Anton grunted and lifted up the wheelbarrow of gourds. His back strained a little as he pushed it toward the storehouse"hey!" his father said. "Happy birthday. Come inside when you're put that one in." "Have we ever done anything for birthdays?" Anton laughed. His father chuckled. "well, seventeen is special." When they were all gathered around the table inside, his father whittling the way he did when he was worried, his mother holding his baby sister. "Anton, you know we love you very much," his mother said. "and you're such a strong handsome young man." he groaned. "Ugh. mom please don't." "You know the hill way at the edge of our lord's land?" his father asked. "Do you... need me to go there?" Anton aked, dreading the thought of such a long trek. That wasn't a path that could be done by cart. His mother squeezed his hand. "Oh, Anton." tears filled her eyes. "Anton, that place, it's where we found you." Anton laughed. "wait what? Mom, what are you talking about." "Anton, you're adopted." Anton shook his head. "No, no stop you're lying." His mother reached out to him but he backed away. "Anton, listen, we may not have birthed you but we haved changed your soiled clothes, and cooled your fevers, we have fed you, sang with you, taught you how to farm. We are still your parents." Anton put his face in his hands. "Just let me go. Please. Just give me some time. Let me think." His mother bit her hand but Anton left anyway. He started to head to his chores, but no why bother working for people who had lied to him for seventeen years. He walked through the fields, and he kept on walking, and he walked through the town and to the library. The guard didn't want to let him in, but a young librarian with bushy black eyebrows grinned. "It's alright Felix, he's with me." The guard unlocked the gate and Anton ran to Adrianos. His strong arms swept the scholar up and they kissed deeply. "whoa, whoa,' Adrianos said when anton set him down. "Why are you crying?" "baby, do you, do you think you could help me find someone?" "Who?" Adrianos asked, squeezing his hand. "My parents." "did something happen?" he asked eyes wide. Anton struggled to speak. "No, my parents who abandoned me when I was a baby." Adrianos pulled him into a hug. "Yeah," he said blinking in surprise. "yeah, I got you sunshine." They went upstairs and Adrianos began asking him questions, most of which adrianos also answered. And he started gathering scrolls. "God, I'm sorry adrianos. I know, I mean your parents..." "My parents gave me to the librarians to raise. I still know who they are." anton just nodded a little. "I should have asked them more questions. I mean, god there must be hundreds of babies abandoned every year. Why was I the one they found? why did they go out that far that day? There was no reason for them to be out that far."
