Lily's Confectionery

Lily stood so close to the glass that her breath left a fine mist on the surface. There was a deep crease between her eyebrows and her arms were tightly crossed over her chest. Anyone who saw her now would say that she was deep in thought, as if she was just solving mathematical problems in her head. But in reality Lily was staring at the little boy across the street.

What was it about him that made him so unique? It was mid-winter, and the boy was dressed in way too light clothing. His dark hair was blowing in the breeze with a thin trail of snowflakes here and there, and he didn't even have a hat like the other youngsters. The boy sat quietly on a seat beneath the shop across the street, watching passers-by with typical innocent wonder.

He'd been sitting there three times in a row, and Lily was becoming increasingly apprehensive. From her confectionery, she had a perfect view of the boy, and whenever an individual customer left her shop, she would return to the window and watch if the boy was still there, as though she felt responsible for him.

Some strange, unimaginable anguish was blooming inside her as she gazed at the boy. Although she didn't have a good view of his expression, she was able to tell that something on the child's features was laced with sorrow. The kids were usually energetic, weren't they? Filled with joy in the eyes, especially in winter when they could build snowmen or throw snowballs.

No child deserved to be sad.

And what usually helped with the sadness? Chocolate.

Lily's confectionery wasn't very famous. She was just starting out in this industry, she didn't have a reputation and regular customers, and sometimes she had to eat her own cakes to avoid wasting them if they didn't sell. It was all a bit depressing, but she couldn’t give up because she promised her grandmother that she would continue her passion. Lily definitely had a knack for baking, but few yet appreciated it. She awaited the day when her cake business would be well-known and none of her baked delicacies would wind up in the dump, ah, that would be beautiful!

Lily was persistent, fierce, but also incredibly sensitive. Her heart was shattering as she observed the sad boy on the bench.

She placed a thick slice of chocolate cake on a paper plate, it looked delicious, and she couldn't stop herself from licking her lips. She wasn't intending to offer the youngster a cake solely to cheer him up; it was more of a way of demonstrating that he could trust her, a form of bribery done for a good reason. It was Lily's civic duty to find out why the boy had been left unsupervised outside.

Outside, it was much cooler than it appeared. Lily's nose flushed from the chilly air, but she attempted to ignore it as she walked slowly towards the boy, who hadn't even noticed her. She nearly slipped on the icy road and thanked herself silently as she regained her balance and saved a precious piece of the cake.

When she was in front of the bench where the boy was sitting, she stood to the side and cleared her throat softly.

Big brown eyes peered up at her with a puzzled note. The boy blinked, scanning Lily's face closely.

“Hi,” Lily said, lips curled up with a bright smile. “Uh, maybe you want a piece of chocolate cake?” She held the plate invitingly closer to the boy's face.

The boy's eyes wandered to the piece of cake, watching it with curiosity, then he looked back at Lily, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. “Why?” The boy’s voice was small, confused and almost sad.

Lily blinked twice, surprised. “Because kids like chocolate, I suppose…” she said awkwardly, realizing it was perhaps her third time in her life talking to a child.

The boy was silent for a while, then he pursed his lips and finally took the plate from Lily’s hands. “Thank you.”

Lily couldn’t help but grin widely. The piercing coldness around her stopped bothering her anymore, replaced by a pleasant warmth in her heart at the sight of how the boy bit into her chocolate cake.

“I’m the owner of the confectionery across the street,” she gestured with her hand. “And I-”

“I know,” the boy cut her off.

Lily wrinkled her forehead. “Oh, you do?”

The boy swallowed a bite of the cake. “The cake is very good.”

Lily was left confused; firstly because the kid ignored her question and secondly, it seemed that he actually knew her. Or maybe he lived somewhere nearby? But where were his parents…

“What’s your name?” Lily asked cautiously.

“Roy.”

“I’m Lily,” the woman smiled warmly, “Where are your parents, Roy?”

Roy averted his gaze from her, chewing the cake all the time so that the corners of his mouth were smudged with chocolate. “They are working.”

It honestly sounded like a complete lie, and Lily started to worry even more. “Oh, and they leave you here alone?” She inquired, trying to sound truly curious, not suspicious.

“Yes.”

Oh, something definitely wasn’t right, and Lily’s darkest scenario began to come true. If Roy's parents actually left him here alone to wait for them, they were extremely irresponsible. This boy needed care, a warm home and play with his peers, not sitting immobile in the chilly winter weather and being exposed to various dangers. Lily already made up some theories in her head, what if Roy ran away from home? The case certainly had to be reported to the police.

As she leered down at the boy, the paper plate was empty and Roy's cheeks full. It was no surprise that he enjoyed the cake, it was one of Lily's best recipes she kept from her beloved grandmother.

“So, Roy, um, are you not cold?” Lily said, exaggerating surprise in her voice. She was aware she sounded a bit fake, yet it was necessary if she needed the boy to trust her.

Roy shrugged. “A bit.”

“Look, maybe you-”

To her surprise, she was cut off by the boy again. “You really make good cakes.”

“...Thank you, but-”

“Thank you for it, but now I have to go,” Roy announced and stood up from the bench.

Oh, no, no, no.

Lily began waving her arms frantically; she couldn't lose sight of this kid now, especially when she was so close to earning his trust! Roy wasn't foolish, he was a smart boy, and he must have figured out that Lily was trying to sneakily take him to the cops, where they would find out where his parents were.

“Wait!” She exclaimed with a forced smile, “Maybe you want a second piece of cake? I have a lot in my cake shop!”

Something flashed through Roy's features, that Lily didn't understand. The boy stared at her blankly, maybe even a faint smile crossed his lips. At the same moment, snow began to fall from the sky, tiny flakes fell on the boy's nose, melting quickly.

“Goodbye,” and with that, Roy turned on his heel and began to run fast on his short legs. Caught off-guard, Lily started sprinting after him immediately, desperate, screaming: “Hey!” But the boy didn't stop. Oh, she was obviously tricked by him, and now she couldn’t even catch up with him, even though she was older and fit.

Sadly, she slipped on the ice and the boy disappeared around the corner of one of the streets.

Well done, Lily, well done.

Her knee hurt from the impact, but Lily ignored it, just like she ignored the strangers staring at her. Brushing off the snow, she got up, and defeated, she slowly strolled down to her confectionery, shoulders slumped. She intended to help this boy, and she lost him; another failure in her life.

Why was Roy so distrustful of her? Did she scare him?

As she returned to the confectionery, she couldn't believe her eyes and rubbed them until her vision became blurry. There was a huge queue of people lined up at the door, so that it almost reached the street. They... they all came to buy her baked goods? So suddenly? How was it possible? Was there any special occasion today that she forgot? God, she couldn't remember the last time she was so happy, so happy her heart swelled and all her worries ceased to matter.

Instinctively, she turned to glance at the wooden bench where Roy was sitting a few minutes ago. There was a single, snow-white feather next to a paper plate smeared with chocolate, and it was the day Lily believed in angels.