with whatever money you have left from that I want you to use it to buy some leather. I'm going to use it to make you a new coat."

"I don't need a new coat Mother."

"Yes you do. This one you're wearing is worn out and dirty. You need something new with stronger material and sewing a new a coat for you would make me very happy."

"What about you? Is there anything from the market you really want?"

"No dear. I don't want anything."

"Are you sure? Because I would really like to get you something very nice."

"Alright if you happen to see a rose at the market I would like to have that."

"But Mother roses don't grow this time of year."

"I figured but that's the only thing I want for myself so there's no point in getting me anything special."

"Still I'll try to find one at least."

"Just worry about getting enough food and please be home before dark."

"I will."

Gray walked down to the village market and bought a good amount of food for him and his mother. After that he bought enough leather for his mother to make a proper coat and then he went to find a rose for her but just as he suspected it was much too cold for roses to be growing therefore there were none to be sold. He felt disappointed that he couldn't bring her back something special. After all she had sacrificed so much for him. She deserved at least one little thing that made her happy.

As he was walking home from the market he spotted Rufus at the side of the road. He became scared at first, worried that he would harass him like he normally did but this time his focus seemed to be on something else which made him feel very relieved. However as he drew nearer down the road he realized that what had Rufus so distracted was a short old man who appeared to be crippled and was wearing very unusual clothes.

"Beggars aren't welcome in this village." Rufus told him.

"Please I meant no harm." The old man said. "I'm just passing through."