Chapter Two: Lost and Never Found
"It is not much further, Tomas." Hugo reassured Tomas as they slowly but surely made their way to the man's home village. While they traveled, Katerina asked Tomas plenty of questions such as "Why is your hair silver?" and "What is your favorite color?". The silver-haired man could only smile as he answered Katerina's questions, and he tried his best not to let words like "demon" or "assassin" slip from his mouth. Those were things no child should have to hear.
Katerina suddenly grabbed Tomas' arm and started tugging on it with a smile on her face. "Daddy can pick me up with one arm! He's really strong." Hugo chuckled at his daughter's words, making Katerina laugh with him for a moment before she continued. "Can you do that, Mr. Tomas?"
Tomas raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I can try. Although, I don't think I'm as strong as your father."
"Please?" Katerina looked up at Tomas and whined, unsatisfied with the man's answer. "Please, please, please!?"
Tomas laughed and shrugged. "I guess I have no choice." Without warning, the silver-haired man raised his arm with Katerina still holding onto it and the girl screamed as she was suddenly lifted into the air. But her shouts were not of fear, but of joy. Tomas brought Katerina up to eye level and with his free hand, he playfully tapped the child's nose with his finger. "Huh, look at that. You're pretty high up, aren't you?"
Katerina's smile widened and even though she was struggling to hang on, the girl was still having the time of her life. "Higher! Higher!"
"You want to go higher?" Tomas' smile grew as well, and he moved his arm higher as Katerina requested. "Okay, hang o—" Stopping, the silver-haired man temporarily forgot about the girl, and he listened closely to the sounds of the forest. In the distance, Tomas could hear plenty of voices and the sounds of horses and wagons being pulled. The sounds of a bustling little village. They had to be near Vesnice Rudá now.
"Alright, just over this small hill, and —" Stopping atop the hill, Hugo took in a breath and smiled. "Here we are." The man glanced over his shoulder and frowned when he saw how Tomas was just standing there looking into nothing. Even his daughter looked worried as she jumped down from Tomas' arms and started tugging at his pants leg. Hugo stepped towards the silver-haired man and waved his hand in front of Tomas' face. "Hey. You still with us, Tomas?"
Snapping out of his trance, Tomas shook his head and chuckled nervously at Hugo. "S-Sorry. I was lost in thought."
"Ah." Hugo nodded his head, seeming to understand why the silver-haired man was in such a dazed state. "Nervous?"
Tomas shrugged. "Maybe a little."
Hugo sighed and patted Tomas on his back. "Look, I know I said that the other villagers don't care for strangers, but…just relax, okay? As long as you don't do anything to make them suspicious, they won't mess with you. You'll be fine."
Tomas only nodded and Hugo began to walk up the hill again with Katerina right behind him. The silver-haired man knew Hugo meant well, but he had no idea about what was really going on in Tomas' head. Speaking of which—
"Everything will be fine, Tomas. Stay focused." Enenra, who had been unusually quiet during their short trip to Vesnice Rudá, finally spoke up, and his words of encouragement were enough to ease his host's nerves. Even if it was just a little bit. After taking a deep breath, Tomas soon followed Hugo and Katerina and he was greeted with the sight of Vesnice Rudá in all its glory. It was nothing spectacular, but nostalgia hit Tomas full force the moment he saw it. Memories immediately flashed through his mind of the small, brick houses, each a different color than the next, and the wooden fence that surrounded the outskirts of the village.
The most notable landmark within Vesnice Rudá was the large clock tower that stood high in the village square. It was all black with the exception of the clock itself, and the material used to make this tower was pure steel. The way it loomed over the town was almost intimidating, and Tomas even felt a bit anxious as he looked upon it. Clocktowers were originally built to warn the people of emergencies, and the one in Vesnice Rudá also had a big, copper bell sitting below the actual clock. Tomas wondered how long it had been since the bell had to be rung.
Suddenly, a loud ringing resounded throughout Tomas' ears, and he quickly put his hands over his ears to shut out the sound. But he soon realized that the ringing was not coming from the real world. It was echoing throughout his own mind. Images again zoomed through the silver-haired man's head, but this time, they slowed down until one image came into full view. It was of a man ringing the clocktower bell, his face contorted in fear as he continuosly pulled the rope connected to the bell to ring it.
