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Gaston had waited all year for this moment: the start of winter. He couldn’t comprehend why many others despise it. The snow fights, the hot chocolate, and cuddling against the warm fire. He sat patiently at the dinner table, waiting for his mother to return with breakfast.A few minutes later, his mother returned with marmalade on rye bread and some warm milk. She returned with a warm smile and set his breakfast on the table, “Now, be careful the milk is hot.”His mother removed his apron, uncovering a long-sleeved red chemise. She sat down beside him at the table, holding Gaston's hands. With their eyes closed, she started to say grace. “Dear heavenly Father, thank you for this meal and for keeping us warm from the cold. Amen.”Gaston tried to focus on praying, but his mind wandered elsewhere. He thought about the many better things he could be doing right now. Once prays were over, they both tucked into their breakfast.
Glancing at the window next to him, his eyes widen with excitement. A thick sheet of snow covered the entire town head to toe, in the corner of his eyes. Many kids around his age, were playing in the snow. Building snowmen, gathering small stones and pebbles to draw a face on.
Gaston was bouncing off his seat, “Mama, can I go play outside?”His mother sighed, putting down her black coffee, “Not until you finished all your chores.” Gaston groaned, slumping back on his chair as if he was melting.
Once Gaston finally finished breakfast, he wasted no time on the chores. After walking uphill to the nearest well, he filled up two buckets full and hauled them back to his home. Taking a rag cloth from a nearby drawer. Getting onto his hands and knees, he scrubbed the floor until his hands were sore.Gaston then polished the windows, swept the floor, and put away the dishes. The lists of chores seem to go on. When he finished one task, his mother would call him into the other room, to start on the next task.After what felt like an eternity of non-stop, he found his mother in the kitchen. Finishing off drying the dishes. He took a deep breath and tapped his mother on the shoulders, “Mama, I finished all my chores, can I go play now?”His mother put down the dishes and scanned around the house, everything was put away and tidied. She turned back to her son and gave an approving nod. “You may.” Gaston jumped up and down, squeezing his mum into a hug.
Before Gaston could reach the door, his mother tugged on his arm. “Wait, Gaston.” She sounded annoyed, she took down a thick coat from the hanger and handed it to him. “It’s freezing outside, you’ll catch a cold.”
Gaston relentlessly put on the coat, and let his mum bundle him with a woolly scarf and hat. His mother knitted him one for his birthday, he didn’t have the heart to tell her at the time. That it made his skin crawl like fleas. After he was ready to fast the cold, his mother opened the door and let him outside.“Don’t wander off too far and be home before dark!” She called out.Gaston turned back to face her mother and waved before setting off.Gaston found himself wandering through the forests, his mother always told him stories. To try to scare him off, but the more he listened to the stories, the more intrigued he was.Besides it wasn’t so scary during the afternoon, the soft crunch under his feet was music to Gaston’s ears. A hint of sunlight slipped through the gaps of the dense trees. He never ventured into the woods before except for going on morning walks in autumn.
But the trees never looked better dusted with chalky snow, Gaston’s mind drifted into a state of boredom. The slender trees stretched for miles, Gaston was sick of them and longed for excitement.
Gaston spotted an open clearing ahead; he barged through the branches that stood in his way. Snapping them with his bare hands, Gaston took a deep breath. Taking in the fresh air of the open space. It was peaceful, the way he preferred it to be. With the space untouched, it gave Gaston the perfect opportunity to play.Gaston pulled off his hat and scarf, placing it on a nearby rock. He flung himself into the snow, spreading out his arms and legs. To form a snow angel, once he was finished; he dusted the remainder snow off his coat and admired his work.
He was quite proud of his work, everything about it was perfect. From the shape to the form of the angel, Gaston wanted to show it off to the rest of his peers. The other kids would consider liking him, not like Gaston ever cared about that stuff.The daunting realisations hit him, there are many things we do by himself. But they’re many more that he couldn’t enjoy. Snowball fights seem pointless with one person. Gaston had a hard time assembling the snowman. The body kept rolling out of place, eventually, he abandoned that idea.After exploring every nook and cranny, he picked up a small rock from the ground. Underneath it, thousands of ants scurried along. A few more ants began crawling up his sleeves. He hollered, there were many things he wasn’t scared of. But creepy crawlies are an exception.
Gaston let out a heavy sigh, “What a waste.” Before grabbing his belongings and setting off, the rock landed with a thunk.
