❄️Chapter 28❄️

                                    

                                          
After a few moments, I continued walking. This wasn't on purpose but I was getting closer and closer to the sound. It sounded like a child crying or something. 
As I got closer the sobs grew louder. And then I finally made out the figure of a small body sitting on the edge of the pathway, feet deep in the snow.
I stood there for a minute, wondering what I should do, but with how loud the kid was crying, it was difficult to get a thought through. What was a kid doing here?
"Hey, hey. What's wrong?" I approached slowly so I wouldn't scare him or her.
That seemed to startled them, and they turned around, made eye contact with me, and immediately got up off the pavement and into the snow, putting distance between us.
"I won't hurt you. I just wanted to know why you're crying." I explained after noticing the fear in their eyes. I doubt I was helping them feel any better. But how was I supposed to go on my way knowing I heard, saw, and passed some crying kid on the way?
They had stumbled into the snow, and I had instinctively stepped forward with my arm out to help, but that just scared them more, and I backed away. 
An awkward silence filled the air. Well, at least they weren't crying now, just sniffing continuously.
I took a minute to look at the kid and just noticed the large pointy ears and big eyes. This one currently had blood-red eyes and an even redder, running nose. Argh, I'm not the best person to deal with a kid right now, as much as I loved them.
The elf child watched me carefully, analyzing every move I made.
I carefully and slowly sat down a few feet away from him, cross-legged. I assumed the elf was a boy.
 
"My name's Carol," I told them hoping to build some sort of trust. "What's your name?" I asked, not expecting a response, and I was in fact greeted with silence.
"Wow. Your parents taught you well. Don't talk to strangers." I said smiling and nodding approvingly. No doubt was I making this kid feel worse.
At the mention of their parents, their mouths began quivering, and they looked like they wanted to start crying again.
"What did I say? What do I do?" I briefly had a mini freak out and then did the only thing, which, in my opinion, I thought would work.
"Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow." I sang doing the hand gestures and the mini dance and all.
That seemed to take the kid aback, and he just watched me out of curiosity, probably wondering what I was doing. If I say so myself, I think they nodded approvingly to the song choice, which just gave me energy I didn't know I had as I sang more enthusiastically. 
After a few minutes of torture, the elf child broke out into a laugh and said in a soft voice, "You're an awful singer."
I blinked at him, eyes wide, shocked, and semi-offended by what he said. I know I'm no Beyoncé but he just shot down an X-Factor dream I didn't know I had.
"Touché, kid," I said, going back to my previous position and then to him smiling. "But I got you to smile didn't I?" 
The kid looked at me with slightly raised eyebrows as if realizing then spoke. "Billy, my name's Billy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Billy," I said, bowing my head slightly at him, which made him smile again. Ha ha, I was on a roll. 
"I have to ask what are you doing here? And why were you crying?" I asked the kid right off the bat since we had already broken the ice. His face fell as he slowly came back onto the pavement, a few feet away from me. And if it wasn't my eyes deceiving me due to the lack of sleep I think I saw the tip of his ears lower as well.