A cookie for your thoughts (Mason)

[GRIFFIN CARTWRIGHT]

Griffin found it tough to get through most days there at the camp. It was getting better in some ways, but worse in others. The depression he'd sunken into made him molt more and more with each passing day, but the routine had become his solace in some respects. He knew he would get up, eat, do some sort of chores, and then he would eat, go outside, see his girlfriend for a time, and then more chores, supper, and bed. Of course they didn't go to bed right away, but it was nice to have that time at the end of the day to relax. Then again, that was also when he dreamed of getting out which made him sad all over again.

He'd walked around like a zombie the first few days, but with each passing day he was taking in more of his surroundings. With that came studying his fellow inmates. A boy had caught his attention one evening. He was alone and Griffin wondered if perhaps his mother was on the other side. Had his father passed? Was he there with them alone? He watched him for a couple of days, noticing him when they went out into the yard. He often huddled in a corner, not even playing with the other children. There was no mother coddling him, stroking his hair and promising everything would be alright.

Why was this boy all alone? Where were his parents? He'd heard of people who had tried to escape the first day and had all been shot. Were his parents in that group? Griffin didn't know, but he couldn't stand to see such a small child with no one. Plus, he was alone himself there. Sure, he had Flynn but only outside and at meals.

Griffin got his supper and took a seat to pick at it as he often did at meal times. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had an appetite enough to finish the food that had been prepared. He knew he needed to eat more because he was starting to lose weight, and he'd been lean to begin with. The boy caught his eye once more and he looked to Flynn, explaining he had lunch plans with someone else that evening and that he would talk to her tomorrow. She wished him well and he moved to where the boy sat alone, setting his tray down and taking a seat.

"They never make what I'm in the mood to eat." He said softly to the boy, watching him closely for a moment before looking down at his own food, trying to be light in conversation. He remembered being shy as a child, and wondered if perhaps the blond boy was the same. "Then again, I'm always in the mood for salmon." He smiled lightly and looked briefly at the boy. "You know, I've never cared much for peanut butter cookies. I always feel guilty throwing a good cookie away, and you look like a peanut butter cookie kind of guy. Would you like it?" He asked gently, but the boy wasn't budging. He nodded and placed his cookie on a napkin, sliding it across the table. "I don't usually like talking to people I don't know either." He offered gently. "If you want it, it's yours." He turned back to his food and picked at it a little. "My name's Griffin." He offered softly, just loud enough for the boy to hear. "You know what I miss?" He said, hoping to get the kids attention. "Books. I used to read every single night. I love stories. Do you like stories?" He wasn't great at talking to children, but he did enjoy them, and always had fun watching Claire at the museum trying to wrangle the kids. How he missed her.. "And the museum." He added with a warm smile. "I work there, you know. It's one of my favorite places in the whole world." He explained, feeling himself ease by trying to coax the boy from his shell. "Have you ever been there?"

[MASON CADOVA]

Mason did what he was told to do because his mom told him that was always the best thing. You didn’t get in trouble when you did what you were told. Even when he didn’t like doing it, like cleaning the bathrooms, he did it without a peep. What was the use of talking to these people when they could end up like his parents? It just made more sense to keep to himself. Some of the boys teased him for it, but he ignored them like he ignored all of his feelings. The only time he really felt anything anymore was in his sleep when he would have nightmares. He had nightmares every night. Sometimes his parents exploded into bits when the bullet hit, sometimes they just fell to the ground, cold as stone and just as dead. But every night he woke up to the sound of his father whispering his name. “Mason…” When he woke up, his chest always hurt and there was nothing in the dark that could make it feel better.

If Mason was tired, he didn’t show it. The guards just got mad if he did, but nothing could make the bags under his eyes go away. When the other kids played in the yard during free time, Mason preferred to stay by himself. People didn’t like being around someone who wouldn’t talk to them. It was the same when they had meals. He sat on his own, avoiding the pitying looks from the women; those stares just made him remember that he was alone. It went on like that day in and day out.