"Hey…. HEY!"
Before he could make sense of the memory, Tomas was pulled back to reality by Hugo's voice calling out to him. He slowly removed his hands from his ears and felt a little embarrassed that he allowed Hugo and his daughter to see him in such a state. "Gods…I apologize. I don't know what's wrong with me."
Hugo waved a hand and shook his head. "Clearly a lot, but who am I to judge?" The man shrugged. "But like I said, try not to act so suspicious. If the others saw you like that, they might think you're crazy."
"Well, they would not exactly be wrong", Tomas thought to himself before speaking to Hugo again. "You don't think I'm crazy?"
Again, Hugo shrugged. "I knew you were weird when I saw the silver hair." He chuckled and then picked Katerina up into his arms. "But not "crazy". If you were, I think I'd know."
"Oh really?" Tomas smirked. "You some kind of an expert?"
Hugo scoffed. "Let's just say I had plenty of run-ins with crazy in my day." He turned to his child and smiled at her. Katerina immediately returned the smile and kissed her father on his cheek. Hugo then looked back to Tomas. "I married the most wonderful and... craziest person I had ever met. She would have liked you if she hadn't…" Hugo trailed off as he thought about his dear wife.
Tomas did not need to be a psychic to figure out that something unfortunate had happened to Hugo's wife. But he could not help but ask about her. "If I may, and forgive me if I misstep, but…what happened to your wife?"
Hugo opened his mouth to answer the question, but he found himself unable to form any words. So, Katerina answered Tomas, her voice coming out as a whisper. "Mommy went to Heaven." Hearing those words, Tomas instantly regretted asking about such a sensitive topic. Katerina must have noticed the sad looks on the faces of the two men, so she smiled at them both in an attempt to cheer them up. "It's okay. Mommy's an angel now. Right, Daddy?"
Hugo, who could not help but be comforted by his child's words, felt tears well into his eyes and he suddenly pulled Katerina into a hug. "Yeah, ladybug. Mommy's a beautiful angel now."
Tomas watched quietly as the father and daughter hugged, sad but happy at the same time. Despite her mother's death, Katerina was still able to smile, and she knew deep in her heart that her mother was in a better place. A child's love was priceless, and Tomas could feel it radiating from the girl like the sun's rays. The silver-haired man smiled softly and bowed his head as a way to silently offer his condolences. He was afraid he would truly upset Katerina if he said the wrong thing out loud. "I am sure your mother is very happy and watching you from afar, Katerina."
Hugo must have understood the meaning behind Tomas' gesture, because he bowed his head back in gratitude. "Thank you, Tomas. That means a lot." The man lifted his head and Tomas followed suit. "Actually, we were going to visit my wife's grave after gathering some flowers from the forest. Well, before—" Hugo nodded his head to Katerina, whose attention was not on the current conversation as she was busy watching a bird flying across the sky. "The flowers had completely slipped my mind until now. Maybe we can find some at the flower shop. I hope Nikol has what we need."
"Is there a specific flower you are looking for?" Tomas asked out of curiosity.
Hugo smiled, which Tomas was grateful for after talking about such a heavy subject, and he answered the silver-haired man's question. "Yes. They actually grow in the woods around here and Katerina and I go every year to get some. They're called "Ana's Tears"."
Tomas froze when the flowers' name left Hugo's lips, but he quickly regained his composure. He cleared his throat and spoke in a low tone. "Ana, huh? That was...my mother's name."
"...Oh. I see." Hearing the sadness in his friend's voice, Hugo assumed that Tomas' mother had suffered the same fate as his dear wife. He now felt bad about mentioning Ana's tears, even though he did not purposely try to provoke Tomas. "I'm sure she was a wonderful lady."
"I'm sure she was too." Tomas thought to himself. Although he had regained some of his memories of his parents, he still did not know much about them. Their favorite food, their favorite type of music, it was all unknown to the silver-haired man. Of course, Tomas was so young during those few years he had spent with his family here in Prague, so there was a very small chance that he had paid any attention to such things at that age. For the time being, Tomas decided to push those thoughts to the back of his mind and spoke again to Hugo. "I do appreciate that, Hugo."
"Don't mention it." Hugo stated as he set Katerina back on the ground, his hand holding onto his daughter's own. "You know, we don't mind if you come to the shop with us, but... you probably want to get started on your search, right?"
