They entered a small salon filled with the scent of aged wood and cool air coming in from outside. The floor creaked softly under their feet with every step.
On the walls, the tongues of oil lamps swayed gently with each breeze, casting a faint golden light that embraced the simple furniture, leaving dancing shadows moving around the room like sleepy ghosts.
Through the window, the horizon appeared still; the city was immersed in a heavy silence, with only a distant glimmer of light reflecting off the glass, shining for a moment... then disappearing.
The three climbed the wooden staircase to the second floor, each step emitting a soft creak under their feet's weight.
Daniel took out a small brass key at the door and slowly turned it in the lock until it made a short metallic click.
The door opened, and a pleasant warmth emanated from inside, along with a dim light from an oil lamp placed on a round wooden table.
The hallway was not large, but it had a comfortable calmness about it; dark curtains covered half the window, there was a modest gray sofa, and a small shelf with some old books on it.
Daniel turned to Maldo, a soft smile on his face:
"Welcome to your new home, Maldo."
Luca stood beside them, inspecting the place with curious eyes, before saying in a slightly sarcastic tone:
"What a quiet place... If I hadn't seen you two, I would have thought ghosts lived here."
Daniel didn't comment, just nodded slightly and took a step forward.
At the end of the hallway was a small balcony with ornate wooden doors, half open. A cool breeze slowly entered, moving the white curtains and scattering the oily light on the floor.
Then Maldo heard light footsteps echoing on the balcony floor, intermittent as if lost between shadow and light.
He froze in place, his body trembling involuntarily, before reaching out and unconsciously clutching the edge of Daniel's coat.
In an instant, a little girl rushed out from the balcony, like a mass of light and warmth amid the silence of the place.
Her long red hair swayed behind her with every movement, and her green eyes sparkled like polished jewels in the lamplight.
Her embroidered dress fluttered with her small steps, and in her hands she carried a worn teddy bear, holding it carefully as if it were a treasure.
She laughed with pure joy, a laugh that instantly dispelled the eeriness of the atmosphere and filled the place with unexpected life.
"Uncle Daniel!"
She raised the little teddy bear to her face and added, in a childish, reproachful tone:
"You're late!
Maldo looked at her cautiously, his wide eyes flickering as if trying to understand what he was seeing.
He tugged hard on the hem of Daniel's coat, as if that alone connected him to reality.
His voice came out hesitant, barely passing his lips:
"Red..."
Luca raised his hand in a slightly exaggerated greeting, and the corners of his mouth curved into a playful smile:
"Hello, little princess."
The girl blinked twice, then stared at him with sincere childlike curiosity, as if trying to read his features to see if he was joking or serious.
She turned to Daniel and asked him in a light, slightly reproachful tone:
"Uncle Daniel, who is this? He looks strange!"
For a moment, Luca felt as if an invisible arrow had pierced his head.
He froze in place, then simply remained silent, slightly embarrassed, while Daniel laughed lightly and said, pointing with his hand:
"This is Luca... He's an annoying friend."
He reached out his hand, trying to pull Maldo, who was still clinging to his coat, and said in a warmer tone:
"And this is Maldo... He'll be living with us here."
The girl approached lightly, leaning her body slightly to see who was hiding behind Daniel.
"Maldo, this is Sally... Come on." Daniel said with a small smile.
Maldo hesitated for a moment, then looked up at her with obvious nervousness and muttered in a low voice:
"Hello."
Her smile widened immediately, and her eyes sparkled with pure surprise.
She said with pure childlike enthusiasm:
"Now I have a friend...!"
Time stopped for a moment in Maldo's mind.
The word "friend" echoed inside him like a distant echo from a life he did not know.
A strange mixture of caution and confusion flickered in his eyes, as if his heart was trying to remember an old feeling he had never experienced.
He didn't know how to respond.
He just looked at her, while a fleeting thought crossed his mind...
What a smile...
"Buddy... what do you mean?" Maldo asked innocently, his voice low and a little fearful of the next step, as he cautiously began to emerge from behind Daniel.
Sally looked at him with eyes sparkling with curiosity, her smile tinged with childlike mystery.
"Hmm... don't you know?" she said in a joking tone, as if challenging him a little.
Maldo just nodded slightly, unable to say anything, but his eyes showed a mixture of surprise and confusion.
Inside, he felt as if every small step toward this child was leading him into a new world, strange but warm at the same time.
Luca approached them, the corner of his mouth twisted into a sarcastic smile:
"Maldo is still learning... He's a little stupid."
Daniel raised his hand, grabbed Luca's ear, and pulled him gently, his voice calm but firm:
"Let them talk together."
Luca moved away slightly, pretending to give in, while jokingly saying:
"We'll go inside... Enjoy yourselves now, just the two of you."
Maldo remained hesitant for a moment, his eyes moving between Sally and Daniel, a mixture of confusion and curiosity inside him, as if he were trying to fully comprehend this new moment.
Sally gave him a broad smile, as if inviting him step by step into her little world, while the warmth of the place began to envelop him with an imperceptible calm.
"I'm Sally... Nice to meet you."
She said, extending her small hand toward him with childlike confidence, her fingers stained with light ink spots as if she had been drawing a moment ago.
Maldo hesitated for a moment, looked at her hand, then looked up at her face as if trying to make sure she was serious.