But today it was different. Today someone sat across from him. He looked up and saw a droopy-faced guy set his tray down, taking a seat. Most people avoided him, assuming his parents would be sitting with him, so Mason was a little surprised, but he looked back down at the tasteless food. The spaghetti was slimy and the tomatoes were sour when he bit into them. Still, Mason got too hungry when he didn’t eat. The only thing that actually tasted good was the cookie and he was going to save that for dessert like he was supposed to. It made the meal seem not so bad. “They never make what I’m in the mood to eat.” Mason’s blue-green eyes lifted to the man in confusion. Was he talking to him? He looked behind him and to either side, but the man’s droopy eyes were fixed on him. His eyes reminded Mason of the blood hound in the cartoons. They were kind of funny, but not funny enough to make him smile. He turned his eyes back to his tray and swirled some slimy spaghetti on his fork. "Then again, I'm always in the mood for salmon." Fish sounded really good to Mason right now, and he looked back up at the man, a little bit of a light in his eyes.

"You know, I've never cared much for peanut butter cookies. I always feel guilty throwing a good cookie away, and you look like a peanut butter cookie kind of guy. Would you like it?" Mason loved cookies. There was a time when he would have eagerly accepted the cookie, but now he was too uncertain. A cookie was a big thing. If he took the cookie, the man would keep talking, and Mason felt bad because he wouldn’t talk back. What if the man got mad because he wouldn’t talk? So he just stared at the man uncertainly, hating to refuse a cookie, but hating the idea of talking to him more. Even though he didn’t say anything, the man put his cookie on a napkin and placed it between them on the table. "I don't usually like talking to people I don't know either. If you want it, it’s yours." Mason looked at the cookie, then up at the man. He seemed nice, but how could he show him that it wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to him; he couldn’t talk to him. It hurt too much to talk since his parents died.

Even though Mason wasn’t talking, the man continued to. “My name’s Griffin.” My name’s Mason. The words didn’t come out and his eyes fell back down to his tray. “You know what I miss? Books. I used to read every single night. I love stories. Do you like stories?" Mason’s eyes lit up and he looked up at Griffin, nodding vigorously. He loved stories and books! If he had a book…maybe he could make the pain in his chest go away and it wouldn’t hurt so much to breathe. Could it hurt if he was distracted? "And the museum.” Griffin’s smile made him feel words bubbling in his stomach, but there was no way to let them out. His throat didn’t work anymore. "I work there, you know. It's one of my favorite places in the whole world. Have you ever been there?" The boy nodded slowly, remembering all of the cool things they had in the museum. He remembered walking through the museum with his parents…they couldn’t do that anymore.

Mason thought about his parents, what they would say if they saw him right now. “Don’t be rude, say hi!” his mother would say. But saying hi was so hard…Even though he wanted to talk, words stuck in his throat and he couldn’t breathe. There was a cookie between them, though, untouched. Griffin offered the cookie. He didn’t want Griffin to think he hated him, so Mason reached out a tentative hand and put the cookie on his tray. Tonight his meal would end better than normal. He had two cookies. His eyes came back to Griffin’s before he reached back to the table between them. Tiny fingers traced the letters of his name so Griffin could clearly see what each letter was. M-A-S-O-N.

[GRIFFIN CARTWRIGHT]

The boy didn't speak but he nodded and at least made some amount of contact with Griffin. It was a start. He wasn't naive enough to think that some people might find it odd that he was befriending a child. Griffin didn't have the sort of mind to want to do anything inappropriate to the boy. Hell, he could barely think of his girlfriend inappropriately and he woke up next to her naked body on several occasions.

He watched as the boy took the cookie and slid his small fingers over the table. It wasn't that hard to figure out what each letter was. "Mason?" He said gently when the boy finished. "That's a good name." He said with a head not. "You're very lucky. Could have just as easily been Milton, which if you ask me isn't such a good name." His lips quirked up a little at his slight joke.

"Hey.. want to see something pretty neat?" He asked, reaching for the empty napkin and pushing his tray aside. "I learn this while traveling abroad. Watch.." He began to fold the napkin delicately, cookie crumbs falling off of it and sprawling onto the table. His fingers moved slow and steadily as he folded and refolded. His brows were low in concentration as he struggled to remember just how to do it. Griffin had a remarkable memory. There was very little he had learned and not retained.

