Stealing from the rich, giving to the poor, hero or villain? I would assume it depends on who's point of view you look at it from. In the modern world, certain individuals will risk their liberty to host files of films and music for the masses for free, that would be cheap if not controlled by greedy corporations. On the other hand, these people are diminishing potential profits that some would claim to have earned.
The following story is not something you will be reading to your kids before bed, although I would advise that every human should give it a read at least once in their life. This story is short, but will hopefully make you think. You may dislike it, you may hate me, but sparking a thought in your mind is all I am after. If you enjoy this short story, feel free to share it with your friends. It certainly won't make the times best sellers list, but perhaps together we can help the people of this world start to think again.
Many years ago, there lived a Priest. He had been brought up as one since a child, and was given no choice in the matter. He was a Priest for life, and would preach the words of god, a god he did not believe in, for life. How could he believe in something that would allow such poverty in the world, even amongst his devoted disciples, whilst a few undeserving people held most of the countries wealth. The Priest was generally a good man, he did abide by the Bible and still appreciated the teachings of the Bible. The Priest committed two sins, as far as his religious order was concerned. The first was the taking of wealth from the rich, occasionally he would slip the odd coin into his own pocket when one of the nobles paid a rare visit to the church. He would occasionally buy himself some nice food or a good beverage, something his order does not permit, he was supposed to live on the bear minimum, the basics. His second crime was of love. A poor woman would come to the church every week, she had nothing, not even a pair of shoes on her feet. The Priest felt bad for the woman, he would occasionally slip the odd coin into her tattered clothes and occasionally, albeit secretly, provided her with shelter when her husband was drunk and in a rage. Her husband was not an evil man, but his boss drove him into the dirt day in and day out, he tried to escape with the occasional drink, not helping with his money troubles, or his relationship with his wife. But for him, it was a much needed escape. The Priest got too close with the woman on one occasion, providing her with a baby that her husband was unable to. It was played off as a miracle from god and a boy was born into the poor, dirty world of his parents lives.
The boy grew to the age of 14, his whole life watched and guarded by the Priest who could not be the official father he so wanted to be. The Priest taught him lessons, he confided in the boy that he did not believe in god and taught him that the world was not fair, but he had to make the most of it within reason. He should live a good life, be kind and friendly, but not to let others take advantage of him and make the most of every situation. It was soon after this that the Priest's relationship with the woman was reviled and made public due to some spying from the drunk of a husband. The Priest was also revealed to be taking money from the crown for personal use and for this was hung during a public execution. The woman was dragged through the streets and beaten by her husband and friends for her disobedience. The Boy was kicked to the street after guards prevented the husband from beating him to death for being the spawn of evil. The boy now knew that the Priest had been his father and he came to appreciate the many life lessons the Priest had taught him, utilizing them to help him survive on the street. One day, whilst in the market late at night, the boy saw his mother being dragged out of the tavern by her husband, pinned to the wall and abused. His eyes welled up, it had been awful being banished from his mothers arms, but to see her in such pain with no way out, he could not cope. He took a rock from the ground nearby, crept up behind his mothers husband and smashed it over his head. His mother screamed, the husband dropped to the floor, blood pouring from his head. 'Run' she whispered to her son, 'get away from here now'. The guards did not take long to get to the murder, and it was the mother who hung for the crime.
Two years later, the boy had survived by stealing bread and the bare necessities to get by. Occasionally caught by the guards and beaten, but never severely punished. One day he was attempting to steal from an apple stall and the most beautiful woman he had ever seen caught his eye. The woman was the 18 year old princess, with the royal guards, doing her weekly wander around the market. Unfortunately the boy had never before been taught about boundaries and the many laws of the realm, boundaries of royalty in particular. He attempted to approach the woman only to be pushed to the ground by a guard. 'You're lucky you're not dead, worm' The guard snarled at him. The Princess looked at him, smiled and then returned to the palace. Awe stricken by the woman, the boy broke into the castle grounds at night, scaled the walls and climbed into her bedroom. 'What are you doing in here!' The Princess yelled at the boy. 'I...I'm sorry, it's just your beauty is like none other that I have ever seen' the boy stuttered. 'Your thoughts are of no importance to me, you're filth, you're nothing, now leave before I have you pushed from the balcony and killed' the Princess said in a snobby voice. The boy was distraught, his eyes welled up and he was feeling emotions he had never before experienced. The princess left the room to get some guards, the boy quickly grabbed as much gold as he could see and escaped back down the wall and across the grounds.
It was not long before the flames of the guards torches were lighting up the horizon. Panicking, the boy threw the gold he had stolen around the town as he ran. He would forever be known as The Giver, a legend to go down forever in the lores and myths passed around a camp fire. Unfortunately for the boy, a legend, a myth, could not be created if he had not been seen, if he had not been captured and killed. Publicly, the boy hung, just as his father had two years previously. The Giver would be known for thousands of years to come, similar to our worlds Robin Hood, stories would be created and told and re-tolled. The Boy would be alive in the hearts of millions forever.
- Elliot James
This story features 5 characters and one main antagonistic group. Make up your own mind about them all, choose whether or not you feel they are heroes or villains, but there are good arguments for both sides. Below is a summary of the characters involved, feel free to comment your thoughts and I hope you appreciated the story.
The Priest - Led a good life, did what he thought was best at all times. Occasionally took more than the crown and religious order felt necessary. His feelings for a woman he felt was abused led him to commit adultery and he tried to raise his child as best he could.
Poor woman/mother - Made the most of what she had, committed adultery with the Priest and lied about a child she conceived during the relationship. Did what was best for the child and died for him.
Drunken Husband - Worked as hard as he could to support his family, used alcohol to escape from reality and occasionally let his temper get the best of him. He used what punishment was legally available to him when his wife committed sins against the crown and god.
The Boy - Raised in a broken home, kicked out of his home and forced to abandon his mother. Committed murder when trying to save her. His father killed in front of him by the crown. He committed petty thefts to survive. He fell in love, stole a great deal in wealth from the crown out of rage and sadness, accidentally gave it to the poor and died for his actions.
The Crown (group) - Persecuted the poor for taking more than the crown felt they deserved (Priest), taught snobby antics to those within (guard and princess) and dealt harsh punishments for simple crimes.
The Princess - Raised as a Snob, never knew anything else, it was all she knew. Looked down on the poor, ordered the Boy killed for breaking into her room and speaking to her.
Dedicated to the user Barbiel, for giving me an interest in writing again.
