My Mysterious Owner

Chapter I

Chapter I:

Cold, brisk wind flew through my hair; it was a night like all others.

Streets dimmed, the sun started to fade, and the ground began to feel cold as the night sipped in. I treaded down the cobbled sidewalks and hoped to find dinner. I am a child, sixth among the seven children of my parents and still adding on. I'm nine years of age. Ever since I learned to walk and talk I only dreamt of one thing: to be free from my poor family and miserable life. My older brother, the eldest among us all, got killed in a raid when he was 15. That was 7 years ago. The next was a stowaway, whom we are all assuming, is now dead. The third child of my parents is a teenage mother of two, who, by the way is also living in our shack together with her babies. As if it is not crowded enough! The remaining two sisters before me are the breadwinners of the family. One is 13 years of age and the other 14.

Weird.

At that young age?

Yeah. I know that questions are boggling your minds.

Minors?

What kind of work will accept them?

Of course, most of you would bet on prostitution and you are right! But, that is only true for the elder one. The younger one applied as a housemaid for one of the prestigious families in our place but, her story is not that good either. It ain't like that cinder girl who got her break after being abused. Who knows? The story is not yet finished anyways but I won't be staying around to know how it ends. I would like to chart my own destiny, find my own path, live my own life and truly feel that I am alive. What about my parents? Well they are both breathing if ever you are wondering. My father is a cargo man; you know the ones who carry those heavy bags, crates and boxes? And my mom is a simple housewife. See? Ain't that the life one could ever hope for? Now, it seems like another mouth to feed is coming! Before I'll be able to see that baby I'll run away and find my own life.

"Please give me some of those," I earnestly beg to the rich couple sitting happily at one if those expensive restaurants.

"Go away. Can't you see we're eating? Come back later when we're done." Oh yes! The typical greedy-no-heart person. I stared with tearful eyes on the abundance of food.

"Oh, come on, Jeff." The woman took two half eaten pork barbeques and handed them to me. She then wrapped a half-eaten rice ball and did the same. Gratefully I took it and ran to the nearest corner to eat. This is how I survived the cruelty of the world. It has been a month now since I left home and I am pretty sure that my parents are now jumping for joy. "One mouth less to feed." Yeah that is how they look at us: pests that consume their goods. I don't need to worry about that since I am on my own now. Day in and day out, I gambled my life on the streets. Some days would be lucky and I get to have three meals but others none. So I learned how to be practical. Every time I get a good catch, I would save some of the food I get for those days that no one dare to give me some. I learned that a meal once in a day is fine but, my luck on the streets didn't last long.

It's been a week now and not even once has anybody been charitable enough to share their blessings to me. Sight dimming, I once again tried my luck on two rich-looking guys.

"Can I have those?"

The guy wearing a black tux, an inner white polo shirt and black tie looked at me silently. I shifted my gaze to the other one. He wore a casual yellow t-shirt with an unbuttoned blue polo shirt that has small vertical white stripes on top of it.

"Please I'm so hungry." It wasn't a joke or an act. My world started to dim and my knees weakened. I felt my body giving in to gravity; two gentle hands caught me before I could hit the ground. I tried to open my eyes in vain effort but it was of no use. I was dying.