After a moment he pushed the little swan across the table to Mason. "A swan." He gave a real smile. "Have you ever heard the story of the six swans?" He asked, having heard the story before a long time ago. It was one of the Grimm's many strange stories.

[MASON CADOVA]

“Mason?” The boy nodded, still a little suspicious of the man, but thought so far he was really nice. “That’s a good name. You’re very lucky. Could have just as easily been Milton, which if you ask me isn’t such a good name.” Mason actually let a little smile show on his lips at Griffin’s joke. It was true. Milton wasn’t such a good name. In fact, it was kind of a funny name. When he thought about it, Griffin’s name was funny too. He had a book before the camps that taught him about mythical creatures like griffins; it was one of his favorites. But this Griffin didn’t look like a lion with the head and wings of an eagle. His wings were white, not like the dark wings of an eagle.

“Hey…want to see something pretty neat?” Mason nodded, watching as Griffin grabbed a napkin and pushed his food out of the way. “I learned this while traveling abroad. Watch…” The boy did as was instructed, watching ever move Griffin made. He was folding the napkin over and over, making a form, and he tried to remember every fold that Griffin made. It was a bird, and Mason wanted to make his own. This was the most interested he had been in anything since coming to the camp, and he felt his throat loosening as he watched. Maybe the project could help him talk again. Griffin pushed the paper bird across the table, and Mason reached up his hands to inspect it further.

“A swan.” Again, the boy let a small smile turn up his lips at Griffin’s smile, and he ran his small fingers along the long neck. He really liked it. “Have you ever heard the story of the six swans?” Mason shook his head, no longer inspecting the delicate swan. He loved stories, which was obvious by the way his eyes lit up at the prospect of hearing one from Griffin. Even ghost stories were fun for Mason, but not as much fun as folktales, myths, and fairytales. His face was attentive as he waited to hear the story.

[GRIFFIN CARTWRIGHT]

Griffin felt his heart swell slightly watching Mason's eyes light up. He liked the swan and he was interested in the story which he'd never heard before. Griffin knew it wasn't a common story, but one he didn't mind telling the boy. "Well, fortunately for you, I do know that story." He said with a gentle head nod.

"Once upon a time, very, very long ago, there was a King. Well, one day this king was out hunting when he noticed a dear. It was the largest dear he'd ever seen and he knew he must have it! So he chased the dear through the woods, away from his men, but soon he realized that his men were no longer with him and he was alone and lost. While trying to find his way back he ran into a witch! Of course, he didn't know she was a witch.."

Griffin explained how the king had asked the witch for help finding his way back out of the woods, but she would help for a price. He must marry her beautiful daughter or be stuck wandering the woods until he died of starvation. Reluctantly he agreed and went back to her cottage to meet the girl.

"The king met the witches daughter, and though she was as beautiful as the witch promised, the king felt very uneasy about their union. But he had no choice but to bring her back to his castle and make her his bride. The witch, as promised, showed them back to the castle and when they arrive a huge party was thrown in honor of the king and his new queen!" Griffin's face lit up as he told the story, becoming animated as he spoke, though his voice was soft and calm. He could see the wonder in Mason's eyes and it brought just a shed of light into his life.

"The king had been married before but his queen had died after giving birth to her seventh child, the first and only girl. The king loved his six sons and daughter very much, and always did his best to be a good role model for them. Fearing that the stepmother might not treat them well, he took them to a secluded castle which stood in the middle of a forest. It was so well hidden, and the way was so difficult to find, that he himself would not have found it if a wise woman had not given him a ball of magic yarn. Whenever he threw it down in front of him, it would unwind itself and show him the way."

He went on to explain that the new queen had begun to notice his absence and had followed him into the woods. She gave the servants a great deal of money to fess up about where he was going, and soon she found out about the children and the yarn. She scoured the castle to find it. Finally she did and devised a plan, making silk shirts and sewing a magic charm into each one before going into the woods and using the ball of yarn to find the kinds beloved children.

