Kapitel 24: Hubris(1)

He was a child born in the slum.

His memories of the early days were fleeting. The face of his parents, the life he led before, he remembered none of it.

What he remembered was the damp street. The corner where garbage lies and the intense repulsive smell. He remembered the muddy street where his bare feet traverse through. Filth stuck to his body, making him feel unclean.

The street was dirty and the people was dirty.

His parents left he as soon as he was born. If not for the grandma nearby taking him in, perhaps he would have died as a baby.

But still, happiness didn't last long. The grandma soon became too old and died, leaving him alone once again. For a 4 years old to survive in such a place, he wondered how he did it.

The taste of garbage was still fresh in his mind, bitter and revolting. Like wild animals, he did everything to survive whether it be stealing or hurting someone else. Laws and order didn't affect those who gained nothing from it. He was truly vicious.

Yet he remembered that faithful day. A day of bliss and joy, the day when his nightmares stopped. It was the night he met his family.

~•~•~•~

Lying in the garbage, Hubris felt helpless. It was unique sense of despair and dread that permeates this place, a place of the abandoned.

He shivered in the trash, the cold winter wind seeped deep into his bones. He barely has a piece of cloth to cover his body and only the garbage gives him enough warmth.

The breeze that was pleasant to others was like knives for him, cutting at his body and will. Maybe he would have died in this winter, in this garbage dump where he will be forgotten by others.

After all, who would notice when another trash get added to the garbage pile?

Tab. Tab.

The sounds of footsteps echoed in this tiny alleyway, closing near him. Like a startled beast, Hubris hid deeper in the trash.

The arrival of a stranger was never a good thing in this place and Hubris wasn't interested in dying now.

But the person didn't leave, standing still like a stone statue. After some time, his curiosity got the better of him. He peaked out the trash, taking a look at the stranger.

She was a woman with long cyan hair and a dignified face. Her clothes were simple but was of much better quality than those around here. She felt clean, unlike himself.

Losing interest, Hubris submerged himself back into the filth only to be stopped by a strange force. A cyan like thread was tied around his waist, giving of a strength he couldn't resist. He was pulled out by the strange woman.

"A kid?"

Hubris could sense the confusion in her voice. Her face showing a perplexed expression and she look at him like a strange phenomenon, unsure of what to do.

Faced with this unknown power, Hubris was terrified. His hand frantically search for something to fight back while glaring at the woman in fear. If looks could kill, she would be dead ten times over.

Before he could find anything, the force binding him was released, giving back his freedom. He was shocked but soon returned to his sense, running back at the garbage pile. He look back outside with wariness.

The woman soon left, leaving him alone. Her parting gives him relief but also saddens him. He felt lonely.

But she soon returned, leaving him a pack of food behind.

Just like this, everyday for the rest of winter, she would come and give him a pack of food. She also left clothes and a blanket behind for him, a luxury he never enjoyed before.

The taste of the hard bread and the salty jerky was mesmerizing despite their dryness. It was the first time he felt the happiness of living.

~•~•~•~

Spring was nearing.

This winter was the coldest in his few year of existence yet he felt more warm then ever. Perhaps it's the company of others, the warm clothes or maybe it was the good food, he didn't know. But everyday, he waited for the strange woman to come with eagerness.

She was truly strange indeed. The slum was never a place of kindness. It was where the wild and ruthless live. They were all dirty, just like himself. A place like this wasn't suitable for someone so clean.

So what? He was glad that she's here.

Sounds of footsteps rang out in the dark and smelly alleyway, bringing with it the hope of a child.

She didn't stop like usual, instead choosing to walk straight ahead. The distance they maintained throughout winter, she step through it all.

With both hands, she reaches out to the unclean him.

"Kid, how about coming to live with me? You'll have food, family and shelter. You won't have to live in such a place anymore and I'll raise you as my child."

Hubris mind was overwhelmed. Live together? Food and shelter? A family?

He wasn't sure if he heard her right. Is he allowed to enjoy more than what he have right now?

It was the fancy things he never heard of before.

She was still holding out her arms. He wanted to take that hand, he wanted to be hug by those hands. But how could he? He didn't want to dirty her.

But she didn't care. She moved forward, bringing his small and dirty body to her embrace. Surrounded by trash, she was still very clean.

She was his savior.