“Stop, thief! Stop!”
The boy’s heart raced as he dashed through the open but busy town square.
“I order you to stop!” demanded the voice behind him.
He ignored it and continued to thrust his stubby legs forward though his lungs protested. As the boy narrowly avoided people packed tightly together, his mind flashed back to what had just occurred. Peuri, for that was his name, had quickly swiped a loaf of bread from one of many local merchants near the temple, and the man had reacted by crying for help. Several guards were soon in pursuit, and Pueri had made a run for it. He did not understand.
“Why would a rich, successful merchant make such a big fuss about one measly loaf of bread? What difference did it make? He could easily just replace it.” “Besides,” he thought, “I need to eat too.”
As he attempted to shake his pursuers off his trail, he abruptly rounded an alley corner and weaved his way through the winding streets. Utterly exhausted, Peuri leaned against a wall for support and slowly sat down. His stomach churned as he remembered why he even risked his neck. Pulling out the morsel of bread, Peuri slowly savored the taste of food. He had not eaten for two days for he had no work, no job, or any other means to earn some money.
The busy and humid City of Malus hummed with the noise of crowds going about their day. Men labored under the scorching sun. Most of the women and children worked together, taking care of the daily chores and cooking dinner.
Peuri inhaled the aroma of food. His stomach growled. Life as an orphan had not been smooth. When he was a baby, he was in one of the orphanages in Malus, but a few years ago the building was set on fire and all the children were sent away. Now Peuri was on his own, with no one to watch over him and no one to listen to. “It’s both a curse and a blessing,” he thought, “I am allowed to do what I want, when I want, where I want, but at the same time I fend for myself. Getting fed is difficult.”
He attempted to get a job, but no one in the city wanted a boy to do a man’s job. In the end, the only option was to steal, and steal he did. It was a risky thing to do he knew. If he was caught, there would be no one to vouch for him, and he would be thrown into prison. Life as an orphan has its advantages, but in the big picture the disadvantages easily outweigh them.
Now confident that no one was searching for him anymore, Peuri strolled out into the open city. The hordes of people crowded the area. As he weaved his way to look for more food, he swore to himself that one day, he would eat like a king.
Pain surge through Peuri as he awoke. “Where?! What?” thought Peuri as he struggled to his feet. As he did so, he stood straight, only to cower down again as his joints ached. Looking at his arms and feet, he noticed chains wrapped around his limbs, like a snake coiling around its prey. Memories flashed through his mind as he recalled how he ended up like this.
Earlier, Peuri was searching for food to fill the gaping void in his stomach. He reached for an apple in a fruit basket, but a powerful hand snatched his arm away and held it in its grip of iron.
“Let me go!” cried Peuri, struggling to peel off the gripping hand.
“You dare steal from me you wretched leach!” cried the shop owner. “I’ll teach you good!”
The merchant quickly pulled out a long whip from behind his back and threw Peuri to the ground. The whip met his skin. Peuri cried out to stop, but pause never came. One after another, stinging snaps sent chills up his spine. Wherever the whip touched, burning sensations soon followed. He struggled to flee, but every time sharp pain stabbed at him again. When the dust finally settled, Peuri lay on the ground, struggling to grasp his slippery consciousness. The last thing he saw was armed men approaching him. Then, all went black.
After he awoke, Peuri attempted to pick his chains, but to no avail. Hours past. He began to measure the time of the day by the long shadows that stretched across the cell wall opposite him. Although used to it, Peuri’s stomach continued to rumble. Scrawny rats skittered across the floor in front of him, as stench of death lingered in the air making him sick. Peuri wondered if anybody would rescue him from his captor. These hopes were quickly dashed as he horrifyingly realized something. Nobody would miss him, which meant nobody would look for him. He could remain here forever. Despair crept in his soul, threatening to consume his sanity.
“Why me!” He thought. “In the name of the gods, what did I ever do to deserve such a fate as this!” Thoughts like this tore through his mind like a blade through water. Just as he was about to lose all hope of freedom, a shadow covered his figure. Peuri lifted his watery eyes, only to see the silhouette of a man. His shoulders, though broad, sagged with age. He stood at least six feet, and in his hands was a wicked axe.
Peuri’s life flashed before his eyes as a towering figure stood before him. The man’s eyes shown with age and wisdom. He stood tall, hovering over Peuri with a terrible axe.
“I am Annox,” bellowed the man. “I have seen you courageously defend and stand up for yourself. Now you are captive, abused, and tortured. Follow me, and I will take you to a place where you will find peace, and a chance to exact revenge on those who have tormented you. With a swipe of his hand, a swirling vortex appeared.
“I can’t believe my eyes!” he thought. Could he trust this man? If street life taught him it was that he could not trust anyone. Peuri was silent this whole time. There was nothing more he desired than freedom from the bonds that restrained him. But who was this mysterious figure who seemed to almost glow with ominous power? Though still in wonder at what was occurring, Peuri decided to follow the man into the portal.
“Get up Peuri!” cried a voice. “Get up before I come and personally force you out of bed!”
Eyes snapped open, a young boy quickly sat up and realized what had happened. He had dreamed.
“It………it wasn’t real?” he wondered.
Now fully awake, Peuri dressed himself and treaded down the stairs into the kitchen.
“Hurry up. You’ll miss the bus! Here. I already packed your lunch, but you will have to skip breakfast. Serves you right for getting up so late.”
“Thanks, Mom.” shuttered Peuri as he opened the screen door. As he slowly walked to school, Peuri wondered if it really had all just been a dream. It did not matter now. No longer would he be an orphan living for nothing except his next meal. No longer would he be a stranger with nowhere to seek shelter. He was home. With this in mind, Peuri took a deep breath and walked down the sun-bathed road.