"When the children saw someone coming they were overjoyed thinking it was their father, the king but when they ran to meet him they realized it wasn't the king at all, but a woman! The witch quickly threw the white shirts on the children and no sooner had the last shirt been placed on the last child, they all transformed into beautiful swans and flew away over the woods! Well, the queen went home very smug, pleased with herself for taking care of those pesky children, but what she didn't know was that the kings daughter had not run out to meet him like her brothers had, and she had escaped the curse!"

Griffin wanted to laugh at how Mason looked listening to his story. For a moment he forgot where he even was. "Do you know what happened when the king went into the woods to meet his children?" He asked softly, his voice still full of wonder.

[MASON CADOVA]

“Well, fortunately for you I do know that story.” Mason straightened up a little, listening intently to the story. “Once upon a time, very, very long ago, there was a king. Well, one day this king was out hunting when he noticed a deer.” The king was separated from his men and he ran into a witch, and Mason’s mouth fell open a little. The witch was going to hurt the king, wasn’t she? Well, not really. He got to marry the witch’s beautiful daughter, but he was forced to do it to find his way back to the castle. Mason supposed it could have been worse for the king, but from what Griffin said, it didn’t sound like the king was too happy about it. Maybe it was because his first wife died and he still loved her? He definitely loved his kids, from what Griffin told him. And seven of them! Mason had always wanted a brother or sister. That would never happen now…

The king was afraid his new wife would be mean to his children, so he locked them away in a castle in a secluded wood. Good thing that wide old woman gave him the magic ball of yarn to find his way back to them! The princes and princess would probably miss their dad as much as their mom if they never saw either of them again. Mason sure missed his dad and mom. But oh no! The new queen found out that the king was leaving and she followed him! Those stupid servants told her where the king was going and Mason felt legitimately angry that the servants told the queen where the king was going. Then again, maybe the king should have trusted the queen in the first place. Either way, the king sneaking away shouldn’t have led the queen to steal the magic yarn and make magical shirts. What was she going to do with them?

Mason almost gasped when Griffin told him about the children seeing someone coming and running from the castle. It was the queen! They should stay inside! And the queen put the magical shirts on them right away, causing all of the children to turn into swans and fly away. Oh no! The king would be so sad! And the queen walked away, pretty happy with herself. “…but what she didn’t know was that the king’s daughter had not run out to meet him like her brothers had, and she had escaped the curse!” Mason’s eyes grew wider, glued to Griffin and completely forgetting where they were. His elbows were resting on the table as he propped his head on his hands like he were watching an exciting movie. “Do you know what happened when the king went into the woods to meet his children?” Mason shook his head, wanting to know. He was going to be so sad when he saw his sons were all swans and his daughter was the only one left! What was he going to do to the queen? Mason would have been so mad with her for doing that to his family.

[GRIFFIN CARTWRIGHT]

Mason was completely enraptured by the story which only pleased Griffin more. It was nice to allow himself and the boy to escape together, transporting into another world where there were no electric fences or guards with guns.

"The king asked his daughter "Where are your brothers?" "Oh, dear father," she answered, "they have gone away and left me alone." Then she told him that from her window she had seen how her brothers had flown away over the woods as swans. She showed him the feathers that they had dropped into the courtyard, and which she had gathered up. The king mourned, but he did not think that the queen had done this wicked deed. Fearing that the girl would be stolen away from him as well, he wanted to take her away with him, but she was afraid of her stepmother and begged the king to let her stay just this one more night in the castle in the woods. Reluctantly the king agreed."

Griffin explained how the girl didn't want to stay there in the castle and took off to find her six swan brothers, walking all night and all day without stopping. Completely exhausted, the princess found shelter in a hunter's hut and hid under one of the six beds, falling fast asleep.