Finally, he slowly reached out his hand, his features tense and his voice coming out in fits and starts:
"Ma... Maldo."
Her eyes flashed for a moment, then she pulled her hand back with a slight movement and lifted the little teddy bear between them with childlike pride:
"And this is Gigi... my only friend."
She paused for a moment, then tilted her head toward him, smiling slightly:
"But... he won't be the only one anymore."
He remained silent, staring at the little teddy bear in her hands... not because it was interesting, but because he didn't know how to deal with such simplicity... or with the idea of being called a friend.
He lowered his gaze shyly, as if a slight heat touched his cheeks, then muttered in a low voice, as if afraid to hear himself:
"Friend...?"
Sally laughed softly and nodded her head enthusiastically:
"Yes! You, Gigi, and me!"
She lifted the teddy bear with one hand and took his hand with the other, bringing them together in a simple scene, but one that, to Maldo, seemed more complex than all the words he knew.
Finally, a small, quiet, reserved smile appeared on his face before he looked up into her warm eyes.
"It's nice to meet you too... Sally."
Her smile widened, but quickly faded when she noticed the faint mark on the side of his face.
She hesitated for a moment, then pointed to it with childlike caution, her voice low:
"Does it... hurt?"
"A little... It's calmed down now." Maldo replied cautiously, trying to suppress the sudden wave of warmth that had washed over him.
Sally approached him with an almost inaudible lightness, her childlike innocence mingled with an inexplicable reassurance. She raised her hand and touched his cheek cautiously, before placing a small kiss on the wound and whispering with a gentle smile:
"That's how the pain will go away... My mother always said so."
Maldo's face flushed suddenly, and he was overcome by a slight confusion that silence could not help. His fingers trembled slightly as they touched his cheek, and he did not know what words to say at that moment.
But only a few seconds passed before his features relaxed in surprise... as Sally let go of her little teddy bear and suddenly raised her hand to her head, moaning in muffled pain.
Maldo's eyes widened, and his previous tension vanished as if it had never been there.
He hurriedly reached out to her, his voice trembling with concern:
"Sally?! What's wrong?"
She, on the other hand, seemed to be struggling with something hidden inside her... a pain that could not be seen, but which weighed heavily on the air between them until even the silence itself became painful.
"It hurts... it hurts..." she muttered in a broken voice, then her moans grew louder.
Maldo froze for a moment, panic gripping his chest, then lunged toward her without thinking.
He stretched out his arms and grabbed her tightly, shaking her with an inexplicable terror, his voice choked between trembling and anger:
"Daniel... Daniel Al-Fidhi! Help me... Sally."
At that moment, the door opened violently and unexpectedly, and Luca appeared first... His burning eyes took in the scene at a glance,
followed by Daniel.
When Daniel's gaze fell on Sally in that state, his voice choked in his throat, while Maldo took a step back, looking as if he had been caught red-handed in a sin he himself did not understand.
Luca said in a sharp tone that carried blatant suspicion:
"This girl... she's sick, isn't she?"
"Yes..." Daniel said in a calm but firm voice, as if his words weighed heavily on the whole room, "I have to take her to the doctor."
He lifted Sally in his arms, her cries of pain echoing as her small breaths trembled in his hands.
Luca stood beside him, his eyes shining with doubt and concern, then took a step closer, his voice low but firm:
"No... there's no doctor at this hour."
He extended his finger to Sally's forehead, and a faint spark flew from its tip, dancing like a dim light in the room.
Maldo froze for a moment, stunned, while Sally felt warmth flood her head. Little by little, her breathing calmed, and the pain left her body, until she closed her eyes and fell asleep peacefully.
Daniel took a step back, his eyebrows furrowed with concern, his voice trembling slightly:
"What happened... what did you do?"
Luca smiled calmly, his eyes carrying a hint of mysterious confidence, as if he were observing something beyond the understanding of others.
He said in a low voice, calm but heavy with certainty:
"Don't worry... She's just asleep. There was terrible pressure in her head... I relaxed her nerves a little. This method calms the pain immediately, but it won't last long."
Sally... is sick! The words echoed in his mind as if they were distant echoes, but they hit him hard in the chest.
Everything he had just seen... the pain in her body, the falling tears, and Luca's mysterious spark... crossed his mind like a distorted mosaic.
Maldo took a step back, and his eyes fell on her teddy bear, Gigi, lying on the floor. He reached out cautiously and picked it up in his small arms, hugging it as if it were the last thing he had control over.
Daniel said in a calm but firm voice:
"I'll take her to her room." Then he nodded toward Luca:
"Luca, take care of Maldo... His room is over there on the left."
Maldo stood holding the teddy bear, his little heart fluttering between fear and confusion as he watched Daniel carry Sally away and Luca approach him with steady steps, his eyes gently fixed on him but carrying a hint of mystery.
"Come on, little one... let's go," Luca said in a low, calm but firm tone, gently grabbing Maldo's shoulder.
Maldo hesitated for a moment, his eyes shining with a mixture of fear and curiosity, his small hand still clutching the teddy bear Gigi as if it were his only lifeline in this mysterious world.
Luca sensed his hidden confusion, but he did not raise his voice, acting as a small anchor in the sea of Maldo's turbulent emotions.
With steady steps, he began to pull the child toward the room, his eyes watching every movement, every tremor, as if silently recording the details of this situation.