Her monster friend

Ugly Puppy 1

1.

It had rained for days on end, and the musty smell oozed from the dilapidated, dark building, and Abel came back from the bakery, the rain dripping on her old cloak.

There was a corner in her doorway to shelter from the rain, and under the eaves were POTS of green vegetables that looked carefully tended.

Now there was a tiny figure curled up in a ball.

Abel did not go in at once, but went up and touched the shivering child.

A child will fall at a push. Dead people are not new these days, the rain in autumn and winter is colder every time, freezing to death I do not know how many hungry and cold people.

The fallen child asked her for help. His hunger prevented him from opening his mouth and he could only utter a hoarse voice. His limbs were stiff from the cold. He tried to crawl, but it was difficult for him to move his fingers.

The red eyes looked at her mournfully. The rain had moistened his hair, and the strands of it clung to his forehead, showing a terrible scar. The burns on this face spread over half his face, so recognizable that Abel recognized him at once as the child next door.

Phimus, a poor little boy. When he was young, he was thrown into the burning fireplace by his mother, which burned all his possessions, his mother abandoned him, his father hated him, and the branches of rattan were drawn on him to remove evil spirits. The father, who believed in God, recently returned to the arms of God.

Now the poor child lay at her door, looking as if she were going to die.

"Phimus..." Abel sighed. "Will you come to me?"

Phimes could do nothing and did not refuse.

Abel went home first, put down the paper bag, lit the fire, looked around the house, the ground was a little damp, and had to take Phimus by the arms, dragged him into the house, and set him beside a little warm fire.

His body was so weak that she could feel his ribs under his thin clothes and his skin without a trace of fat.

After days of rainy weather, the air was filled with a bitter and salty smell.

As the fire grew louder and the wood crackled, Abel took off her cloak and hung it on the door, choosing a handful of vegetable leaves. The wind and rain were isolated from the door, the fire was baking on her body, and her cold fingers felt more comfortable.

Perhaps it was warmth, but Phimus moved uneasily, looking warily at her.

"I know you're afraid of fire, but -- I can't help it. You need it badly now." Abel said, drying the water marks for him.

The absorbent hand towel pulled away from his long forelock, and when it touched his scar, he ducked back, immobilized by the heat rolling behind him.

Abel took the tiny hand and slipped the towel into his hand. "You do it yourself. I'll cook."

Phimus held the towel and did not dare to move, staring at her closely, observing her expression, and finally confirming that she was not angry, he dared to wipe the water on his body. The biting cold made him shiver, and he leaned toward the fire.

Abel got up and lifted the lid. There was still some midday broth left. By hanging the cooking pot over the fire, she saved firewood for three meals.

Phimes became interested in her movements. She stirred the broth, and he watched; She put in the leaves, he watched;

She closed the lid and sat down next to Phimus, and they looked at each other, listening to the cooing in the pot.

Abel noticed his still soggy clothes: "Are you getting more comfortable? Why don't you go home and change into some dry clothes?"

Phimes shook his head. "I..."

As soon as he spoke, his husky 嘲哳 voice was barely audible, like that of a choked crow, and he shut up and buried his head in his knees.

Abel gave a short laugh. "You scared yourself."

Then he went to get his new bread and butter, broke off half of it and gave it to him: "Eat less, if you eat too much, you will spit it out."

Phimes took the bread and butter and nibbled at it with such good obedience that Abel was satisfied and ladled a bowl of broth for him.

The steaming hot broth was not the leftovers of my father's swill, nor the cold half-baked potatoes, but the broth was also floating with fragrant lard and green fresh vegetable leaves.

Phimes couldn't wait to take a gulp, burning his face until it crumpled.

Abel froze, grabbed his bowl and ordered him: "Aren't you stupid, don't swallow it, spit it out!"

Phimes covered his mouth and shook his head, stuck his neck and swallowed it, begging her in spite of the bleeding throat: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't throw it away..."

Abel was dumbfounded. She placed the bowl far away, forcing the boy's jaw to open.

The child's throat was hot and bleeding, or his tongue, his mouth was tossed by the boiling soup is full of blood bubbles, shocking.

