Thread by @rukichii97

even when a-ying was starving, he never resorted to stealing. so when he saw someone accidentally drop their belongings, a-ying would try to run after them to give it back to them. even when his legs were bleeding and full of scratches, he was determined to help them.

but the adults or children he helped would only beat him for his efforts, calling him a thief and shouting out crimes he didn’t commit. it made a-ying sad.

a-ying learned that it was easier to search food in the trash than asked the aunties and uncles who sell them if he

could have some of the ones that were going bad. sometimes a-ying would find half-eaten food that weren’t weird tasting and didn’t upset his tummy!

but sometimes he has to fight with scary doggies for the food. and they even bite him until it starts bleeding . . .

but it’s okay! sometimes he gets to eat good food when a stranger couldn’t finish their food. so he’s grateful to have anything to eat.

it was the day his a-die and a-niang left him. he looks longingly at the straw dolls of a male and female dolls, and in between the dolls

is a small doll. his a-die and a-niang were taking a longer time in coming back, but maybe some day he’ll get to meet them again.

he huddled himself closer to keep himself warm from the snow, bringing the two adult dolls close against his chest.

the sound of something a drum being beaten by something could be heard on the quiet streets. a-ying looked up and saw another child, maybe a bit older than him standing still in front of him.

a-ying gave his bright smile to the child, the child was very pretty.

a-ying hopes the child goes home safely, it was about to snow heavily again from the big snowflakes falling down the sky.

a-ying didn’t know that his eyes were closed until he felt his small shoulders being shook. his eyes flew open in surprise, and saw the pretty child

in front of him.

the child had a worried look on hus face, and offered his hand to a-ying. a-ying stared at the child’s palm, and saw how it looked clean and soft, unlike his own which were dirty and full of scratches.

a-ying didn’t know what the pretty child was asking,

so he thought that the pretty child wanted something from him.

a-ying didn’t have any food to give. since it started snowing, he found less food in the trash, since people came out less from the comfort of their home. and the last he had eaten were 3 days ago.

so a-ying gave what he had on him. he placed the the straw dolls on the pretty child’s hand.

the child shook his head and gave it back to a-ying.

oh, the dolls must have not been pretty. a-ying was trying to rearrange the straws to make them look prettier when

a tiny hand reached for his. the pretty child then walked at a steady pace. bringing him somewhere.

“where are we going?” a-ying asked.

“home.” said the pretty child.