Orion nodded. He took the sweet potatoes and ate slowly, without gobbling them down. Nina poured him another glass of water.
"If it's not enough, I'll get you more," she said.
Orion shook his head. Nina noticed that he preferred not to speak unless absolutely necessary. She did not want to stare at him while he ate, so she busied herself with tidying up the tent. Suddenly, a trumpet sounded. It was the call to assemble. Something was happening in the military.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtWhat she did not expect was to see Orion put down his sweet potato, stand up straight, and salute. It was a perfect military posture and a crisp salute.
Nina was completely taken aback. He was only five years old.
How could he perform these actions so expertly? Could he be the child of a soldier? Realizing the significance, Nina decided to contact the embassy. If he was the child of a fallen soldier, he should not be left alone in a foreign land.
"Orion, you're not a soldier, but you know these things. Who taught you this? Do you remember?" Nina asked, crouching down to his level.
Orion looked at her with those bright, star-like eyes and replied simply, "Grandpa." Although his words were brief, Nina understood. It seemed his grandfather had passed away. Otherwise, Orion would not be in such a state, wandering around with torn clothes and a dirty face. "You rest now. I have to go out for a while. Don't run off while I'm gone," Nina said, patting his head.
Orion nodded obediently.
Nina went to the embassy first. She explained the situation to the officer in charge, "The child you askedto take care of, I found out his nis Orion. He said he's never met his parents, but when he heard the assembly call, he stood at attention and saluted like a soldier. He said his grandfather taught him. He might be the child of a soldier. Can you get a professional to talk to him and find a good hfor him?" The embassy would need to investigate before they could confirm if Orion was indeed a soldier's child, but Nina was confident they would find the truth.
"It won't be immediate. It will take at least three days. In the meantime, try to get more information from the child. He seems to trust you," the officer said.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I'll do my best," Nina promised. She could not guarantee anything, but she could not just ignore the situation. After leaving the embassy, Nina headed to the market. Due to the conflict, the market was held in an underground bunker. It was hot, stuffy, crowded, and far awaytook her over two hours to get there. She squeezed through the crowds and bought two sets of clothes for Orion and sfood supplies.
When she returned to the camp, it was already 8 PM. From a distance, she saw Orion standing at the m entrance of the tent. As soon as he saw her, he ran towards her and hugged her tightly. Nina had not expected such affection from a child who barely spoke and whom she had just met.
But, thinking about it, she realized that she was helping because the military had found him first and he was Birkhamese child who was in a pitiable state. Beyond that, there was nothing more. "Let's go inside. I bought sthings for you," she said.
She not only bought clothes for Orion but also sfood and medical supplies for the military Though her country was strong and did not need her help, she still wanted to contribute. X