She had never seen such a scene before, and her whole heart hung up and she did not know what to do.

Phimes was very upset and still struggled to reach the bowl of soup.

"You, you don't drink." Abel's mind was confused, "No, I mean, you wait until it's not hot... Don't cry. Oh, I'll go to the chemist's, I'll see what I can do..."

Phimus was not afraid of blood, he was afraid of no food, his bright red eyes fell tears, Abel's already panicked heart more panic.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, breathe many times, Abel let him go, calmly picked up the bowl and said, "I'll feed you, open your mouth."

Phimus quieted down. He was a very good boy, if you ignore his bloody mouth and his crazy appearance for food.

She fed it spoonful by spoonful and he ate it mouthful by mouthful. Even if the cooled soup was not hot, the irritation to the wound could not be ignored, but Phimus was not affected at all, and swallowed every spoonful of broth in pain without saying a word.

After feeding him the broth, Abel asked him to open his mouth, and he did as he was told, and the blood bubble in his mouth shriveled down, and she did not know what to do, and asked him if he could go home first, and she went to the pharmacy to buy some medicine for him.

Phimus blinked, his voice softened after a bowl of broth, and he whispered, "My house has collapsed."

Perhaps because of the continuous rainfall, the dilapidated poor house could not withstand the swelling building materials, and only four walls were left.

Then he went out to ask for help, and Abel did not have to wonder how the villagers, who normally avoided this "ugly little monster," could help. He might even wish he had returned to the devil's lair...

Abel never believed in that. She changed into her dripping cloak and stepped out into the rain again.

The roof next door had indeed fallen in, about the time she had been away, and when she came back she was so focused on Phimms that she did not pay attention to the dilapidated house.

The rain is still falling. I don't know when it will stop.

Go around to the pharmacy, Uncle Tory is ready to close the door, see Abel, smiled and said: "Little Abel, there is no plant growth agent today, you come back tomorrow."

Abel took off his hood and said, "Thank you, Uncle Tory, but I'm not here to buy plant growth agent. Do you have any medicine for burns?" You can eat it."

"Yes, you wait." Tory took a yellow tube from the drawer and handed it to her. "Did you burn yourself?" he asked.

Abel paid and looked sadly at her nearly empty wallet. "It wasn't me. It was Phimes."

Uncle Tory's face changed, wanted to say something, endured, or said: "Abel, that monster is cursed by the gods, is the devil's family, you usually help him, we have a lot of opinions, now even his father has abandoned him, ran into the arms of the gods, you take care not to be cursed by him."

Abel nodded gently. "I know. Thank you, Uncle Tory."

Uncle Tory went on, and when Abel had put on his hood and put away his medicine, Uncle Tory suddenly remembered his wife's words and said:

"My wife loved your flowers. They made our tenth anniversary of marriage all the more meaningful. She asked me to tell you -- you are the God's preferred child."

To be favored by the gods is to grow such beautiful flowers. This is the highest compliment the villagers can give to a loved one.

- Or perhaps a warning to her.

Abel stopped, and this time she looked Uncle Tory straight in the eye and said solemnly, "Say hello to Mrs. Tolisfaye for me, and thank her for her compliment. Goodbye."

Saying goodbye to Uncle Tory, she walked on the wet, muddy road, but her footsteps turned back to the bakery on the way home.

It's time to stock up on dry bread slices.

Ugly Puppy 2

When Abel returned with a large bag of dry bread, Phimus hid out of reach of the fire, curled up in a ball with his knees, and slept quietly.

The sound of the door opening woke him, and Phimes looked vaguely up to the door and saw Abel, with a twinkle in his eyes, rising from the floor to meet her.

Abel handed him the thick yellow potion and clenched his thin arm. "Is it any warmer? The ground will be cold if you sleep like this."

Phimes nodded slightly, holding the potion in his hands.

Abel explained: "The medicine for burns, if you hold it in your mouth for a few minutes and then spit it out, it may hurt a little, bear with it."

The boy did so, the bitter taste of the potion in the air, his face wrinkled, the scar more ferocious.

Abel felt again what a good boy he was and reached out and rubbed his hair.

"Don't swallow it. I'll remind you later." She took the tube, and she's r