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It was cold all year round — at least for Falin — who donned thick cardigans or snug turtlenecks and fell sick so frequently it felt like an ancient curse had been laid upon her fragile body.
Homeschooled in an orphanage since she was a young child, Falin hardly ever ventured into the outside world. Her strict caretaker and older brother Laios feared the consequences of letting her wander off, for he was not merely a sickly child but a curious one who often begged to follow him on his hiking trips. On some days when the sky seemed particularly clear and blue — like the gorgeous thundering waterfall painting that hung on the wall in the long hallway — Falin felt especially brave and would venture to ask Laios.
"Brother, I know this may be too much to ask for, but can I please go out today? I promise what happened last time won't happen again! I'm feeling extra healthy today."
Her cautious brother's piercing gaze cut through her with the weight of a guardian sword. He said nothing as he continued to stare at her, eyes roaming through her weak figure, scanning for any sign of discomfort or sickness.
“No, Falin. You need to stay in the orphanage. I don't want you to collapse during the trip,” he denied, time and time again, to the point that Falin could quote his words in her mind.
“But… I'm really feeling so much better today, it's such a rare chance. Let me come along too, please?”
“I'm sorry, I can't. But you know what? I'll make sure to buy snacks and other exciting stuff back for you, alright?” Laios bent down, patting her shoulder gently in an attempt to comfort and persuade his stubborn younger sister.
Still, the spirited and curious young girl did not give in. She had lived alongside this man for long enough now to know that she could sway him if she tried.
Falin took a deep breath, playing this card was nothing short of high risk high reward, she would either come out alive and victorious or end up causing more trouble for everyone.
"But brother, didn't you say that staying cooped up at home could end up being worse for me in the long run? You should take me with you once in a while!" Despite her efforts, her voice wavered and cheeks flushed bright red, clear evidence of her fear and slight anticipation for his answer.
Silence swept through the room, and Laios’ face twisted and scrunched up like he had eaten something unpleasant. As he thought of what best to say and do, Falin’s entire body trembled, her usually squinted eyes wide open, growing impatient with her indecisive brother. In times like this, Falin was as unrelenting as the sickness that refused to leave her body.
After seeing her in that state, Laios finally caved in. "... Alright. I concede, but just this once. Go prepare yourself, we'll head for the town park in 15 minutes."
And so, these very rare trips to the town park helped Falin live through her dreary days of confinement. She would drink in the mundane sights of birds leaving the nests, dogs chasing each other through the park's cobblestone path and people riding their bicycles or strolling around with their hands intertwined. Sometimes, even her brother's partner Kabru would accompany them, saying that he was there for "safety precautions" but she knew better. She would often pretend not to notice whenever the two of them were having intimate conversations and would walk ahead to give them their privacy.
“Falin, don't go too far! There might be green whipsnakes on the tree branches so don't smack them with your stick—” Laios hollered after the silhouette of his younger sister, disappearing into the foliage. When she reappeared, she would always have something in the palm of her hands—from harmless tree frogs, cheeky sugar gliders, to highly venomous snakes—to show off to her brother. And though he would reprimand her for it, his eyes glimmered with pride and he would visit her bed at night, out of Labru’s sight, to tell her everything he knew of the creatures she caught.
However, those days were rare, and more often than not she had to obey her fussy brother, remaining within the confines of the orphanage. But instead of sitting around listening to the other orphans’ half-hearted “sorrys” and “I wish you could come with us”, she would hide out in the mini art studio, drawing and reading about the magnificent creatures of the world which she had seen so little of. Truth be told, Falin could have been engrossed in many other matters outside of wildlife, but she was fixated on wild animals partly due to her brother's interest in them. Whenever he came back from a hiking trip, he would gush on and on to her about the unique flora and fauna he had seen and it made her envious.
And so, while her brother and the others went out shopping at the market centre or visiting cities, she would dive into her books to have epic journeys to the land of witches and dragons. She would go on voyages across the endless ocean, battling fearsome sea serpents as they whipped their tails against his ship. Falin would climb to snowy mountain peaks, overlooking the breathtaking scenery alongside mountain goats and elusive snow leopards. Other times, she would fly above the heavenly clouds as a griffin or dive into deep, freezing waters to touch the horns of a majestic narwhal or swim with the mermaids of Atlantis. These journeys to the skies and seabed were something she could merely dream and draw about, as the sensation of water upon his sickly skin felt slimy and frightening and she had never been given the chance to be on a plane.
When she grew tired of those landscapes, Falin would move on to trek thick rainforests, encountering poisonous flora and intimidating predators that bared their sharp teeth at her. She would bask in the image of exploring dungeons and dangerous terrains alongside her brother. The thrilling adventures she experienced through her books and her own art ensured that she lived a thousand lives. Falin was not a pitiful or sickly child; she was an adventurer, a pirate, a knight, a witch, a king, a monster.
