Children of the Slums

What we Are

What we Are

For the next few weeks, this was how we spent our time together. We would go to school, attend honing hall sessions and return to our garden to spend time together. We were really learning about one another, just how real friends should. The highlight of my day was no longer a tire ride. My day now has many, and they all include these guys.

Gathered in the garden, me, Jane, David, and Laura were talking over our dirty entrees. David and I were facing each other with our backs to the walls of the garden. Jane is sitting beside David while Laura's sitting at the entrance.

Jane bites deep into the golden apple. "Soooo juicy!" Jane said with a full mouth.

"What did I tell ya'," David said with pride as he picked dirty grapes. "It's better than you eating those mushrooms."

"But they're good."

"I'm still surprised you didn't get sick. That's a real iron gut you have there." Jane giggled. "Yo," he said, addressing me, "I can't believe you hid this from me for so long."

"Hehe, sorry about that," I said. "But there's nothing else hidden, I swear."

"Yeah, except for where you go after we all leave from here."

"I can say the same about all of you." Everyone laughed, except for Laura, who's staring at the ground. "Hey, Laura? Laura? Hey!?"

"Huh?" Laura said, coming out her trance.

"We asked how old you were. Me and David are twelve, and Jane said she's thirteen."

"Oh, um, I'm twelve also."

"Then I'm everyone's senior?" Jane said. She jumped up pointing at us while looking comically angry, "Obey!"

It was like comedy hour, we laughed, but Laura was spacing out again. "You alright there?" I asked. "Are you not getting enough sleep?"

"Maybe she doesn't sleep," David said. "She's a zombie!" he joked, making us laugh again.

"I don't sleep," Laura sadly said. We stop laughing and stared at Laura before she glanced at us. "I mean, I sleep, just not like others. If I shut my eyes for eight seconds, my body can treat that moment of rest as a full eight hours."

"That's amazing!" Jane said in astonishment.

Laura pulled her knees close to her chest. "But it isn't... I can't dream..." I stared at her with pity, so did Jane. "I've heard people talk about it, including you guys, but I have no idea what it's like to dream. In dreams, you can go to faraway places and escape your reality. But with how I am, escape is an impossibility."

Jane hopped up in front of Laura, spooking her a bit. "I'll teach you to escape!" she excitedly said. "Here, bite this," she said, presenting her already bitten fruit to Laura.

"Uh, no thank you."

"You're not hungry?"

"No, I'm okay. Thank you, Jane."

"Oh, um, you're welcome."

"Do you eat?" David asked suspiciously.

"Yes," Laura replied.

"No, I mean really eat. Like every day in realistic portions like everyone else."

"Okay, David," I said. "You're sounding a bit judgmental."

"Right, sorry. So," David said while popping a dirty grape in his mouth, "Laura, you seem to still be on the quiet side."

"Oh, um, I'm just a good listener," Laura said.