Safe
But perhaps it was only an echo.
Jonas picked himself and Gabriel up off the sled, whipping small snowflakes from their bodies. "We're here, Gabe. We made it," Jonas said, holding the small child close to his body as he looked out into the buildings again. What's it like here? Jonas wondered as he started to move forward, the sound he now knew as music growing louder. Gabe was silent in his arms. They were both dreadfully cold and starving. A young boy, who couldn't have been more than ten, came over to them.
"Are you two okay?" he asked. "If you need a place to stay, I'm sure my parents would let you. Come on, I'll take you there." The boy grabbed Jonas's arm, his brown hair whipping in the wind.
"Slow down!" Jonas told the boy, trying to keep Gabriel asleep and in his grasp.
"You'll freeze to death if I don't!" the boy protested, and moved slightly faster.
"But Gabe is-" Jonas started to say, but was cut off.
"He's going to die if we don't get him to a fire. I don't want to see him die."
After the pulling on his arm and being dragged by the boy into the small dwelling, he set Gabe down by the fire, as instructed by the boy.
"My name's Ryan," the boy said, and held his hand out for a greeting. Jonas hesitated.
"Haven't you done a handshake before?" Ryan asked, his hand still outstretched.
"No, I haven't," Jonas told Ryan. Gabe was sleeping by the fire, stirring slightly.
"Where are you from then? Everyone knows what a handshake is. You just stretch your arm out and meet your hand with the other person's."
Jonas stretched out his arm and made his hand meet with Ryan's. "Like that?"
"Like that. You want some food?" Ryan asked suddenly.
"I'd appreciate that very much," Jonas replied, clutching his stomach.
"Okay. I'll make us something." Ryan dashed into a different room to the left of where they were. Jonas turned towards Gabe, who was starting to wake up.
"We're safe, Gabe. We're finally safe," Jonas told him, smiling at the small child.
Gabe smiled back at him. A wonderful sound started to fill the air. Ryan came out of the room.
"What's the sound called again?" Jonas asked Ryan.
"It's called music. You haven't heard of it before?"
"I've heard of it, but I've never actually heard music before."
"Why?"
"Music doesn't exist where I came from. There wasn't war, fear pain, handshakes, love,"
"No love? You must be kidding!" Ryan said in disbelief.
"I am not kidding. There was no love. There wasn't any color, either. Only I hold the color."
"So no one else can see color from wherever you came from?" Ryan asked, his eyes widening slightly.
"That is correct."
"Why?"
"I don't know exactly. Sameness."
"Well, wherever you came from is a little weird. I wouldn't want to go there." Just then a ding rang through the air.
"I'll get it!" Ryan told Jonas, and ran back in the room.
Jonas took a look at Gabriel. "We're safe, Gabe. We're safe."
A.N.: Yes, it was another short One-shot, but it had to be a page long.