“Ouch!”“Who goes there?!” Gaston called out, picking up a stick closest to him. He pointed directly at the bushes. His heart beating out of his chest, trying to resist every flight-fight response. When a situation comes to life or death, don’t show fear, don't become the prey.Dragging himself closer, Gaston raised his stick and whacked it. “Ow! Did a girl hit me?” Another voice spoke.
Gaston raised a brow, “Huh, a talking bush?”
“Do I look like a talking bush to you ?” A young boy, who looked around the same age as Gaston. Popped out from his hiding place. Plucking the twigs off his wavy, brown hair. “Cause I am certainly not.”“Well, I’m not a girl” Gaston stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry.The boy looked Gaston up and down, in a sign of disbelief. “Well, you sounded like one.” He laughed, and he continued to mock Gaston. With a high-pitched voice, “Look at me. I’m scared of bugs. Ah!”Gaston’s cheeks flushed hot red, tightening the grip on his stick. “Maybe I should’ve hit you harder.”
“You wouldn’t dare hit a prince?”Gaston pulled a face and tilted his head, “Prince?” He inspected the boy’s appearance, messy hair that fell against his frame, the mud stains on his clothing. Gaston didn’t believe he was a prince. He thought that it must be some weird creature who happened to live in this forest.Gaston walked towards him, “If you’re a prince, then I’m a swan.” he smiled.“I wouldn’t call you a swan” the boy chuckled, placing his hand over his mouth to conceal his sick-eating grin. One foot after another, the little boy stepped out of the bush. Putting his finger on his chin, he began to think, “I would say, you're more like a boar. An aardvark even.”“What the hell is an aardvark?” Gaston asked.The boy held his chin up high, as he strides past Gaston. Snatching the stick off his hands. Gaston helplessly trailed behind the stranger. Using the stick the boy drew out a rough sketch in the snow.“There’re nocturnal animals, who like to sleep all day and have funny, long, snouts.” Once he was finished with his drawing, he proudly showed it off to Gaston. However, Gaston didn’t seem too impressed with the prince’s drawing. First, he says that he’s a ‘prince’, and secondly Aardvarks exists.The drawing didn’t make much sense, it looked like a man crossed with a pig in some horrible science experiment. Gaston was sceptical, “Wow.” He tried to be polite at first, “You made unicorns look real.”“Aardvarks are certainly real, I have a book all about it back at my castle.” He bragged.“If you have a ‘castle’. Then why are you in the middle of the forest, spying on me?” Gaston got close to his face, crossing his arms.The prince shoved his face away. “God, your breath smelled like someone died in there.” The pungent smell lingered through the air, luckily the prince didn’t eat a heavy breakfast.“Besides, I'm sick of staying indoors all day.” He lowered his head as he spoke, The prince dragged himself to the nearest rock and sat himself down. “Usually, I’m not allowed outside by myself. So a sneaked off.”“And then what happened?”The prince continued his story, explaining how he used the ropes from his curtains. To make a larger rope, luckily not many guards were on duty at the time. So the prince escaped without a trace." I wanted to play in the snow for a bit.” He explained, “But it seems like I wandered a bit too far from home.”“Okay, that explains a lot. But what about hiding in the bushes? I could’ve hurt you.” Gaston shot up in the air, positioning his body in a fighting stance. He swung a few punches into the air and then turned back to the prince. “See that? You could’ve been knocked out cold.”“Oh yeah.” He rolled his eyes in amusement, “You barely made a scratch on me.” Every word he said, only inflated Gaston’s ego more. He found him rather old, to be honest. The way he spoke, the clothes he wore, and the way he used his hands to convey his feelings.“If I owned a sword, I would be unstoppable.” He grabbed the stick and wielded it as if it were a sword. Thrusting the stick forward pretending his taming a beast. Pointing the stick at the prince, he grinned, “See, pretty good with a sword right?”“You mean, pretty good at taking someone's eyes out?” He directed the stick away from his face.“Isn’t that the point of swords?” Gaston asked, “To poke the eyes out of your foes!”“Well...” The prince pondered on Gaston’s question, cause there’s more than one way to take out your enemies. Not the most practical or professional way to do it, but he admired his creativity.“Weirdly, I’ve never seen you around here before, and I don’t even know your name. Stranger“ He pointed it out.“It’s Adam?”“Adam?” The name clings onto his tongue, like ash and soot.“Yes.” Adam grew annoyed at his expression, “You got a problem with Adams?”“Not really” He shrugged, “I expected your name to be more fancier than Adam."“Well, what’s your name then? Since you think that you’ve got a better name than mine.”