Sunreet

A picture of the world was painted on her face, of war, of danger, of fear. Only the soft curiosity that was twisted not with hope but a crazed humility fuzzed the harsh pains. Her gaze spoke of knowledge well kept. As he touched her shin, it spoke of wealth and silk. Her body thrummed with otherness that he felt lapping against him like waves. His clean-fingered hands ran across her leg. He sniffed stiffly and held on to her cotton dress in a balled fist. He smiled though his tender tears. Her leg was soft, but jarred with stones. Pink scars cut patterns into her legs, from years of abuse. "I'm okay," he muttered, comforting her but mostly confirming it to his self. Bewilderment crossed her face, but she accepted it none the less. In the distance a mothering voice cooed him home. He stole a glance at the young girl on the wall and smiled at her kindly. He trod home to smells and promises of hot food and a cosy bed.
The next morning, on the square with the girl often deserted on the outskirts of town: a young boy crept once again. His motive shifted to curiosity. "What am I doing?" He mumbled his question to no-one in particular. But he knew; now he felt like he just couldn't leave her alone. In the morning, the fresh rise of the crisp blue sun, penetrating the walls of the houses and scorching the ground, where crisp gnarled trees that filter though the streets could only just bear: and thicken out past the low walls that trace the edges the town frequent crumbling spots making the line dashed and open to interpretation, mortar also destroyed by the fearsome blue. He scaled the small set of steps that led to the small platform below the girl. He felt nervous; she didn't seem to have acknowledged his arrival. She seemed to stare out blankly at the world, unseeing.
"Urm, can you speak?" he desperately asked. "Do you have a name? Could you tell me?" He exulted unto the white form. Lightly, as if swung by the breeze if there was a breeze to speak of, she shook her head from side to side.
"You can't speak?" he confirmed.
She nodded
"Why?" he inquired
Her eyes flickered in the direction of the sun, moving her head to face it, a standoff.
"You're too hot?"
She shook her head, and glanced at the well at the edge of the square.
He slowly followed her line of sight "Water, you need water?"
She nodded dutifully
He smiled at her "Wait a second, I'll be right back," He said and scuttled off, excited to talk to her for the first time. A huge grin was spread across his face in a way he had never before experienced. He pelted his way to the orchards where a small old ladder sat dryly for people to borrow as they will. He grabbed it, and hurried back, now afraid of how people might inquire to his unusual excitement and odd procurement of a ladder. He scooted back to the girl, placed the ladder beside her, and climbed up. He was at eye level with her now. Her hair covered her face slightly; attentively he reached out his hand, to brush her hair away. She flinched a little at the touch, and he pulled away as if burned. She looked deeply into his eyes then closed hers, letting him touch her. He reached out once again and stroked her hair; that looked an odd dull shade of grey, away from her light green eyes. He tucked her hair behind her ear and she raised her lids, blinking a little, then subtlety smiling at him.
He blushed lightly, surprised at the tenderness of the moment, and how breathtakingly beautiful she was up close. He seemed to snap out of something, and finally drew his hand away from her face, down to a water pouch he had, in these hot sandy places water was essential, he gently took off the cap and placed it to her lips,
"Here, it's water, drink." at first the water spilled because of her parched, weak mouth too eager for water. But she drank deeply, once it seemed like she had enough to drink he took the pouch away. He smiled at her and laughed gently, "Feel a bit better now?"
She nodded lightly and makes a light 'mmmm' sound in confirmation.
"AH!" He shouts, making her jump "I haven't introduced myself, my name is Corin in the old language it means spear bearer." He glances at her, leaning against the wall. it makes a slight crack but Corin doesn't hear it. "Can you say my name?"
She coughs lightly, "Coori,"
He smiles lightly "Co-ri-n," he sounds it out,
"Orin," she tries her voice light and wispy "Corin,"
He smiles widely at her "Yeah that's it! What's your name?"
"I don't have one," she whispers lightly, becoming clearer and more confident in her voice.
"What do mean, doesn't everyone have a name?"
She postulates "Maybe it has been taken from me."
He looks at her, "Your name has been stolen, that's a bit sad," the wall cracks again, and a little debris fall to the ground as Corin leans on the wall, thinking. He smiles broadly at her "Would you like me to give you a name?"
She nods eagerly,
The wall cracks again, this time the girl notices, she lets out a small cry, unable to find the words quickly enough before interrupted.
"I'm thinking up a good name for you," He mumbled deep in thought. The wall creaked and cracked once more and dust tittered lightly down the wall. But Corin remained buried in his thoughts. He looked up to her warm eyes, now crossed with panic, words unable to escape her lips.
"Don't worry!" he exclaimed defensively "I'm good at making up names, I named Old Mr Thram's new Orchard because I helped his granddaughter Telly escape the fire last summer. Mr Thram said I named it well." he crossed his arms indignantly, with a smile on his face and leaned on the wall; only for it to give way.
He saw it all before he felt it, and he fell though the badly stuffed up windows. Full of old stones and obviously just plastered over. He fell like a sack of potatoes, jumbled and ending with a great thud. The ladder slapped the ground outside, dust fleeing in a cloud. The stones and rubble coated him in a motley pattern, destroying his image of an unusually well-kept child. He had landed on the top floor of and an abandoned building. "Corin!" cried the girl. His eyes were hit with the sun flashing from past a building; he quickly covered his eyes and slung himself toward the strange arch that he had fallen though. Grabbed both sides and swung his self out by the chest.
He smiled at her broadly "I'm fine!" Her eyes brimmed with relief, as the sun that hit Corin's eyes burn, made her glow like a pillar of pure light. "Elieen." He said without thinking, then realised what he said "Your name! Elieen! That is what it must be," he exulted. She smiled "I'm Elieen," she affirmed. Off in the distance, someone had heard the sound of the ladder, and his sounds of falling. He panicked glancing at Elieen with worry in his eyes and fear curling in the pit of his stomach. He quickly glanced behind him, into the mysterious abandoned building in which he has fallen. "I'll be back later," He reassured Elieen before delving into the dust of the place to make his escape.