Dance of the Damned

Tale as Old as Time

A week later, he went to clean that same spot again, seeing the boy sitting there, waiting for him.

The moment the two made eye contact, he waved at him happily as he got up and walked to him.

Oh no. What does he want?

"Hi." the boy said, beaming as his white hair seemed to reflect the sunlight that broke into the stairwell. "What's your name?"

"Uh ... Philip."

"Well, Uh Philip. Look!" He held up the sheet from the week before, of the equation he solved and there, in bold letters were written, 'Excellent.'

"The professors said that only two students have been able to solve this equation before," he explained, looking at the sheet. "They are going to hang this achievement in the newspapers."

"O-oh?" What does this have to do with me?

"So." The boy said, looking at him with pleading eyes. "I have a favour to ask of you. Can you solve some more equations for me?"

"Listen." He sad suddenly, hands trembling. "I can't do it for you."

"Why not?" The boy asked, brows furrowing. "You should. You’re talented."

"I know. But I don't think I have the time to." He said averting his eyes from him. "I am very busy, as you can see."

"I can ask my grandfather to help," he said brightly. "What do you think?"

"If I don't do this work, how will I get money to live?" Philip asked, horror written all over his face. "I need to get money to give a better future for my two younger siblings."

"If you are with me, you won't have to worry about that." The boy threw his hand over his shoulder. "Come on. I will make sure they get the best schools too. Ok?"

"Ok." He said a little too suddenly before he could catch himself.

"Great! See you tomorrow!" The boy said running away as Philip stood there, wondering what just happened.

___________________

So, this unlikely friendship, if you could call it that, came to be formed.

For the next couple of weeks, the two would meet in that exact spot. The boy would bring a few equations he would ask him to solve while he goes on to do other works like flipping through the numerous books he brought with him.

He would sometimes bring food packed in a sealed container for the two as they would be there well into the night.

The academy is opened all hours of the day and night to encourage students to study.

Are they not worried the students would be doing something else instead of studying? Well, you don’t have to worry your little head about that because there are fifty-seven guards that roam the hallways every night, making sure to check on everything.

They once found Philip and the boy asleep on the stairs with books and papers scattered all around them.

After checking the books and papers, they carried them to the infirmary and placed them on the spare beds with their works to sleep more comfortably.

No one talked of that day. It does not exist, not to them anyway.

__________________

“This week, we have to read in Latur.” He complained, laying back on the ground as Philip was stuck at an equation he could not entirely understand.

“Latur?” Philip asked, looking up from the equation.

“That ancient language no one speaks in anymore.” He said, looking at Philip as realization dawned on him. “Can you read?”

“No.”

“Ok. I will teach you how to.” He said with determination written all over his face.

Thus, another couple of months passed. Philip can now read and the pay he is getting from the boy is enough for his family to live comfortably.

He did not dare tell his family what is going on so he just told them that a friend helped him get a better job. That was enough to satisfy them.

______________

But trouble came when he realised that he talked about the boy too much, even though he never asked his name and is too awkward to ask now, that his family wanted to meet him.

Every time they asked, he came up with an excuse until he could not avoid it anymore and agreed. When he asked the boy about it, he immediately agreed. That made Philip more concerned.

__________________

He began pacing around the stairs, Philip fixed the best shirt he could find in his wardrobe which is just a clean peasant shirt, like all his other shirts while waiting for the boy who was taking quite some time.

What if we are too poor and he insults us? No, from the few months I know him, he isn’t like that.

But he might say something insulting by mistake. Our house can’t even compare to the dorms here and they are considered small.

Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed. Mayb-

“You are here, Philip?”

Breathing in and out to steel his nerves, he turned and was about to greet the boy when he saw him and then paused.

He pursed his lips, trying hard not to laugh at his hair, parted in the middle and held down with what looked like oil. He also wore a shirt with so many frills on the arms that he looked like he made that shirt out of chicken feathers.

“You can laugh.” The boy said, a disappointed look on his face and that was enough to make Philip fall to the floor in a fit of laughter, holding his stomach in pain.

“What happened to you?” He asked, trying to stop but every time he looked at him, a new set of laughter came.

“Grandfather said that I should wear this.” He shrugged, holding his arms out, hands no longer visible because of the frills. “Does it look that bad?”

Through gritted teeth, Philip managed to say, “No,” before laughing again. “Sorry.”

“Should I change?” The boy asked, looking at his hands and the frills with a disappointed sigh. “But that would take too long and I already told you that I was coming over.”

“Oh, we can resch-“ Philip paused when he heard ripping sounds and stared blankly at the boy ripping the frills off the shirt, tearing the lower half of the sleeves off. “Ahhh! Is that not expensive?”

“I don’t know.” He said, throwing the cloth into the dustbin as he began to fold up the sleeves. Some parts of the seams and threat stuck out even though he folded it. “I guess we will have to pass by a store. Come on.”

Again, Philip was pulled away by this boy he met only a week ago. They took the carriage that made Philip uneasy as he feared breaking something if he breathed too hard.

Stopping in front of a store, the boy bought another shirt for himself making Philip wonder, what even was the point of tearing them off in the first place?

Just entering the store filled Philip with anxiety, standing in one corner, unmoving. The boy told him to check the clothes but he refused to move.

The store smelt expensive, so what would that make of the clothes.

After changing, the shopkeeper handed him four boxes neatly wrapped in, what looked like, liquid gold and they were off.

_____________________

“Here we are,” Philip said, staring at the little run-down house almost in the middle of a crowded street. Clumsily made houses all woven together like a quilt suffocating each other.

The boy stood there, fiddling with his shirt, fixing it over and over again. “Do I look presentable enough?  Should I have gone with the other shirt? How is my hair?”

Philip stared at the boy, unsure of what to say or do.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked, pulling at his shirt. “I knew I should have gone for the blue one.”

“You act like you are going to meet the king. It is just my family.” He teased.

“That’s the point.” The boy said, full of nerves. “And you know what they say, first impressions are lasting impressions.”

“I have never heard anyone say that.” He mused. “And is impressing my family that important?”

The boy turned to him, confused. "Of course. They are YOUR family. Now tell me, do I look presentable or should I have gone with grandfather's pick?"

Philip remembered cleaning the house with his brother, sister and mother the night before. They scrubbed every inch but nothing seemed to change. It only looked a little cleaner.

He worried about the boy’s reaction to it but was prepared to defend his family if he ever needed to. But, seeing him now, he realised that he worried over nothing as he burst into a laugh.

"Grandfather's pick all the way." He said, smiling. "Don't worry. You look fine."

"Right, I should have gone with grandfather's pick. At least I would have made them laugh." He said chuckling nervously while staring at the house. "Shall we go in?"

"Sure."

The two were worried over nothing, the boy got along with Philip's family and Philip finally learned the boy's name, Kail Pober. A name he would never forget for the rest of his life. Especially after what he did next.