Uncertain Fortunes
Ore was a bright boy, one of the best in the school. He studied with his sisters more often than not, and his adopted parents were always so proud of their little diamond in the rough. By the time he was ten years old, he was already helping in the jeweler's shop. He had an eye for finery, and design that belied his humble origins.
Nearly everyone was fond of Ore, and it was no wonder, since he always had a kind word for others. And if by chance someone saw him muttering to himself in the graveyard, they brushed it off as one of the fancies of youth. Of course, you, dear reader must know by now, that there was nothing in the least fanciful about Ore's tomb-side talks. He walked through the gate, and mingled with the dead. While most young boys would be paralyzed with fear at the prospect, Ore took joy in it as he did with all other activities. He told jokes to ghosts, and listened to wild tales.
As with anyone not easily molded to society's will, there were also people that did not like young Ore. Boys at school threw rocks at him, and mocked his name. The guards were ever suspicious of him for telling tales of the "man in the graveyard." And as time passed the inherently superstitious folk took note of the boy,- the way he was a drawn to dead animals, or how he always hung about the graveyard.
And it may have come to pass that Ore would have lived out his childhood oblivious to the unhappy people that fretted over his existence. Of course that might have happened, but a schoolyard accident changed everything.
The jeweler's youngest daughter Bijou had a wild streak as long as Main Street. It is no surprise to anyone that knew her that she found herself at the top of the tallest tree chasing after hopping jays and showing off in general. Bijou was often thought to be half bird, but her human half couldn't fly, and when she grabbed a weak branch, her arms were useless as she plummeted to the ground. No one could possibly survive such a great fall. Her body lay crumpled on the ground like a used Kleenex.
A crowd formed around her body. Her sister began to weep bitterly. Ore, did not gawk, nor did he weep, but instead he focused all of his attention on an ethereal orb that seemed to be dancing and laughing its way to the sky. Bijou. He jumped for it, grabbed it in his palm, and held the squirmy bit of nothing. He carried it back to the still form, and pressed it back into her heart. He willed her to breathe, focusing everything on her survival.
With her first breaths cacophony broke out. Some people called it a miracle while others called it the work of evil. No one understood quite what had happened, but most agreed that it had something to do with the strange boy Ore.
Nearly everyone was fond of Ore, and it was no wonder, since he always had a kind word for others. And if by chance someone saw him muttering to himself in the graveyard, they brushed it off as one of the fancies of youth. Of course, you, dear reader must know by now, that there was nothing in the least fanciful about Ore's tomb-side talks. He walked through the gate, and mingled with the dead. While most young boys would be paralyzed with fear at the prospect, Ore took joy in it as he did with all other activities. He told jokes to ghosts, and listened to wild tales.
As with anyone not easily molded to society's will, there were also people that did not like young Ore. Boys at school threw rocks at him, and mocked his name. The guards were ever suspicious of him for telling tales of the "man in the graveyard." And as time passed the inherently superstitious folk took note of the boy,- the way he was a drawn to dead animals, or how he always hung about the graveyard.
And it may have come to pass that Ore would have lived out his childhood oblivious to the unhappy people that fretted over his existence. Of course that might have happened, but a schoolyard accident changed everything.
The jeweler's youngest daughter Bijou had a wild streak as long as Main Street. It is no surprise to anyone that knew her that she found herself at the top of the tallest tree chasing after hopping jays and showing off in general. Bijou was often thought to be half bird, but her human half couldn't fly, and when she grabbed a weak branch, her arms were useless as she plummeted to the ground. No one could possibly survive such a great fall. Her body lay crumpled on the ground like a used Kleenex.
A crowd formed around her body. Her sister began to weep bitterly. Ore, did not gawk, nor did he weep, but instead he focused all of his attention on an ethereal orb that seemed to be dancing and laughing its way to the sky. Bijou. He jumped for it, grabbed it in his palm, and held the squirmy bit of nothing. He carried it back to the still form, and pressed it back into her heart. He willed her to breathe, focusing everything on her survival.
With her first breaths cacophony broke out. Some people called it a miracle while others called it the work of evil. No one understood quite what had happened, but most agreed that it had something to do with the strange boy Ore.