Tomas thought about Hugo's words for a moment. Maybe it would be better for him to leave the father/daughter duo for the time being. After all, they were on a personal mission of their own, and Tomas did not want to get in the way of that. So, the silver-haired man soon nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, I suppose I should go ahead and get my bearings. It has been quite some time since I last saw this village. I wonder how much has changed."
Hugo shrugged. "Eh, probably not much. The people here aren't so keen on "change". They're very strict on tradition and all that."
"I see." With a smile, Tomas held his hand out to Hugo. "Well, I guess this is where we part ways. Until we meet again, my friend."
Hugo smiled back and shook Tomas' hand without a second thought. "Yeah, until then. But I have a feeling that "then" may be sooner than we think."
"Let us hope so." Tomas chuckled and then knelt in front of Katerina. "You be careful for now on, little one. You wouldn't want to worry your father again, would you?"
The girl shook her head. "No, Mr. Tomas. I won't."
"Good." Tomas patted Katerina on her head and stood. He then turned to look at Hugo once more. "Well then...after you."
As soon as they entered the village's perimeter, Tomas, Hugo, and Katerina walked their separate ways with the father and daughter heading to the flower shop that Hugo had mentioned earlier. Now Tomas was free to explore the village as he pleased, and so he decided to see if anyone would be kind enough to offer information about his parents. There had to be someone in Vesnice Rudá who knew of his family or at least heard of the Vrbadas, but as Hugo had mentioned, they may not be willing to talk to an outsider like himself. But Tomas was a former resident of the village, so maybe they would take that into consideration.
One by one, Tomas stopped to ask the citizens of Vesnice Rudá for info, but they either ignored him or they just did not know anything. The silver-haired man rounded a corner where he saw a small antique shop with an elderly woman sitting on the porch. He walked up the short staircase onto the porch and was about to address the lady, but he quickly realized that her eyes were closed, and her breathing was slow. She must be asleep.
"Hey!"
Tomas was caught off guard by the sound of the shop's door slamming open and a voice shouting at him. The newcomer, who was a man presumably in his early fifties, stomped onto the porch and approached Tomas with a deep scowl on his face. "You get the hell away from my mother! Do you hear me!?"
Tomas immediately stepped away from the old woman so as to not anger the man further and he raised a hand. "Woah, woah! Sir, please, I meant your mother no harm. I was simply—"
"You think I'd trust the word of an outsider?" The man's Czech accent was thick as he continued to yell at Tomas and the emphasis on the word "outsider" was not lost to the silver-haired man. "You're not welcome here! Leave, before you cause even more trouble than you already have!"
Sighing, Tomas nodded his head and slowly stepped away. "As you wish. I'm leaving." The silver-haired man turned around and was about to leave as the man had demanded, but he was stopped by an unexpected voice. "Now hold on." Glancing over his shoulder, Tomas saw that the old woman had awoken from her slumber and the look she gave him was kind unlike her son. "Please excuse my son, young man. He has a bit of a temper, but he means well."
The lady slowly stood from her chair and waved her hand over to the door. "Eduard, let the boy inside. Can't you see he doesn't want any trouble? If anything, you're the trouble." The woman chuckled as she joked with her son, but Eduard was not pleased by his mother's words. Especially how she invited a stranger into their home.
Speaking of said stranger, Eduard turned back to Tomas, who was unsure of what to do with the man clearly still upset with him. He slowly started walking to the front door with Eduard staring him down the whole time, which was rather uncomfortable to say the least. The moment he stepped inside, Tomas could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. He then took a moment to look around the antique shop, his eyes scanning over shelves filled with all kinds of knickknacks and doodads. There was even some taxidermy sitting on a large display table in the corner, and Tomas could have sworn he saw one of the stuffed beavers blink...probably just his imagination.
"Why don't you have a seat?" Tomas' attention was immediately drawn back to the elderly lady, who was currently sitting in a rocking chair by the front desk. She pointed at a stool for Tomas to sit on, so the silver-haired man dragged the stool from the corner and set it down in front of the woman. Once he was settled, the old lady spoke to Tomas again. "Alright. Now what is it you would like to know? You honestly look a little lost, young man."