“It’s Gaston, my mother named me after my father. Was supposed to be Gaston Jr, because you can’t have two Gastons in the house.” The faint memory of his father dwelled in his heart, he was too young at the time to remember what happened. He only had a faint idea of what he was like due to his mother's stories about his adventures.Tears swelled up in his eyes, Gaston wiped them away before Adam could notice. “Then she changed my name to Gaston, there’re was only Gaston left in the house.”“Oh my, what happened to your father?” Adam lent a comforting hand on his shoulder.“He left for war.” He uttered, “That’s what my mama said, he packed up his things and headed to the door. Never came back.”Adam felt sorry for Gaston, Maybe he had more in common with Gaston than he thought. “That’s rough.”“Yeah...”“It sounds like your mama loves you a lot?” Adam tried to lighten up the conversation.Gaston gave a small smile, “I guess she does, she's overprotective sometimes. Worries that I don’t have any friends.” Many people would find his boasting on the stupidest reasons to be unpleasant. It’s not like he didn’t try to make friends. They preferred to be with anyone else but him.“Besides, I don’t need friends. I am happy all by myself” Gaston took comfort in the snow, stretching his arms out. “Very happy.”Moments later, Adam joined him on the ground. “Right... After failing to build a snowman.” Gaston grabbed a chunk of snow and smashed it on his face. Adam gagged, rubbing the remainder snow off his face. The nerve of that guy.Adam lunged at Gaston, gripping him by the shoulder and shoved him on his back. He caught Gaston off guard, wrapping his legs around his waist he tried to flip him on his side. Both of them resisted and showed no signs of backing down.The play fighting continued for hours, after tuckering themselves out. Adam and Gaston both agreed on a draw. Trying to gasp for air, Gaston spoke. “You don’t fight too bad, for a prince.”“And you don’t fight like a girl at all.” Adam laughed, he stretched out his back. Cracking all the nooks and crannies. “This has been fun, I’ve never hung out with someone my age before.”“I never hanged with anyone other than my mama.”A deafening chime from the old bell tower echoed through the forest. Adam froze, his eyes widening with fear. “Shit.” He whispered to himself, Adam gazed at the sun as it was beginning to set and rushed off into the distance.“Wait! Where are you going.” Gaston called out.Adam turned towards his friend and smiled, “I stayed out too late, my parents are going to notice I'm missing.”Gaston ignored the buzzing in his chest, after all this time. Did he finally make a friend? He needed to confirm that his suspicions were true. “Will you be back tomorrow?” He called out.Adam tried not to sound too excited about his question, but he called back. “I can try, as long as my parents don’t catch me.” Soon after he disappeared into the forest.Gaston wasn’t sure if that meant a definite yes or no. All he could do, for now, is to come back tomorrow. He dusted the snow off his coat and grabbed his hat and scarf. As he was making his way back home, he thought to himself that today wasn’t a complete waste.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The following Morning, Gaston woke up bright and early to get ahead of the start to the day. He knew his mother wouldn't let him skip chores, because he made a friend. He grabbed the same, old buckets and made a round trip up to the well.
Returning home in one piece, he dragged the buckets into the house. Trying to not disturb his exhausted mother. He wasted no time, scrubbing the floors until you can see your face in them. Gaston moved on to polishing the windows and dusted the rug.
When the bell tower struck nine O’clock, his mother descended downstairs. Still wearing her cream night gown and cap. Rubbing the sleep away from her eyes, she turned to her son. “Gaston?” She yawned, “you woke up early.”Gaston scurried into the kitchen to put the cleaning supplies away. “I know.” He answered, “I wanted to get chores done early, so that I have the rest of the day to play in the snow.”His mother raised a brow, not convinced. “Oh? But you have till sundown to play, why so early?”Gaston realised that his mother may or may not have caught up to his antics, “Well, you see.” He popped out of the kitchen. It feels stupid for him to say it out loud, for him to care about this kind of stuff. “I met a boy yesterday. Playing in the forest, and I’m meeting up with him again.”His mother sniffled; tears trickled down her porcelain skin. She pulled out a handkerchief from one of the drawers and dabbed the corners of her eyes. “My son has a friend?” She whispered.
“What?” Gaston thought she was talking to him. “Mama, are you alright?”“It’s nothing!” She felt a pang of guilt inside, letting her son see her cry. She took Gaston by the shoulders and ushered him upstairs, “Now hurry up and get dressed. You don’t want to keep your friend waiting.”Gaston closed his bedroom door behind him and sighed. He loved his mother dearly, but sometimes she took things to heart. He’s not so sure that Adam even considered his friend, a prince and a peasant. Gaston scoffed at the idea alone.
