004: delight
The simplicity of the ranger style didn't suit everyone but it suited Will and over time, he began to find joy in the simple things of life. A beautiful sunset, a particularly good cup of coffee. Sometimes it's the little moments that made the hardship and grief worth it. Such moments occured often in the comforting silence of something familiar such as the calmness after it had just rained and the ranger would go out onto the veranda, stretching his aching bones and read a book, becoming utterly lost in the complexity and peace one finds in a good novel. I would tell you what book it is that he picked up that day, what he said to Halt as his father figure came riding up the small pathway to the cabin. And I certainly could tell you why he was so happy to see his mentor on that partly cloudy day. But I think that the warrior has fought hard against evils physical and mental and I believe that he deserves a break. A break from prying eyes and whispering mouths, a break from the pain suffered from a boy too young and a break from nosy gossipers such as myself. Because sometimes little joys aren't meant to be shared with the world as they are just that, little. And I think Will deserves a little joy to keep for himself, don't you?
But what I will tell you is the rare expression on Halts face when Will laughed and smiled, his dimples showing clearly. A spark of happiness in his warm brown eyes. The safe knowledge the older man relished in seeing the boy that meant so much to him happy and content. It was not happiness nor joy, it was something much deeper, it was pure delight.