In the Distance

I close my eyes. I dream of what it would be like before the Incident. I open them. My world is still the same. I see many feet in shoes of all different shapes and sizes. I wish my shoes looked like theirs. Those shiny clean and new shoes that were changed every year. I could have had that before the Incident. I could have had anything I wanted before it happened. I wish I could go back. Far back. To my parents; to my home; to my friends. But all of that was taken away from me, when they took over my country. I’m a runaway. I no longer wish for money or pets, like I used to. Every night, I pray that my family is doing well. That Rose is doing well.

I look in my sock. Two small coins, enough to buy me a small bottle of water and chips. I pack my things; my orange pack, my water bottle, and plastic red cup. I slowly walk to Dan’s. People are staring at me. They stare and they stare and they stare. Before the Incident, I would have told them, “Whatcha looking at?” Now I don’t. I’m used to it. I buy a bottle of water and some bread. I walk out. It’s already dark outside. I see a little girl, homeless, with streaks of dirt and blood. She looks worse than I do. I break off half a piece of bread and walk over to her. She looks at me, scared. I give it to her and then walk away. I continue until I find an empty bench, covered in bird and raccoon droppings. I sit and close my eyes. I dream and wish and dream and wish.

I wake up. It’s light outside. I take out the stale bread and water and drink and eat, drink and eat. I finish then walk to the market. I smell all the wonderful foods I could have had before the Incident. I can feel a small lump appearing in my throat. I’m about to cry. I close my eyes and cry and cry and cry.

I wake up. I am hungry. No change is left in my sock. I sigh. I look through a dirty trash can and take out a half eaten apple. Waste, I think to myself. It’s all what people now do. Waste. Waste food, waste resources, waste money. I take a bite of the apple. I don’t spit it out, like I would have before. I chew and swallow, chew and swallow. I finished everything. The stem, seeds, core; everything. I suddenly see a girl wearing a blue woolen coat and dark brown boots, peering into a window of a toy shop. “Mom!” she screams. “I want that doll NOW!” “Ok, honey,” the mom says. Then they enter the shop. I can feel my eyebrows scrunching up. My teeth clatter and my hands turn into fists. Lucky brat, I think.

It has been days now, where I haven’t found any food or had any money. My stomach aches day and night, my tears are filling the empty spaces in my heart. I’m sitting on a curb. I sigh. I’m still here, after all those years of hard work. But the Incident couldn’t have been stopped. It’s unstoppable. But so am I. I won’t let anything stop me. The wind is strong, whistling in my ears. Something suddenly catches my eye. I follow it. Small golden coins, of all different sizes are just laying there, on the street. I pick one up. It’s real. I pick another one up. It’s also real. One hundred, that’s how much the coins are worth. The wind is still strong. But this time, it’s different. It’s light but powerful, like a new hope in the distance.