"When the sun was about to set she heard a rushing sound and saw six swans fly in through the window! They landed on the floor, blew on one another and all their feathers came whooshing off! Then their swan-skins came off just like shirts and there stood the girls six brothers!" Griffin's voice grew excited as he explained how the girl came out from under the bed and the children rejoiced in their reunion, hugging one another, but the joy didn't last very long at all. ""You cannot stay here," one of the princes explained. "This is a robbers' den. If they come home and find you, they will murder you." The princess's eyes widened. "Can't you protect me?" she asked, but the boys told her they could not. "We can take off our swan-skins for only a quarter hour each evening. Only during that time do we have our human forms. After that we are again transformed into swans." Crying, the little sister said, "Can you not be redeemed?" But the boys shook their head. "No," they answered. "The conditions are too difficult. You would not be allowed to speak or to laugh for six years, and in that time you would have to sew together six little shirts from asters for us. And if a single word were to come from your mouth, all your work would be lost." After the brothers had said this, the quarter hour was over, and they flew out the window again as swans.

Griffin watched Mason, amused by the look on his face as he continued with his story of how the girl swore she would find a way to save her brothers. She thought about it all night in the woods, sitting on the stump of a tree. Then in the morning the king of that lands huntsmen found her. ""Who are you?" they asked, but the princess wouldn't answer. "We will not harm you." they promised but she still wouldn't speak to them, mute as a fish." Griffin thought of Mason as he talked about how she threw all of her gold and belongings to the guards to get them to leave her alone, never uttering a single word, but to no avail. She simply shook her head at them.

"The princess refused to talk to any of them so the guards picked her up and brought her to their king. "Who are you? What were you doing on that stump?" The king asked, but the princess, fearing making her brothers curse worse, kept silent. The king thought the girl was beautiful, though, and his heart was touched. He fell deeply in love with her and had her dressed in rich garments. Her beauty like bright daylight, but no one could get a word from her. At the table he seated her by his side, and her modest manners and courtesy pleased him so much that he said, "My desire is to marry her, and no one else in the world." A few days later they were married."

[MASON CADOVA]

Mason felt sad for the king in Griffin’s story and the princess. She must have cried when she told her dad that her brothers had all turned to swans and flown away. And when she showed him the feathers, he knew it was true, but how could he not think the queen did it? The queen was the reason he put his sons and daughter out in the castle! He wanted to take her away with him, but the girl was smart and asked to stay for the night. That was a good thing, because the queen might have been really, really mad that she missed out on the princess. But when the king left, she wandered into the woods instead of staying the castle. Part of Mason thought that was smart, but another part of him thought that was dumb too. Didn’t the king need a magic ball of yarn to take him to the castle? Well if she didn’t have a magic ball of yarn too, then she was definitely going to get lost! But she walked for a night and a day and ended up in a hunter’s hut where she fell asleep. Mason didn’t think a hunter would get mad if a princess was asleep in his house; she was exhausted and maybe being hunted by her evil stepmother.

But when she woke up, her brothers came flying through the window and they got their shirts off to become human again! Mason’s eyes lit up excitedly, hoping the princes would all stay human and they could all go home. They told the princess that she had to get out of the hut because it belonged to robbers and Mason gave a silent gasp. Robbers couldn’t murder a princess! But the princes couldn’t protect her because they could only take their shirts off for fifteen minutes every day. Mason wondered what he would do with his fifteen minutes if he were a swan all day. Well, he would probably be an albatross because his wings were an albatross’s, but still, what would he do with only fifteen minutes? The worst part of being an albatross was he wouldn’t know how to talk to anybody, but then he didn’t talk to anybody anyway, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

When the princess asked if she could help her brothers, they gave her a way, but they said it would be too hard: she would have to be silent for six years—she couldn’t even laugh. During that time, she would have to sew shirts of asters for her brothers. But if she failed, all of her work would be lost. And then they flew away. Mason wondered if he could stay silent for six years. It was different for him, though. He really couldn’t talk; it wasn’t a choice for him. With Griffin he sometimes felt words bubbling up, but it would hurt too much to talk. And to laugh…just thinking about it made his chest hurt. As he thought about that, his jaw was a little slack, listening intently to the story. What would the princess do? Even she thought about it all night until the king of the robbers showed up and asked her name. She didn’t talk, though; so she decided to help her brothers! He wondered if she could make it for six years without talking.