But a promise is a promise, he got changed and hurried down the stairs. Grabbed his coat from the hanger and headed out the door. “Wait!” His mother called him back inside. She handed him a small container and a plaid flask, “Take some sandwiches and hot chocolate with you and your friend...”“Adam?”“Adam! What a lovely name, I’ll let you go now. Make sure you share.” She said sternly.Gaston smiled wider. Hot chocolate was a delicacy in his household, His mother only made it for him during the holidays. It’s difficult for smaller villages to supply imported goods. The cost for transportation and shipping would put everyone in town into debt.
His mother rarely heads out to the big city and if she does, she always returns with a small bag of cocoa powder. Which will last the two of them through the whole winter. She bundles him up warm and plants a kiss on his forehead.
His mother opens the door and escorts him out, “Bye. Be home by sunset.”Waving his mother goodbye, he turned a heel and made his way into the forest.____________________________________________________________________________________Gaston returned to the same spot, occasionally checking his surroundings. Making sure that no one followed him. He had never seen the other kids play in this spot and didn’t want to take it from him. This was his glade; he found it first.Placing his lunch on the ground, he hopped onto the rock and waited. Gaston fell into a state of extreme boredom. The twittering of the robins filled the silence. Time slowed into a crawl, relying on the positioning of the sun as a way to keep track of time.A seed of doubt planted in his mind, as time went on. He had second thoughts about coming back to see his friend. Maybe he’s not real? Or worse a part of his figurative imagination.
Gaston felt the day slipping away and he groaned. He sat up and pouted, “This is stupid! He’s stupid.” A snowball hurled across the glade, knocking him out. He stumbled off the rock, landing on his bottom. He winced at the pain. “What the fuck?”
Lowly giggling echoed through the trees, “I’m sorry.” Adam giggled, coming out of his hiding spot, “you look down in the dumps, I thought this would’ve cheered you up.”
Adam strolled up to Gaston and lent him a hand. Gaston grunted, swatting his hand away. “Where were you? You were supposed to be here an hour ago.”“My Parents.” Adam groaned, as he scratched his head. “They barged into my room and started lecturing me about how I should ‘start focusing on my future.’”
Gaston stands up and tilts his head, “Your future?”
“Yes, someone with status like me.” Adam puffed up his chest, “should start thinking about their future.”“Huh?” Gaston frowned, “thinking about your future?” He couldn't decide what he should have for tea, he couldn’t comprehend what to do when he got older. Thinking hurts his brain.“Aren’t you like, ten?” Gaston asked.“I will be turning ten in spring.” Adam wanders around the glade, taking in the fresh air. “So, what do you usually do for fun?”Gaston scanned around the area, trying to find something to. He kicked a few pebbles out of his way, “I don’t know.” He shrugged, “this place is a bit boring, let's go somewhere else.” Gaston suggested with a cheeky grin.Gaston patted Adam by the shoulders and marched onwards into the trees. His spontaneous nature surprised him, “Do you even know these woods?” as he followed Gaston.“I know these woods like the back of my hand.” Gaston strides deeper and deeper into the forest. Meanwhile, he glanced around the trees to find something to do. He wondered what friends usually do.He glanced over his shoulder, Adam trailed behind him with his back hunched over. His face turned ashen white like a ghost, “Are you sure that you know where you're going?”“Definitely.” The further they travelled, the further Gaston’s mind drifted into a spiral of doubt. The woods were soon engulfed by the darkness. The trees were denser, not a sliver of light in sight.“Hoot!”Gaston jumped, clinging onto Adam’s arm for support. He buried his face against his shoulder. Adam tilted his head in confusion, looking closer into the trees. A small Owl rested on top of a branch.With its bright, beady eyes. The Owl glared at the two, it hooted once more before flying off. Adam laughed, “it’s a silly owl.”“I knew that” Gaston huffed, kicking the pebbles away from him. “There.” He spotted a large hickory tree nearby and it gave him an idea. “Have you ever climbed a tree, your majesty?”“Not really...” Adam’s gaze faltered, he had never been outside before. Other than attending the business parties with his parents, he’d never been to the great outdoors. Playing with other kids his age, most of his days spent indoors. Studying everything under the sun.Adam never learnt how to act his age.Gaston grabbed onto Adam’s wrists and dragged him along, “Come on, you’ll be fine.” Adam also never had friends; he never had a friend like Gaston. The way he smiled lit up the dark forest.Gaston hauled his body against the tree, using all his strength to reach for the nearby branches. Pulling himself to the top, he rested on the base of the tree. The Horizen view stretched on for miles. The beloved, blossoming village never seemed so small.