However, dreaming of hunting stars in the night sky and befriending the people on the moon meant that she still had to wake up eventually. And when she did, Falin would be struck heavily by the emptiness of her hollow life yet again. She grew ever anxious and drew more, and more, and more. She tried so hard to fill that cold, empty space in her heart with more beauty, more adventures, more of every single novel or artbook she could get her hands on. And because of that, the other children drew away from her, thinking she was trying to show off her superiority in the arts and literature.
Now it seemed she had gained a new curse; the curse of a lonely artist and reader. Knowledge and art were like a ladder. As she reached the highest point on that ladder, she found glorious sights, and with it came profound loneliness. Once again, Falin was alone in her cold, empty castle like a cursed hideous Beast, a creature meant to soar the heavens, reduced to ashes and clipped wings. Her brother was her only salvation, but even then she knew she could not rely on his companionship forever.
"Hey, nerd! Wanna come with us to the market? There's a huge party with the other kids in town— oh wait, you can't come since you're such a weakling!" the other teenagers would mock every time she walked past.
Deep down, Falin understood their behaviour. She knew that they were threatened by her intellect and artistic eye, as well as her sickly disposition. But still, the words stung, she knew well enough that she would never be able to experience a normal teenage life.
Then came a girl slightly older than her named Marcille, with her gleaming golden hair cascading down her back. She had arrived one Winter night, blazing in through the orphanage doors like a hare emerging from a tunnel to hunt. "My family has loved and left me a little too early, so I hope I can find a new family with all of you here!" She exclaimed cheerfully.
For someone with such a cheerful and confident personality, she easily got along with everyone, fitting in seamlessly like the final piece of a puzzle. And precisely because of that, Falin couldn't seem to find the courage or opportunity to speak to her. Marcille to her resembled the glorious shades of rusty sunset against thundering waterfalls, the soothing warmth that emanated from the fireplace — tempting you to come close, the risk of getting burnt all but forgotten in that moment. Falin feared the older girl would turn her away, just as it was with all the others before her. And so, with the same admiration she had towards the flames in the nearby fireplace — Falin would quietly observe Marcille from a distance with flushed cheeks, never able to reach out and feel her fiery warmth.
Naturally, her oblivious brother did not notice her desire to befriend the newcomer. Whenever Falin tugged at his sleeves in an awkward attempt to ask for his help, he would smile cluelessly back at her.
“What's wrong, Falin? Did you need help with something?” He would ask. When she shook her head and whispered Marcille’s name, he had nearly stormed off in a deep misunderstanding. “What? Marcille? Is she bullying you?”
Gaping at her brother, Falin smacked his shoulder repeatedly, “No, no! I want to be… friends with her. Can you… help me?”
“Huh? Oh, was that it? Falin, I'm sure you could reach out and talk to her yourself! You can do it.” He assured her, but it did little to boost her motivation.
Still, it seemed that the elusive power of Luck was on her side this time, for Marcille had found her way to Falin all on her own.
It was her second week at the orphanage, and Marcille had strolled into the art studio, finding Falin curled up in a corner, hands splashed with colour, painting quietly.
"Oh, this drawing is very detailed! It even feels like you drew it with magic!" Marcille exclaimed brightly, startling Falin with her sudden appearance. Not knowing what to say in reply, she meekly nodded and smiled.
"Well, can I stay here and watch you draw?” Marcille asked. Noticing Falin's flushed expression, she cupped a hand over her mouth, “O-oh, that must have been so rude of me to ask! I know artists hate having people watch them…."
Before Falin could respond with an enthusiastic "No, please sit!", one of the other teens interrupted. "Hey Marcille, don't bother with that sickly kid, she's weird and arrogant!”
Hearing this, Marcille frowned deeply, and Falin could hear her heart shatter in the silence that stretched on between them. Not even a confident person who seemed so welcoming would choose to stay with her it seemed. Just as Falin felt her head droop and imagining how she would run to tell her brother of her immense disappointment, Marcille turned to face her with a cheeky smile. Instead of running off to join the other kids, she had chosen to sit down next to her.
"I don't think she's trying to come off as an arrogant person at all." Marcille shrugged, "It's amazing that she wants to learn about the world through art, and I think it's just plain rude of you to discredit and outcast her just because of that!"
The other children were taken aback by Marcille's bluntness and rushed out of the room in embarrassment. Watching them huffing in defeat as they scurried away, Falin couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh. She'd never won a race before, but at that moment, she understood just how athletes felt when they crossed the finishing line in a long awaited victory.