The king of the robbers’ men carried her away so the king could talk to her more, but she still wouldn’t answer. He did everything he could, but the princess stayed quiet. Mason was glad no one ever pushed him that way. It seemed like it would be so frustrating to have people constantly pestering him to talk. The king of the robbers fell in love with the princess and decided to marry her. Mason thought that was strange. Most people didn’t want to hang around him because he didn’t talk, but it sounded like the king of the robbers liked that about the princess. But would she continue not talking for six whole years? Would her king get mad if she never talked? Mason was hanging on every word Griffin said, wanting to know what would happen to the princess.

[GRIFFIN CARTWRIGHT]

"Now the king had a wicked mother who was dissatisfied with this marriage and spoke ill of the young queen. "Who knows where the girl who cannot speak comes from? She is not worthy of a king." the wicked mother said, but the king ignored her remarks, knowing that his wife was good and pure even if she never uttered a single word. A year later, after the princess queen had brought her first child into the world, the kings wicked mother took it away from her while she was asleep!" Griffin's voice was hushed as he spoke animatedly, his hands moving along with his story telling. "She smeared her daughter-in-laws mouth with blood and accused her of being a cannibal. The king could not believe this, and would not allow anyone to harm her. The princess queen, however, sat the whole time sewing on the shirts, and caring for nothing else."

Griffin continued his story, telling Mason how the princess had another baby, a son this time and her wicked mother-in-law did the same thing to her, but the king refused to believe such horrible accusations. ""She is too pious and good to do anything like that. If she were not speechless, and if she could defend herself, her innocence would come to light." He told his mother. When they had a third child the woman did it again! The princess never once opened her mouth to defend herself against the accusations, but the king knew that he had to take his mothers words seriously even if deep in his heart he knew them to be false. What other explanation was there? So he sentenced his wife to death." Griffins voice grew soft and sad.

"When the day came for the sentence to be carried out, it was also the last day of the six years during which she had not been permitted to speak or to laugh, and she had thus delivered her dear brothers from the magic curse. The six shirts were finished. Only the left sleeve of the last one was missing. When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm. Standing there, as the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around, and six swans came flying through the air! Seeing that their redemption was near, her heart leapt with joy. The swans rushed towards her, swooping down so that she could throw the shirts over them. As soon as the shirts touched them their swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her in their own bodies, vigorous and handsome. However, the youngest was missing his left arm. In its place he had a swan's wing. They all embraced and kissed one another, grateful the curse was lifted and they could be reunited at last! The princess queen went to her husband the king, who was greatly moved, and was finally able to speak. "Dearest husband, now I may speak and reveal to you that I am innocent, and falsely accused." She proceeded to tell him of the treachery of his old mother who had taken away their three children and hidden them. Then to the king's great joy the children were brought forth and reunited with their parents! As a punishment, the wicked mother-in-law was tied to the stake and burned to ashes. But the king and the princess queen with her six brothers and three beautiful children lived many long years in happiness and peace together."

Griffin's eyes were soft and gentle as always as he looked at the boy. "You remind me of the princess." He said softly, not condescendingly. "Quiet, determined, kind.. you have sad eyes like I imagine the princess must have." Griffin looked away, staring at the room full of people desperate to get out, eating their food only to survive it seemed. "Perhaps six swans will come and save us from this curse."

[MASON CADOVA]

As Griffin continued the story, Mason was afraid things would only get worse for the princess. He husband’s mom was mean and didn’t like her because she didn’t think the princess was good enough. How could you judge if a person was good enough just by their looks? The princess didn’t speak, so there was no other way to judge her than by her looks and her actions and Griffin said the princess was good. Mason didn’t like the king’s mom. He was happy when he heard the princess had a baby, though. She must have been so happy to have a baby! Moms were always happy with babies. But the king’s mom stole the baby and…ew, she put blood on the princess’s mouth! She disliked the princess so much that she wanted her branded a cannibal. That was so mean! It was a good thing the robber king didn’t believe his mom and didn’t let anybody hurt the princess. The princess just went on sewing shirts for her brothers. Mason hoped it would get easier for the princess.