He felt like a bird, soaring free as he gazed at the view. It was freeing, Gaston wanted to see more of it, he wanted to share it with Adam.Gaston peered below; spotting Adam stationed at the same spot he left him before. “Good grief.” He mumbled, Gaston bit down his tongue. Swallowing down his frustrations, he remembered that this is his first friend. The only person to tolerate his existence. Like his mama had taught him. Patience is key.Gaston dangled on a branch and stretched out his hand, “Come on, don’t leave me hanging.”Adam hesitated before taking his hand, he didn’t want to back down. That would be a bad impression to put on. He had to be fearless, a man. “But what if I fall?”Gaston scoffed at Adam’s remark, “Ah. You won’t, I’ve climbed trees since I was a baby.” He bragged.“A baby?” Adam gripped onto the trunk of the tree, before pulling himself up. “What did your mother feed you?”“Many things” he responded, “Milk, yogurt, eggs. Mama said, if I eat a dozen eggs. I’ll grow big and strong.” Gaston raised his arm and attempted to flex his muscles.Adam couldn’t help but snicker at Gaston, he says a lot of things that don’t make sense. It’s comforting, in his little way. Adam focused his attention on Gaston, as he climbed higher, even though he trusted him. There was still a hint of doubt planted in his mind, “and you’re sure that I won’t fall?” he yelled.”Gaston rolled his eyes, “yes. Don’t you trust me or something?” he shouted back, “Make sure you don’t look down.”Those words shook Adam to the core. He peered downwards; his vision blurred. Everything around him kept spinning, like being stuck on a never-ending carousel ride. His footing slipped as he fell backwards. Life flashed before his eyes; he never was religious until that moment.
Seconds before his head hit the ground, Adam found himself dangling upside down. “I told you weren’t gonna fall.” Gaston snorted. With all his might, he pulled Adam onto the branch.Adam dusted himself down, “Why did you tell me to look down?” Although Adam didn’t sound grateful, this was also his little way to show gratitude.“Because I didn’t want you to look down.” Gaston teased, “and look what happened.”“By telling me to not look down, it made me look down,” Adam argued.Gaston rolled his eyes, what a royal pain in the ass. “Come on then, we’re nearly at the top. Or do I have to babysit you?”Adam’s cheeks flushed bright red, "No...” he uttered, “I’ll be fine.”“Good.” Gaston called out, “There's something that I want you to see.” he grabbed onto Adam’s arm and dragged him to the top. Once the boys reached the tallest point of the tree, the view stole Adam’s breath away.
The gentle breeze grazing along his cheeks, he shivered. Adam wished he had brought a jacket or something. “That’s where I live.” Adam pointed at the castle, peeking out in the distance.
“That’s where you live?” Gaston asked. “Man, I wish I could live in a fancy castle like that.”Adam raised a brow at his comment, “hm. What’s wrong with living in the village?”
Gaston gagged on his words; he couldn’t complain about his simple life back home. His mother did her best to provide him the best life that she could offer, but compared to Adam. He was nothing.“Nothing's wrong but...” Gaston gazed back at the view, taking the cold air in. “It’s getting late, we should head back.”“What! But we just got here?” Adam protested, although he can enjoy the view from his bedroom window. There’s something about hanging on a tree branch that made the scenery extra special.
“Because I said so!”His stomach let out a soft rumble, and he knew something was off. From what he could remember, the last time he had eaten was dinner last night. Adam often felt cranky when he was hungry, and he assumed that Gaston was the same.Adam pulled the flask and container from his bag. “You’ve left these earlier,” he handed them back to Gaston.“Oh yeah! I knew I left something earlier. Gaston opened the container, revealing a strawberry jam sandwich. “My mama said that I had to share with you.” He handed the other half to Adam.“That’s awfully kind of you?” Adam munched on the sandwich, immediately melting away at the sweetness of the jam. It was unlike anything he had ever tasted. “This is incredible.”“Thanks. We make our jam.” Gaston shrugged. ” We use whatever produce we have from harvest."“Really?” Adam tilted his head. “We always buy ours from the cities.”Gaston served him a cup of the hot chocolate. Adam took it, as he cupped it in his hands. After hours spent in the woods. The hot chocolate remained warm, as the steam flickered in steady streams. Adam blew on his drink and took a sip.After finishing both his sandwich and the drink, Gaston felt much better. The anger that had been within him before, faded away. Replaced by a sense of contempt. The warmth of his drink. The chilly, cold air. This was Gaston's happy place.Gaston leaned back against the tree, “We can stay here a little longer.”“I would like that.” Adam agreed.