S n o w
Dreamer
Thumbs
"Oh, look dear! It's one of those thumbies the news was talking about!" She patted his breast pocket to get his attention, her other hand pointing at a little girl sitting on a cardboard box. He stopped walking. Since their arms were linked, she was forced to stop too. "It's so dirty," she continued in a hushed whisper, leaning closer to him. "No wonder really, with those disgusting things on its hands."
Her husband disentangled himself, and she was left to stare in shock as he approached the ragged thing on the ground. A scandalized noise tore out of her throat when he crouched down in front of It, brown liquid staining the bottom of his coat. She quickly glanced around. It didn't seem like anyone had noticed, until her eyes caught on the young man standing in the middle of the market staring at them, an apple sitting forgotten in his hand.
"What are you doing? Get up!" Her voice had taken on a shrill edge.
He didn't seem to hear her. The thing lifted Its head, parting a yellow curtain to reveal murky eyes. He raised a hand to It, and they stared at each other for a few seconds. It slowly mimicked him, hesitating right before their fingers could touch. She barely stifled a gasp as It made contact, covering her mouth in horror. It was oblivious to her turmoil, even going so far as to smile. It wiggled Its thumb through the empty space where his was missing.
"You know, I always wanted to know what it felt like to have one of these," he said wistfully, pushing his nub against Its skin. "I wish I had the same choice you did, little one."
"Honey? What has gotten into you?" She whispered harshly. She didn't have to look to feel all the eyes on them.
He suddenly stood, wiping his hand off on his pants. "Nothing, nothing, love," he shot her a dazzling smile. It was what made her fall in love with him in the first place. He could blind the sun with that smile. "A small moment of weakness is all. It won't happen again, promise." He held out his hand.
She found herself relaxing, almost against her will. "You should be more careful," she murmured, brushing microscopic specs of dirt off her dress. "It could be diseased."
He waggled his fingers when she didn't immediately take it, and then his eyebrows. She smiled at his antics, and it was suddenly the last thing on her mind when he pulled her close. She let him steer her away from It, and didn't notice the gold coin he tossed over his shoulder.
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