Of course, it didn’t. The king’s mother did it two more times with two more babies, until the king had to start believing it. Mason would have been so mad at the king. The princess didn’t do anything! Was it really so wrong to not be able to speak? She was going to be put to death for the babies she didn’t kill. It was so wrong! And then the day she was supposed to die was also the day she had to have the shirts for her brothers done. Would the last shirt work if it didn’t have that sleeve? Mason hoped so. And how would the princes get their shirts? It was a good thing the princess decided to take the shirts with her to the stake. Mason hoped they would show up…and they did! They swooped down as the princess threw the shirts over them and the princes returned to their human forms one by one. The last shirt did work mostly, but one of the prince’s arms was still a swan’s wing. After hugging her brothers, the princess queen went to her husband.

Finally she was able to defend herself against the king’s evil mother and tell her story of what happened to her and her children. The king’s mother brought the hidden children forward. They were okay! Mason was so happy the princess queen’s children were okay and back with their parents! But while he was happy for the princess queen, he felt sad at the thought. He wished he could see his parents again. The evil mother was tied to the stake instead of the princess queen and she was killed. All of the children and the king and princess queen and her brothers lived long, happy lives and Mason was happy that they did. It was a good story and he imagined what all of the characters looked like.

Griffin sat staring at him and Mason didn’t waver under his gaze; he just stared back, though maybe a little shy. “You remind me of the princess.” The boy’s eyes widened a bit. “Quiet, determined, kind…you have sad eyes like I imagine the princess must have.” That made Mason sad and happy at the same time. He wanted to be like the princess—she was someone to look up to. But he knew why he had sad eyes and it made him wish he didn’t. He wasn’t always like the princess. Griffin looked away and around the room and Mason looked down to the table seeing the swan again. His fingers once more traced along the length of its paper neck. He wanted to learn how to make the swans more than ever now.

“Perhaps six swans will come and save us from this curse.” Mason looked up at Griffin curiously and then he looked back to the swan. He wanted to be saved too. He wished he could go back in time and tell his parents just not to come here, to run away where they could all be safe. But even if it couldn’t really happen…couldn’t they pretend? Mason nudged the swan forward on the table, the napkin swan that he wished was a real one, to show that maybe one swan had already come to save them. He looked up at Griffin, trying to see if he understood Mason’s meaning. This one swan drew Mason out of his shell and unhappiness for a few minutes—maybe that was a little bit of saving from his curse of silence. Maybe not, but he had a feeling if anyone could help him talk again it would be Griffin.

[GRIFFIN CARTWRIGHT]

As he looked around he thought of Claire. His eyes landed on Flynn and he sighed before looking back down at the table and at the boy across from him. Would he ever get a chance to be a father? Would he ever even be able to travel to Africa with Claire? He felt his heart throb at the sheer thought.

Griffin noticed the boy touching the swan and he watched with mild fascination. He nudged the paper bird towards Griffin and the man looked into the boys eyes, trying to read what he was saying. In the end he had no idea and he sighed reaching for the paper bird and touching its wing gently. It was so fragile and delicate, much like them. "Would you like for me to show you how?" He asked, sadness in his voice. He almost wished he could still be telling the story. There was escape in the story and he wondered if maybe Mason would allow him to tell him more, if only to help him ease his own mind. The boy seemed to enjoy it well enough.

Before Griffin could really do anything the guards were calling for them to finish up and get rid of their trays. The depression settled into him once more and he gulped, looking up at the guard before back at Mason. "In the barracks I can show you more." He promised softly, unsure if the boy had someone to go to. He doubted it since if he did he would be with them now. Where was his family? And why was he afraid to talk to him? Griffin wasn't the sort to push, so he wouldn't. "And tell you more stories if you like."

[MASON CADOVA]

Griffin reached out and touched the bird, but his question made it apparent that he didn’t know what Mason was trying to say with the bird. “Would you like me to show you how?” He wished his voice wasn’t broken, but he did want to know how to make one of the swans. So he nodded his head and watched Griffin, hearing the sadness in his voice. He had been okay when he was telling Mason the story…maybe he would tell him another one. Griffin was really nice and Mason didn’t want him to be sad. The boy was sad enough for both of them. He wished there was something he could do to cheer him up. Without being able to talk, though, how much could he do to help Griffin? He could give back the cookie…but he didn’t like peanut butter cookies. Looking at the cookies, he remembered he had them, and he picked one up and bit into it, wanting to finish it before they had to go. It wasn’t the best cookie he’d ever had, but it was better than anything else they put on his plate, and he enjoyed the sweet, nutty tasty.

