Life of a Street Kid ☑️

Chapter 6

The town wasn't all-bad. You could get basically any thing without getting caught, especially if you were a street kid. No one looked your way if you walked around. It was an advantage that was used often. The only time a street kid had to be cautious was when taking something from any merchant area. Law enforcers weren't really around and the ones that were, were chubby. However the merchants did knew how to give a punishment. That was where I was heading.

I strolled into town casually. I walked normally around the town until I got to the merchants. All around people where bargaining and selling their items. People would go up to each other promoting their products making a living. Everyone was busy bustling around trying to get the most for their money. I could see young boys scurrying around getting odd n' ends stuff for their tutors, fathers, or sometimes for their working mothers. Some were carrying necessary food for their families.

I went up to random stands and looked around, making myself look like any other customer. I'd pretend to look at an item then put it down. Pick up another item examine it then put it down. If I didn't find a good time to swipe an item I'd move on to the next stand.

Today wasn't as lucky of a day. People seemed to watch their area carefully. They were ready to pounce at any moment if anything seems out of place. I didn't get an opportunity to take anything. Just to keep from looking suspicious I had to pick pocket some money and use it at a fruit stand. I had got out to the farthest stand with out any luck when an opening came.

A group of boys were hanging around the corner of the market goofing around doing harmless tricks on each other. Nothing suspicious was going on but people in this town were too careful. I wasn't the only person who kept an eye on them. The first couple of salesmen were watching them intensely, guarding their stands like a mother bear guarding her cubs.

I walked up to one of the stands browsing around examining the fresh meat. Making light chatter with the inattentive sale clerk, I waited for my chance to strike. All I needed was for a boy, just one boy, to do something that would either get the clerks attention or make him respond to his actions by moving towards them with a bit of yelling.

My time came when a younger boy from the group came walking toward the stand. The clerk eyed the boy trying to figure what he was up to. As if he knew the clerk the boy strolled up the man and started to chat. Occasionally the man would respond back to the boy while watching him and his fellow men. He didn't even remember my presence as I stood by the cart. He was so involved with the group of boys he didn't even see me take a piece of meat from his stand. I also swiped some fire starters. 

I might have taken something else if I didn't see the boy looking at me with a secretive smile. The bakery scene played in my head from yesterday. I didn't want to get caught again and have every one in town know not to let me near their stands. I wouldn't be able to get anything to eat then unless I caught it in the woods.

I strolled away from the stand having pushed my luck for the day and walked back out of town. I came to a path that I had use before and kept on walking. I never used the same route just in case some one wanted to find me. Considering what I did yesterday I wouldn't be surprised if the group of guys were looking for me or had put out a wanted signal to every street kid saying 'if found contact us and then pursue.' That's if they were feared and respected enough in the street society for some one to actually do that when I was involved. People fear me so it usually wasn't considered around these parts.

The streets south of the market were the slums. Abandoned buildings were everywhere occupying street kids. It stretched for miles and wasn't visited by any town's people. People would avoid this place as much as possible. It scared people senseless because they couldn't stand the idea of kids that weren't under control. When actually the street society was basically another town just formed of kids. It has its high ranked people and its low. There were kids who lived alone and kids that banded together to survive. There were kids that use force to control others. They use fear to get others to do what they want. That's how they formed a gang. Street society is like a town but made of kids and the town's people didn't realize it.