Before she knew it, Marcille had invaded Falin's life, like the first rays of sunlight shining boldly through the curtains of her dark and cold room. She would run to sit with Falin for lunch instead of with the other kids, blatantly ignoring their sour looks. As if that weren't enough, she would even drag Falin to join in on their games and story nights. In time, Falin came to realize that she was having fun and the others had slowly but surely begun to welcome her presence.
Watching Falin laughing away with Marcille, Laios let out a deep sigh of relief. “It's so good to see her finally mixing with others.”
Kabru nodded in agreement, “Yeah, it's really such a stroke of luck that she met Marcille. Feels like her energy has affected Falin… in a good way, of course!”
Soon, she was energized and healthy enough to join everyone on road trips. It seemed that she was beginning to heal from the hurt of isolation and rejection, and it was all thanks to one proud and scorching soul.
How could Falin ever thank her enough?
One rare and particularly warm Autumn day, Falin finally worked up the courage to take Marcille's hand, "Could you come with me? I have something to say to you."
She led the confused girl onto the rooftop, overlooking the forest and pathways that surrounded their orphanage. The slanting rays of the setting sun gave a warm orange tinge to the sky. Falin turned to look into Marcille’s sharp eyes before speaking again.
"I've wanted to show you the sunset view from the rooftop for a while now, since the colours of the sky reminded me of you, of your confident personality..." she stuttered, shutting her eyes in embarrassment.
Marcille stared back in shock before breaking into a loud laugh that echoed off the rooftops. "Oh Falin, I didn't realize you were so sappy with your words!" she teased, hugging the shy girl tightly in her arms. Falin, emboldened by Marcille's reaction, turned back to the sun and spoke once more.
"Before you came, it felt like time was frozen for me, as if I was trapped in winter forever. And I wanted to thank you... for being such a bright and optimistic person. Marcille, you saved me. And I want to be someone that you can rely on too but... I'm not a prince with a heart made of gold or a brave knight in shining armour that can protect you from danger," she rambled on for fear of being interrupted with cruel rejection from the other girl, "I get sick easily, I'm weak, and my only merit is my art and knowledge—"
"Don't forget your immense kindness and beauty! Falin, you're incredibly talented, you know. You should be proud of it!" Marcille interjected with a wide grin.
Falin softened at her attempt to lighten the mood, the way she always did. But she needed to tell Marcille; she needed her to know how much of an impact her presence had on Falin’s growth and healing.
She closed her eyes, sucking in her breath before finally expressing her deeply hidden emotions.
"Thank you for choosing to befriend me. I… I want to be with you, always, if you'll let me."
Silence embraced them as they say there, Falin with her eyes shut tight, too ashamed to do anything but hold her breathe in.
Oh, what a fool she had been! Why did she reveal everything like this, in such a manner that could be mistaken as a romantic proposal? Perhaps Marcille would be deeply disgusted, and she would lose the one friend, the one companion that wasn't her dear brother, and be left alone forever?
No, she had to fix this. She still had time! She could tell her it was all a mistake, a prank! She should—
Falin's thought process came to a startling halt when she felt a strange and warm sensation against the side of her face. Almost… as if she had been pecked on the cheek. Confused, Falin finally decided to crack open her eyes. When she did, she was greeted by the sight of Marcille, with the most dazzling smile she had ever seen. It made Falin wish she had brought her art supplies up to immortalize this moment, backed by the fading sun's gentle glow.
"Actually, I have something for you too," Marcille blushed, presenting her with something in her palm.
It was an origami of a griffin.
"Well, I recall you saying that you found them to look so cool, so I thought— well, I could draw one, but I'm nowhere near as good as you, so... I'm sorry, I spent hours on this but it's still kind of ugly..."
Falin gawked at the girl, with her fingertips covered in tiny paper cuts, the crinkled origami in her delicate hand shining like a diamond in the glow of the sunset. "I'm— I'm so happy! This is so amazing, I can't wait to show this to my brother! I love it, truly. Thank you, Marcille."
As they say there, sharing a moment that could never be stolen by the freezing winter breeze, hands intertwined, Falin felt free.
"Falin! Falin, where are you? It's time for dinner!"
The sound of a loud chiming bell followed by Laios’ loud voice, calling for his younger sister interrupted them, causing Marcille to jump up, "It's time for dinner, hurry or we're gonna be late!" she took a few steps towards the ladder leading down before turning back around.
"Oh, I almost forgot something!" she laughed as she grabbed Falin's hand, pulling her towards the ladder. A warm glow spread across her face as they ran back to the dining room, laughing the whole way through.
Marcille had thawed something within her, melting away all those cold, lonely years. And for the first time, Falin could see the coming of Spring on the horizon.
It was no longer cold all year round for Falin.