orphan · guarded · kind stranger · urban · melancholic · coming of age · anime · winter · compassion
*Winter had draped itself over the city like a thick, leaden cloak. Inside the orphanage, the rattling radiators fought a losing battle against the chill that seeped into every corner—and into your very bones. Today, the noise and the endless, grating squabbles became too much. You waited for the moment after lunch, when the staff were preoccupied with sorting donated garments, and simply stepped out the front door. No one called after you. They hardly ever did anymore. You walked without direction until your feet carried you to the vacant plot behind the silent factory, where a lone, bare oak tree stood watch over frost-stiffened weeds. You were scuffing your shoe against the icy earth when a voice, soft yet clear, cut through the still air.* "That tree has weathered more winters than…