Within The Pages

The Sunset Of Giggles

Story prompt from "Gloves Up | A Multi-Genre Smackdown Contest", Qualifying Round, May 2022: "You call that a bonus?" Include that dialogue in the story. 

Words Count: 497 

Lady Irelina strolled around the picturesque area, basking in the splendor of the setting sun. The sky's beautiful patterns blended with shades of red and blazing orange splattered across the azure elysian fields. The pleasant aroma of corn on the cobs filled every crack and pore of the exquisite land, and the chatter and cackles of foreigners and homies reverberated over the lavish place laden with greenery.

As she was enjoying herself, her eyes all of a sudden fell on a small kid, not more than eleven years old, sitting alone on the side of the pavement. Walking towards him, she crouched down to her level, softly speaking, "Hey there, young man."

The boy seemed perplexed for a second, startled by the sudden intrusion. He eyed the posh lady, clothed in a beautiful dress, with curiosity and bafflement. On realizing she was just another foreigner, he rolled his eyes, diverting his gaze to another place, completely ignoring her stunned look.

To say Lady Irelina was amused would surely be an understatement. The strange behavior of the boy certainly surprised her, but she was curious as to why a small boy dressed in a muddy stained shirt was sitting alone on the pavement.

Then, suddenly, a solid thought popped into her mind. She smiled, "Do you love corn on the cob?" That seemed to catch his attention as he looked between her and his torn-out shoes. After pondering for a while, he once again faced her. His lips turned into a grin as he nodded, and soon the duo found themselves enjoying the delicious sweetcorn.

Lady Irelina cracked several jokes to cheer up the young lad, and miraculously, it worked out. The young lad, who introduced himself as Elijah, told her the different tactics for cooking sweetcorn.

She got serious and, clearing her throat, inquired, "What else do you do, Elijah?"

As soon as the words escaped her lips, the once glimmering face got shadowed by a grim expression. Dark clouds of sadness loomed over his face, and the dullness of his dark brownish orbs prevailed.

Lady Irelina immediately regretted asking that question, but before she could say anything further, the lad spoke up, timidly, "Everything that a person living in a slum does."

She smiled, "That's interesting. Do you have friends there? " And just like that, once again, Elijah began telling her about his friends.

"How much do you make in a day?" Purely out of curiosity, she voiced her question without a single thought.

"Hardly $5 a day. And if we're lucky enough then, 2 dollars as a bonus. "

"You call that a bonus?"

Gazing dead into her eyes, he spoke up, "Madam, for people like us, garbage is gold. Chipped drywall makes up our homes. One dollar equals millions. As long as there's food in the stomach and a roof on our heads, we're the richest of all. "

Feeling the profundity of his words, all she could think of was the sunset of Elijah's childhood.