The Boy From Arkansas

(The Night of the Robbery)

January 18, 1845 (The Night of the Robbery)

People are always saying how every individual was born with a purpose and a destiny to fulfill. Well, whoever first said that either phrased it wrong, or forgot about the one percent who don't have a purpose or destiny. That one percent were mere mistakes who weren't supposed to be born in the first place, and so they were just left to themselves. Unfortunately, I'm from that one percent. I'm nothing but an orphaned who doesn't even know where he came from, and doesn't own anything except the rags on his body. As an orphan boy who knows nothing except his little hometown, Jacksonville, that's my perspective of the world. As far as I know, it'll never change. 

Anyway, I don't know why I decided to start recording my utterly boring life on paper. I guess it's the awful boredom gnawing at my soul. But I've got no purpose in life, so I'll dedicate it to writing my purposeless life. Strangely, that gives me the slightest sense of purpose. I'll start by taking you through what little I've known for thirteen years. I live in a orphanage located in a small town in Jacksonville which is in the state of Arkansas in the South. The orphanage is home to like twenty boys and run by four women. Don't ask me why it's all boys. I've wondered about that for thirteen years, and I still don't know until this day. The Cook provides our daily meals. The Discipliner/Ms. Whip installs the discipline when us boys decide to be bad. She's fat and always carrying her favorite whip, which why we call her Ms. Whip. Then, there's the Caretaker who tends to our necessary needs. I don't really know what she does, because I haven't really seen her considering our needs. Finally, there's the negro, Vivian, who does all the cleaning and running errands when the white ladies don't feel like it.

One night we were eating the blandest of the blandest oat porridges in the world. The Cook is terrible at cooking. Us boys sat around a long, wooden table, and I sat with my boys, Luis River, Levi Colt, and Peter Poop. Luis River is fifteen years old and he's very white with pale eyes and light hair. Levi Colt is thirteen like me and his complexion is tan like the Indians. Surprisingly, he's the one and only crossbreed in Jacksonville. Rumour has it that his mother was white and his father was a brown Indian. Somehow, those two met and married and produced a crossbreed child. The couple were hanged by the white folk of Jacksonville when they were exposed. And that has never happened again. Then, there's Peter Poop who's fourteen and he's fat. He earned his last name when he pooped in his trousers at five. 

"I'm so sick of eating this porridge" Peter said. 

"And I'm sick of hearing you say that" I said. 

"I can't help it. I just wanna get out of this place and eat whatever I want and do whatever I want and have whatever I want" Peter whined irritably, while playing with his spoon in his oat porridge.

I laughed. "Tell me about it."

"Why so blue?" Luis pitched into our conversation. 

"What do you want us to be happy about? Bland, grey porridge?" Levi spoke this time.

"Well, I have an exciting idea that'll lift ya'll spirits," Luis said. "But not now. When we're in bed. Fat Lady is watching us." By Fat Lady, he meant Ms. Whip. Sometimes we call her that secretly because she'd kill us if we called her that to her face. After dinner, Vivian collected the dishes for washing and the Caretaker lined us infront of the lavatory before bed. We got our turn for the lavatory and then the boys were ushered into the bedrooms. Ms. Whip made sure we were quiet and our eyes closed before she shut the door closed. The sleeping situation is ugly. Ten boys in one room and ten in the other. The room is crowded and packed. Body fumes fill the air and it gets really hot. Fortunately, my mattress is by the window and I don't have to share with anyone. But everyone does...save Peter. Peter is just too fat and he takes up all the space. The only reason I don't have to share is because I'm the last arrival and I got the last free mattress. But it won't be long before another kid arrives.