A set of muffled voices standing over him tickled his pointy ears and made him squirm. They sounded childlike. His head was half out of the bucket and rested against its inner walls. The wooden bucket was massive and originally meant for bathing purposes since he had seen them around often enough in the city. Bathing outside in the outer districts was a common practice. But that old bastard used it to feed his pigs with the waste from his shop.

  Something poked his face. Reflexively, Erzo let out a long-winded groan.

  “See, I told you he wasn’t dead!” One voice said.

  “I bet it was just air. You poked his cheek!” The other argued.

  Erzo opened his eyes just enough to see the green in the irises. However, he couldn’t focus and everything seemed blurry. Squinting had only made his head hurt more. For all he knew, the blotched colors of the cobblestone street could have been cakes. His headache didn’t help. The thought of food alone made him gag despite his hunger. He could still taste the pig slop that seemed to have dried while he was still unconscious.

  “Hey, are you okay?” The first voice said.

  “What?” Erzo replied softly. He slowly blinked his eyes in confusion. Everything was still hazy.

  “We saw what happened. Are you okay?” The other voice said. “Maybe we should help him, Jimmy,” the first voice continued.

  “I guess you’re right Mel,” they responded but not before poking Erzo in the cheek again with the stick in his hand.

  Erzo ignored the harassment and slowly looked up at the two children standing before him. They seemed to be about as tall as he was, but certainly just as skinny from lack of nutrition. Their cheekbones were poking through their skin.

  “So, I guess you saw what that old man did to me earlier eh?” Erzo chuckled lightly.

  The children looked at each other for a brief moment.

  “Earlier?” They both asked in unison.

  Erzo looked at them just as confused. “Yes, earlier today,” he hesitated. How could anyone mistake what just happened to me if they saw it?

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  Jimmy buckled over in laughter.

  “Hey, Jimmy, that’s not nice,” Mel said. “He doesn’t know.”

  “Know what?” Erzo found himself becoming annoyed for being laughed at.

  “It happened two days ago, dummy,” Jimmy giggled.

  Erzo’s eyes grew wide. “What? How?” The shock made his voice crack. Jimmy couldn’t help but be serious for a moment.

  “Yeah, you were lying there in that bucket of crap for the last couple of days. People thought you died and just left you alone after what the butcher did to you.”

  Erzo simply stared off into the distance to collect himself. He was so weak and helpless, and yet no one did anything to help him. They just assumed he was dead and left him for the city rats.

  “It is true you know,” Mel spoke up. “No one figured you would still be alive after that. He was drowning you for hours. Before you couldn’t breathe anymore, he pulled you out, punched your gut until you coughed, and then put you back in.” Her eyes sullenly looked away to revisit the memory. “People were so scared of the butcher they left the area.”

  Hours? But that felt like minutes…Erzo thought to himself astonished he was still alive.

  “Yeah,” Jimmy piped up, “they stopped going to his cart and shop, which made him madder and probably why he continued to beat you.”

  “And no one tried to help me?” Erzo asked.

  Both Jimmy and Mel looked at each other and then away in guilt.

  Erzo looked away and furrowed his eyebrows, “Well, I am not dead yet. I will get that old bastard back for this and kill him, then take all of his food for myself.” His voice trailed off as if still in thought.

  Mel looked at him concerned but knew she couldn’t change his mind. The look in his eyes seemed fierce.

  “How old are you anyway?” Jimmy asked.

  “I will be thirteen in a few mo-”

  “Ha!” Jimmy interrupted. “A baby like you wouldn’t stand a chance against that guy.”

  “Oh yeah? Well, how old are you, mister tough guy?” Erzo demanded.

  Jimmy puffed out his chest, chin to the sky, and proudly said, “Mel and I just turned eleven last week!”

  Erzo couldn’t help but giggle. How ridiculous.

  Erzo used the large bucket to pull himself up to his feet. As soon as he stood up, his knees gave out but he quickly caught himself. His armpit and forearm bore deep lines where he kept himself propped over the thick liquid. Something he must have done subconsciously after the butcher released his hair.

  With what little strength he had Erzo began to walk away but stumbled over a loose cobblestone. Mel caught him but the action itself surprised even herself. Jimmy rolled his eyes, scoffed, and turned around with his hands behind his head as if to walk away from the sight.

  “Thanks, but I am leaving now,” Erzo said, looking away in embarrassment.

  “Do you have a home to go to or a place to stay?” Mel asked. The concern in her blue eyes compelled Erzo to respond sincerely.

  “Yes, but it is fine, I will manage. Thanks.”

  “Hey, uh what’s your name?” Jimmy called out.

  “It’s Erzo,” he said before turning back around to limp away.

  “Will you be okay?” Mel said. Erzo didn’t respond and simply waved a hand in the air as he continued to limp along the road. He did his best to ignore the local patrons clasping their noses in disgust as he approached them. Tired, beaten, hungry, and now smelly.