Theo the Street Kid and the Extraordinary Competition

Chapter 10 - Begging for Food

He and Wolfie ran a few blocks to Eats Street, a street where dozens of street-food stalls were clustered together.
Theo spotted a vendor selling baguettes.
"Please," he said, approaching her. "We're starving."
Seeing the dirty street kids, the middle-aged lady vendor frowned, shook her head and waved them onward.
They continued onto the next stall, which sold gluttonous rice wrapped in banana leaves.
"Please," Theo said again.
Scowling, the obese man shook his head. "Go away you dirty kids! You're scaring away my customers!"
The next stall sold BBQ duck.
"Please," Theo pleaded. "Just a scrap."
"Beat it!" yelled the young male vendor.
And on and on they begged for food at each stall, but they were refused and yelled at and even sworn at by the owners each time.
At the end of the block, they chanced upon a food stall called Retdol's Noodles.
They were probably going to be told to go away again, but what did they have to lose?
"Please," Theo said, approaching a jolly old man who looked like Santa Claus.
The vendor Retool was standing behind his food stall, handing out steaming bowls of rice noodles to customers.
Theo held out his hands. "Please."
He didn't want to have to beg. He was rather proud, but being a homeless orphan, his dignity had been stripped away. His options were severely limited. Dignity was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Unlike the rest of the street vendors, this man didn't look at Theo and Wolfie with contempt and disgust.
Instead, he said, "Poor kids. You look hungry. Why don't you two sit down and I'll give you each a bowl of noodles?"
 A wide smile burst onto Theo's face.
Finally, some kindness.
Retdol set down two piping-hot bowls of rice noodles with chopped carrots, scallions, beansprouts and generous strips of chicken in beef broth on a wooden table.
Theo smiled at the kind street vendor.
The young man was grateful for the shred of compassion still alive in some people of the Kingdom. Life in the Kingdom may have been tough, but at least he knew there were still some good people out there.
The vendor had been so kind that Theo wanted to weep. They had just been rejected by dozens of street vendors before stumbling onto this one.
In a country of cruelty, greed, heartlessness and indifference, Retdol was a breath of fresh air.
What is rare is valuable and right then, Retdol's kindness was something to be treasured, like a shining diamond to Theo.
His stomach crying out for nourishment, Theo sat down and breathed in the delicious scent of the noodles. If he had a choice, he wouldn't be eating steaming-hot noodles in such humidity, but beggars can't be choosers.
He let the noodles cool down a bit and then practically inhaled it.
It was so delicious.
Noodles served with compassion were the most delicious of all.
He hadn't eaten meat for weeks now and chicken happened to be his favourite.
He tried to slow down and savour the flavour, but he was just too hungry.
All too soon, he had eaten it all and drunk the soup.
His hunger now satiated, he turned his attention to his silver whistle, which he viewed with awe and respect.
It was indeed a lucky charm.
First, it had saved him from a potential anal rape from a pedophile and now, it had saved him from a beating from the Rattlesnake Gang.
He was starting to realize that whenever it glowed, it meant that something good would happen to him, or that help was on the way to get him out of a precarious situation.
It was now doubly precious to him.
It functioned as both a souvenir of his mother and as a lucky charm.
He didn't know how it worked exactly and he knew he couldn't activate its powers at will, but it was still good to possess it nonetheless.
Turning to Wolfie to tell her the good news, he noticed that something wasn't right with her.
One, the normally-ravenous Wolfie hadn't eaten any of her noodles.
Two: she looked pale.
Three: the rashes on Wolfie's arms were redder than normal.
"Wolfie?" Theo said. "Are you OK?"
"Not feeling good," she said, her face pale. "Very tired."
Then, she fainted, collapsing onto the dusty ground.