My 500 Words: A Writing Challenge - Day 6
Today's challenge is to write someone's story - to put myself in their shoes.
Each day I get up and get myself dressed. I am only five, but I am used to it. I have not seen my mother in months, and I do not know my father.
My home is not a home in the traditional sense. My brothers and sisters all pile up beside me using a garbage top as a shelter from the rain. When our mother left to go find work in another village, we cried. "Mother, can we go with you?" I asked.
"No, child. You must stay here and keep watch over your brothers and sisters."
"But how?"
"You will find a way," she assured me. "Whatever you do, stay together."
"I promise, mother."
As I watched her walk away, I stood as tall as I could. I felt so small. It seemed like the Earth was going to swallow me up.
All of us went into the village. The market was filled with mountains of mangoes, plantains, and sugar cane. I had never seen so much food! My rumbling stomach reminded me it had been a long time since I had eaten.
I went around to the side of the mangoes to avoid the watchful eye of an older woman. I quickly snatched a juicy fruit and tucked it into my shirt.
"Hey!" A voice boomed into my ear as he tried to catch my shirt. I was too quick for him. I darted away, hoping I would blend in with the crowd.
My siblings saw the chaos, but I did not know where they were. "Mama would be so mad at my foolishness," I thought to myself. Why was I thinking about Mama? She is not even here! NONE of this would be happening if she were here!
Tears streamed down my face as I felt of the fruit. I said a prayer for my brothers and sisters and hoped they were safe.
"Alec, why are you crying?"
Startled, I looked up to see my younger brother, Mattis, standing in front of me.
"How did you find me? I asked
"We followed you when you ran away from the mean man!" Mattis said.
"Man, that was a close one, eh?"
I made a plan to go to the market at night or early mornings from now on to avoid repeating my mistake.
I washed my clothes using the rain water from a massive puddle near us. After such a long day, it was time to sleep. Survival was hard work.
The next day I was up before sunrise with the roosters to keep me company. I looked at my siblings sleeping peacefully on the ground. I left them there while I searched for food. I did not have to go far because food could always be found in the trash heap. You just had to dig for it.
Once I found a few scraps of food, I gathered them up and brought them back to my brothers and sister.
"Alec, thank you for bringing us food!" they cried with excitement as they each took some. It was becoming clearer with each moment that we would have to work together if we wanted to live.
My home is not a home in the traditional sense. My brothers and sisters all pile up beside me using a garbage top as a shelter from the rain. When our mother left to go find work in another village, we cried. "Mother, can we go with you?" I asked.
"No, child. You must stay here and keep watch over your brothers and sisters."
"But how?"
"You will find a way," she assured me. "Whatever you do, stay together."
"I promise, mother."
As I watched her walk away, I stood as tall as I could. I felt so small. It seemed like the Earth was going to swallow me up.
All of us went into the village. The market was filled with mountains of mangoes, plantains, and sugar cane. I had never seen so much food! My rumbling stomach reminded me it had been a long time since I had eaten.
I went around to the side of the mangoes to avoid the watchful eye of an older woman. I quickly snatched a juicy fruit and tucked it into my shirt.
"Hey!" A voice boomed into my ear as he tried to catch my shirt. I was too quick for him. I darted away, hoping I would blend in with the crowd.
My siblings saw the chaos, but I did not know where they were. "Mama would be so mad at my foolishness," I thought to myself. Why was I thinking about Mama? She is not even here! NONE of this would be happening if she were here!
Tears streamed down my face as I felt of the fruit. I said a prayer for my brothers and sisters and hoped they were safe.
"Alec, why are you crying?"
Startled, I looked up to see my younger brother, Mattis, standing in front of me.
"How did you find me? I asked
"We followed you when you ran away from the mean man!" Mattis said.
"Man, that was a close one, eh?"
I made a plan to go to the market at night or early mornings from now on to avoid repeating my mistake.
I washed my clothes using the rain water from a massive puddle near us. After such a long day, it was time to sleep. Survival was hard work.
The next day I was up before sunrise with the roosters to keep me company. I looked at my siblings sleeping peacefully on the ground. I left them there while I searched for food. I did not have to go far because food could always be found in the trash heap. You just had to dig for it.
Once I found a few scraps of food, I gathered them up and brought them back to my brothers and sister.
"Alec, thank you for bringing us food!" they cried with excitement as they each took some. It was becoming clearer with each moment that we would have to work together if we wanted to live.
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