Just as he swallowed the first bite, the guard started yelling for them to clean up their trays. Mason shoved the other half of the cookie in his mouth and grabbed the other one so he could hurry and eat it too. He didn’t want to waste the cookie Griffin gave him! “In the barracks I can show you more.” Mason’s blue eyes widened a little in excitement. He wanted to know more! He wanted to know how to make swans. Then he could make five more just like Griffin made and then maybe he could break his curse. His curse of silence… “And tell you more stories if you like.” A big smile crossed Mason’s face, closed mouth because he was still chewing his cookie, and he nodded. He loved stories. Griffin’s story was the only thing that had cheered him up since his parents…he didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t like thinking about it. Griffin’s stories could help him not think about it, and maybe he could actually get a good night’s sleep tonight. Maybe he would dream of swans instead of falling albatross wings…

He quickly ate the second cookie before he picked up his tray to go throw away his good with Griffin. The other Avisaille seemed much taller when he was standing than when he was sitting down, but Mason was small. In some ways, Griffin reminded him of his dad. Mason studied Griffin’s face, picking out the things that were similar with a serious expression. It made him want to make friends with Griffin even more. He was the only one who had really talked to him since Mason came to the camp. It was hard being alone and he didn’t want to be alone anymore. He wanted to be Griffin’s friend. He didn’t want to go to his own chores, he wanted to help Griffin with his. He knew he couldn’t do that though. As they walked out of the Mess Hall, Mason wanted Griffin to know he liked him and he wanted to talk to him again, but he was feeling shy. He had to go to the back of the Mess Hall to go back to work in the kitchens, but he stopped and looked up at Griffin before he left. Without warning he hugged Griffin around his waist, so small he only came up to Griffin’s stomach. He hugged tight, liking the feel of hugging someone again. It felt good to hug someone.

[GRIFFIN CARTWRIGHT]

Mason seemed more than happy to hear more stories and he was glad for it. He needed the escape as much as the boy did, and there was a strange comfort knowing they could simply sit in silence. Griffin needed a friend. Sure, it was a bit strange to befriend a child, but his innocence was appealing to Griffin. He missed being that age, when everything was still so new and exciting. Dreaming of flying and exploring the world; knowing one day he would learn more things than he could even fathom from people he couldn't invent if he tried.

Griffin stood and tucked a couple of napkins into his jumpsuit so he could use them later with Mason when they got to the barracks. There were on'y two on his tray so they would have to do for now. Tomorrow he could get more and they could always unfold and refold the napkins. They were flimsy enough that it wouldn't matter much with the folds since they would come right out when they unfolded them.

"I'll see you a little later." He promised gently, looking down at the small boy. He was so tiny! He forced a kind smile on his face trying to hide his own sadness and then Mason did something unexpected. His arms wrapped around Griffin, throwing him off guard. The man looked down at the mop of sandy hair that pressed against his stomach, and with this free hand he gently wrapped his arm around the boy, holding him there lightly as his eyes slid shut and he relished the warm embrace. He'd needed that. Flynn had been more than happy to hug him, but there was something nice about knowing he'd gotten through to Mason on some level.

"Thank you." He said softly, opening his eyes and looking down into the big blue eyes that gazed back up at him. He ran his hand over the boys head, feeling the soft mop of hair glide through his fingers. "I'll see you a little later tonight, buddy. We'll make swans and I'll tell you as many stories as you like." He offered, reaching and taking the boys tray for him. Caring for Mason would give him something to do, something to look forward to since seeing Claire wasn't something he got to do much. He watched the boy go, his eyes following him as he moved towards the kitchen. Griffin had to sweep some room out, but he knew he could think of more fairy tales to tell Mason. It was nice to have a new friend.

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