Tomas sighed. "You are not entirely wrong about that, ma'am. I came to Vesnice Rudá in search of answers about a couple that used to live here. Or rather...they may still be here. I'm not sure."
"Really?" The woman placed a hand under her chin. "And do you know their names?"
Tomas nodded his head. "Yes. They're Ana and Gabriel Vrbada. I know they were residents here up until about twenty years ago, but I'm not sure if they are staying here now, or if they moved—"
"The Vrbadas?" The elderly lady's eyes suddenly widened. "You knew the Vrbadas?"
"Well, I, uh..." Tomas trailed off, unsure of what he should say next. He was planning on keeping his identity a secret, at least until he got the information he needed. If this lady really knew of the Vrbada family, the silver-haired man did not want to cause any complications with his sudden appearance. For all he knew, everyone probably thought he was dead. "...They were family friends. My family was very close to the Vrbadas. You could even say we are related."
The old woman slowly nodded her head. "Ah, I see. Those two could get along with anyone. My son Eduard and Gabriel were childhood friends, so we were rather close to him and his wife as well. Oh, that reminds me—" The elderly lady held out her hand to Tomas. "I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I'm Irena."
"Oh, yes." Tomas chuckled and gently shook the woman's hand. "My name is Tomas. It is nice to meet you, Mrs. Irena."
Irena arched a brow. "Tomas, huh? Why does that name sound familiar?" The old woman took a moment to think about that before realization hit her. She snapped her fingers and laughed. "Yes, Mr. Tomas from the bakery. Oh, how I miss him. God rest his soul."
Tomas could not help but feel a little disappointed by Irena's response. He had hoped that his name would spark a memory within the old lady, but that unfortunately was not the case. So, the silver-haired man was going to have to ask Irena about it directly. "I am sorry about Mr. Tomas, but...Mrs. Irena, I wanted to ask about Ana and Gabriel's son."
"Son?" Irena frowned. "I'm sorry dear, you must be mistaken. They never had kids."
Before he realized it, Tomas had let out an audible gasp, which must have surprised Irena. Her gaze softened as she continued to speak to Tomas. "I'm sorry, did I... did I say something to upset you?"
Tomas took a deep breath to calm himself before responding. "N-No. I was just surprised. I heard that they had a child, a boy. Was I misinformed?"
"Hold on." Irena looked to the front door where her son had been standing quietly as she and Tomas were talking. "Eduard, you remember Ana and Gabriel, yes?"
Eduard's jaw dropped as soon as the Vrbadas names left his mother's mouth. He stomped over to where Irena was sitting and stood by her side. "Yes, of course, Mother." He then looked at Tomas with a glare. "Does he know something about what happened to them?"
Irena immediately shook her head and patted Eduard's arm. "No, no. I think the poor boy is just confused. He says Ana and Gabriel had a son, but I sure don't remember anything about them having a child."
"No, they didn't." Eduard turned back to his mother. "And even if they wanted to, they couldn't. Ana was infertile, remember?"
Infertile? No, that cannot be true. This new information made Tomas' stomach turn and he tried his best to hide his discomfort from Irena and Eduard. He folded his arms across his chest and looked down at the floor. "Did...Do you know...where Ana and Gabriel are now?"
Irena sighed and looked away as Eduard gently squeezed his mother's shoulder. It was him who answered Tomas' question, but the silver-haired was surprised when he did not hear any malice in Eduard's voice. Only sadness. "Look, I... I'm sorry, but your search ends here, boy. Ana and Gabriel are—"
"We don't know that for sure, Eduard!" Irena snapped at her son, and moved to stand from her chair, but the sudden movement caused a sharp pain to pierce through the old woman's body. She groaned and she would have fallen to the floor if Eduard had not caught her in his arms. "Mother, you shouldn't push yourself like that! Here, let me get you to your room."
Irena did not complain as her son led her away from Tomas and to her room in the back of the shop. But before they left, Eduard glanced his shoulder and spoke once more to the silver-haired man. "...They're gone. Dead. Missing. We honestly don't know. They're just...gone." He sighed and shook his head. "Please. You got your answers, okay? Leave here before you upset my mother more than you already have." With that, Eduard and Irena disappeared into the back room, leaving Tomas alone with his thoughts.
He hated being alone with his thoughts.