Long Glance - Short Story

It was strange for a little boy like him to ask a grown man like me, whom he didn’t know, for help. It was simple and innocent for him to adjust the position of what he was carrying, but what he was carrying was truly complicated.

In his hands were heavy tires, and he was struggling to keep them steady. They were bigger than his body, and they looked like they could crush him any moment. My astonishment grew as I stared at the determined little boy, and I hurried to save his load. I felt around for many solutions as I balanced the tires, and then adjusted them together so that he was steady.

Finally, I succeeded in securing his load and, to reassure him, I advised him to take a break and rest for a while. He must have been exhausted from carrying such a burden, and I wondered why he had to do it.

I didn’t know what was going through his mind, as his head was obscured by the load. All I could tell was that he waited for a moment to make sure he had a tight grip before moving on. Then, he stumbled along with a lot of words that I couldn’t catch except for the word “master.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he crossed the wide, crowded street, with his old, tattered clothes resembling rags, and his bare feet sticking out from under the cuffs of his pants like two thin nails. He looked like a lost child in a cruel world, and I felt a pang of pity for him.

I watched him in wonder as he dug his bare feet into the ground and shook as he moved, then looked around with curious, dark eyes, took a few steady steps, and swayed a little, but quickly resumed walking.

He seemed to have a destination in mind, and he didn’t let anything distract him from his path. He dodged cars, bikes, carts, and people with remarkable agility, and he didn’t seem to fear anything. He was brave and resilient, and I admired him for that.

I watched him for a long time, absorbing every minute of his movements. I expected disaster to strike in every second, but finally, the little boy managed to cross the crowded street at the pace of the wise elders and resumed his walk on the other side.

Before he disappeared, he stopped and stood still, and a carriage almost hit me as I rushed to save him. When I arrived, everything was fine, and the tires were perfectly balanced.

He stood there, watching intently, his shriveled brown face following a soccer ball kicked around by children his own age and even older, who cheered, screamed, and laughed. He didn’t notice me, and didn’t stop for long.

He looked at them with longing and envy, wishing he could join them in their fun. He wanted to be free like them, to play and enjoy life without worries. He wanted to be a normal child, not a slave to his master’s whims.

His precise steps took him away again, and before he turned, he turned slowly and the load turned with him. He cast a long glance at the ball and the children, then swallowed them up in the alley.

He left behind a trail of sadness and mystery that haunted me for days. I wondered who he was, where he came from, where he was going, and what fate awaited him. I hoped he would find happiness someday, and that someone would lighten his load.

Inspired by Y.A