The First Step Outside The House, After Leaving Many Footprints Inside The Home

The little boy sat curled up in a corner of the wooden house. Whenever his eyes gazed at the golden, radiant rays of the sun filtering through the white snow outside, a tremor stirred within his tiny heart. He would shrink further into the corner, closing his eyes, trying to hide himself.

He would cover his eyes with both hands. But when the golden rays touched his shivering body, the warmth brought him such relief that he slowly removed his hands from his eyes. And when he opened them, he found his body wrapped in that golden light. His eyes sparkled with wonder. He peeked out the window, and as far as his eyes could see, there was only a white sheet of snow. Far off on the horizon, a glowing yellow orb deepened his awe. Gusts of wind bathed his face in icy waves, and he would leap back into the corner, pressing himself against the walls.

His brown hair fell across his cheeks, and his eyes were sunken and weary. His eyelids blinked slowly, as if trying to absorb every visible thing. His cheeks were hollow, his intestines shriveled from hunger, and his skin had turned cold and pale. He wore a thick woolen overcoat that had become too small for him. His fingers rarely emerged from the coat’s pockets.

He breathed within the wooden walls where life was very cold. Silence reigned, especially at night when darkness seeped in with the cold winds. Then, the lone window would beckon to him. He spent nearly all his time standing by it, gazing at the white land outside. His eyes would freeze in place, and he would stand motionless. The land beyond was far more beautiful than where he was.

Only three faces floated in his memories. He wasn’t familiar with two of them, but the creature that didn’t match those faces had lingered around him for a long time. For the past two days, he was surrounded by wooden walls, with the vast white land outside staring back at him. The emptiness in his stomach grew, his lips dried, his breath slowed, and his eyes became still. His skin clung to his bones like a fine silk sheet. Something stirred within him, pulling him toward the door, where faint light peeked through the cracks, as if calling him out. Gathering all his strength, he tried to stand. He stumbled and fell, tried again, and finally, leaning against the wall, he moved toward the door.

His footsteps stirred something in the house he had never felt before. He placed his hand on the door and pushed it outward. As the door opened, the bright light outside rushed in, covering all the darkness. His eyes remained still. The cold air mingled with his breath and entered his body. A shiver ran down his spine. His trembling hands tried to hold the door. Then his gaze fell on a white figure lying on the snow-covered land. He stepped outside for the first time. It was a familiar face, a fox. Still and silent. Snow had nearly covered her entire body. Ice had formed on her white fur. Eyes were open, filled with fatigue and stillness. There was no movement in the body. Nearby, some fruits were scattered, perhaps she had tried to enter the house.

The little boy’s gaze lingered on it. His fingers gently rustled on the fox’s frozen fur. And the dust over his small treasure of memories was swept away.

The fox used to come to that house once every two or three days, leaving some fruit for him before leaving. This had been happening since the time he came into that house.

One cold morning, when the fox saw him for the first time, he had cried so much that his voice was hoarse; even his sobs were tearing through his throat. The fox had seen him hanging halfway out of the door of a wrecked car, the hand of the woman lying beside him still holding on to him.

Next to the woman lay an unconscious man. Except for the little boy, none of the three showed any movement.

The little boy was quiet then. As the fox’s steps slowly moved towards him, she gently held him in her mouth and pulled him out. Then she sniffed the bodies of the man and woman, and turned back from there.

The little boy remained seated outside the car, his gaze fixed only on it.
A little while later, she returned again, and dragging him over the snow, brought him into that house.

Since that day, the little boy has never gone outside again. That world, too, was beautiful, one he no longer belonged to.

The fox would bring him crabapples, wild berries. When the emptiness of his stomach and his shriveled intestines began to cry out, his hands would instinctively reach for the fruits.

The fox would sit with him for hours inside that home. He would stare at her; in the fox’s eyes floated a deep, peaceful aura. She would gaze at him fixedly. The silence between them was profoundly deep.

She wandered most of the time in the wild snowy area, but whenever she came to the house, she brought enough to keep the little boy alive.

Touching the fox’s stiff body brought no response. He stood up. For a moment, his longing eyes looked at the fruits scattered near the fox. Then he turned back and went inside. The door remained open. He staggered back to the same corner, curled up, and rested his head on his knees, sitting silently. Her numerous footprints still glimmered, trapped between the thin layers of snow on the floor. Her presence still lingered, as if she were still there, silently watching him.

Suddenly, the sound of breaking ice echoed. Fierce winds slammed against the house’s walls, as if trying to carry it away. Thick layers of snow fell from above, like someone gently folding a silky blanket. Within moments, a new, gleaming sheet of snow spread across the ground. Everything became silent. Where the house once stood, there was now only an empire of white land, and spread over it was a glow of cold snowy fog.

The next day, a few lines appeared in the newspaper headlines: A couple, Mr. Rolen and Ms. Ivanya, were found dead in their car. They had gone missing two years ago along with their child. However, their child, Elnov, has not been found yet.