Trip made of cinnamon

[overmore]

To think he was even able to come here was a miracle. A school trip to an amusement park, filled with different rides and things to do and see, all for free. Their school was able to get some free tickets, so those who came from lower-income families like him were able to go for free.

If anything, he could be somewhere nice for once. Even if he was going to be alone the whole time.

The kids in school didn’t like him. To them he was “weird” and “odd” and he didn’t understand what that meant. All he knew is that they didn’t like him and would be mean to him at every chance they got. When the teachers weren’t there, he had his things thrown, ripped, hidden and never to be found again.They’d hit him, thrown things at him, write mean things on his table. He wanted it to stop, but nothing would work. No amount of saying “stop” and “you’re hurting me” mattered, because he’d be met with laughs and people talking behind his back on how weird he was.

No one cared, teachers didn’t care, it was all in vain really. All he could do is pretend nothing was going on so that his mother wouldn't be too worried about him. She already was struggling with getting by, having his problems too wouldn’t do them any good. He loved his mother too much for that to plague her.

So now, when everyone else was having a good time at the park, taking pictures with people dressed in pretty costumes, Aesop just sat on one of the benches, waiting for the time to pass. He didn’t have much money on him, his mother could only give him so much. Maybe if he’s lucky he can get something from those claw machines, but even that was not guaranteed with how unfair they were. Maybe he could buy something on one of the stands? There were some stuffed animals there, it would be nice to have something for himself. Though he had to hide it well so that none of the kids would try to take it away from him.

He looked around, seeing a few of them taking pictures with one of the people in costumes. A girl dressed in a pink dress, smiling and hugging the kids she was taking pictures with. They all seemed to have a good time. Aesop wished he could have something like that.

“Why are you sitting there alone by yourself, hm?”

The boy jumped, surprised by the voice talking to him, looking towards it.

A man, dressed up in a costume just like that girl, was standing nearby. His costume was obviously much different, all in blue and white, with a hat that had ears attached to it. But, unlike the girl, who he was sure was dressed as the cat character, with this guy he wasn’t sure if it was a rabbit or a dog. He’s seen all these characters before, but never knew much about them or had the ability to ask anyone about it.

“Why don’t you go with your friends? This place is nicer when you’re spending time with people.” The man continued.

Aesop could only look down. “I don’t… have friends…” he had gotten all shy now, embarrassed he had to tell that to a stranger. He must look so stupid now. The fact he wasn’t already crying about it was a miracle.

He could feel that the man was still standing there. Why didn’t he leave, Aesop thought, considering there was nothing he could possibly want to do with him. He was alone, no friends, it’s not like it was his job to care about boys who had no one to be with.

When he looked up again, he could see the man eying him still.

“That’s fine. You can still take a picture, you know. Everyone does it, even if they come alone. We just need to find someone to take it. I can find some more staff and they can take one with your phone.”

Oh. Yes, that.

“...I don’t have a phone.” Maybe that was even more embarrassing now. Compared to his peers, Aesop had nothing. His experience was much different, completely disconnected from everyone and what’s new and trendy. It was also one of the reasons people thought of him as weird.

But this man didn’t seem to be phased by that either.

“Give me a moment then.”

Aesop didn’t understand at first, but waited anyway. They were going to be here for at least an hour more, so there was still plenty of time left. Not like Aesop was going to do much anyway and whatever the guy wanted probably wouldn’t take too long.

In only a few minutes, he was back, a guy holding a camera with him.

“You can take a picture now.”

Oh. He really wanted Aesop to take a picture with him.

“Um… doesn’t this need to be paid? Since it’s a picture like that…”

“There’s nothing you have to worry about”, the man said. “You should be a bit happy.”

Happy. He’s not sure if that word was in his vocabulary. Could he be like that? Would a picture with a guy in a costume truly make that happen?

He stood up, walking towards him and standing there, unsure what to do. He’d never had the need to take pictures of himself, and the few times he had to do it it was for school. How to stand, move his arms, even how to look at the camera, it was all unknown to him.

“You don’t have to be that stiff, you know. Relax your body a little.”

His heartbeat quickened as the man put his arm around his waist, a bit surprised by the sudden touch. It did not feel bad, but it was something unfamiliar to him. Every other touch he had encountered outside of home had been one of hitting him or taking things away from him. Now, the guy dressed in a costume was just trying to make him a bit happier, just doing what he was supposed to do.

Aesop didn’t know why, but someone just doing that seemed enough to make his sad life a little better.

Deciding to show he was now a bit happier, he hugged the man, almost glueing himself to him. It felt nice, having to hug someone since he didn’t do that at all. The man didn’t seem to mind that at all, continuing to stand as he was, waiting for the picture to be taken.

Within a blink of an eye, and the sound of a click, that photograph was taken. It was so quick, Aesop wouldn’t have noticed it if it weren’t for the flash. The man then walked over to the guy who took the photo, said something Aesop couldn’t hear at that moment, and returned to him with it.

“Here you are. You look happy in it.”

Aesop took the photo, looking at it.

He was smiling. He didn’t even notice he was doing that while hugging the man.

There was some happiness in there. This was a nice moment, one of the rare ones Aesop will have in a long while.

“T-thank you… um…”

“Joseph. That’s my name.”

“Thank you Joseph!” His voice was high and squeaky, not used to these situations. He held onto the picture, then took the bag he had left on the side, deciding to put it somewhere in there. There was one place where the photo wouldn't be damaged or even taken away by someone else, so that’s where he would be putting it.

Once he was done with that, he wanted to look at Joseph again, but by the time he was done, he had moved away. It made him a little sad, but he had a job in the end. He couldn’t just stand there with Aesop the whole time, just because the boy was alone. But all of this had made him a little happier.

Happier enough to allow himself to do something other than standing around.

Before they had to leave, Aesop went to one of the stands that sold plushies. He found the one that looked the same as the character Joseph was dressed up as. Cinnamoroll, he was called. And it was a dog, not a rabbit. With the money he had, it was enough to buy one of them, a smaller one that was also very squishy. It had a heart as a part of the design, held by Cinnamoroll. He thought it was cute.

After carefully putting it into his bag so that no one would touch it, Aesop went back to where they should be all gathered when leaving. He now had something special to him.

He was going to cherish that plush, especially because it reminded him of Joseph a little. And what Joseph did made him very happy.

What a little treasure he had.