Somewhere in a small town in England, there was a street full of people, the quality of the dresses worn in the crowd represent their status and where they came from. People were happily greeted with each other, trying to understand their friend's whereabouts. At the small street between these building, there was a dump space, where the rubbishes were thrown. People always hide their nose while passing there, disgust its presence, though knowing that those rubbishes were thrown here from their place. Flies, rats, stray dogs and beggars often gather at that place, trying to search for leftovers to feed their empty stomach. Among the crowd, there is a little boy joining them for searching the leftovers inside the garbage. His messy hair seems to be favoured by flies that they often rest on his hair. But the boy seems to be used for their company. He tried to teared up the garbage bag but he seems to weak to do so. The boy gave up, sitting on the dirty floor feeling frustrated until another groaning sound from his stomach urge him to try his luck again. The boy left the dumping area. He found a garbage bin at the roadside. Open it and found that there was a barley bread on top of the garbage. He quickly picks it out and tucks it inside his mouth, yet quickly vomit it out since he tastes the smell of cockroach on the barley bread. Ignoring the chatter of the crowd and their despiteful glace, he digs out an half-eaten apple in the garbage bin, eating it slowly. "Are you Okay, my dear?" Suddenly he heard someone was trying to talk to him. He looks up and saw a lady half kneeling to him, her eyes shown concern and empathy. The boy looks confused, yet nodded his head as a reply. "Where are your parents right now?". The lady continues, the boy turns his head down, refuse to answer. The lady seems to know his reluctant, so the lady reach out his hand to him "come with me, poor child" she said, "I will find someone who can help you", the child shocked by her hand that reach towards him, the boy stared his small, dirty hand, then rubbed his hand with his patched clothes before he pursues the lady's hand. The lady smiled, leading the little boy to a small church in the town. "When are you gonna stop sending beggars to us, Mrs Mary?", Father Gabriel, the priest of the church, hold his head with a deep sigh, "I know you have a heart of gold but our church already has a hard time to support both us and our children, it is quite irresponsible to just throw these beggars there and assuming we will do anything for..." "He is not a beggar, Father Gabriel," She protests, "He is a child, who need to dig the rubbish bin just to survive! I'm can't look away and ignore him especially when I know I could help him. Please, Father Gabriel..." Mrs Mary pleads, "At least let me know if there is anyone else that could help this child". Father Gabriel looked at her and sigh again. He kneels down and looks straight towards the little boy who is standing beside Mrs Mary during their conversation, "How should I call you, kid?" Father Gabriel ask, with a more gentle voice, "Richard." The little boy reply, "Where are your parents?", "...Parents?" the boy looked confused, "Your papa and mama" Father Gabriel reply patiently. The boy lowered his head, seems to refuse to answer that question. Father Gabriel ponder a while, then his stood up and turns towards Mrs Mary, "I'm not sure our church could afford to raise another child, but I guess keeping him for a day or two would not be harmful. I will try to ask other church in this town which could help this little boy during his stay." "Thank you, Father Gabriel," Mrs Mary feel relieved, "I will introduce you to my clients which would interest for charity in return.", "Thanks, Mrs Mary" Father Gabriel replies with a smile. Mrs Mary smiles back, then pick up her pocket watch and check her time "I guess I should go now, my husband is waiting for me" said Mrs Mary, so she greets Father Gabriel and the little boy goodbye before she goes. After Mrs Mary left, both the priest and the boy stay silence, suddenly, the boy spoke "they left us," the priest looks at the boy with surprise, tears drop from the boy's eyes-though they had been covered by the boy's messy hair, and fall onto the floor "they say we will bring bad luck to them" the boy continues, "We?" "Me and my brother" "I see...wait," Father Gabriel asked the boy, realized something, "You have a brother?", "Yeah, after Mama and Papa left us, we will walk different ways to find foods every day and meet each other again at a bread house when we can see stars on the sky." "I see," Father Gabriel sigh once more, take out his handkerchief and give it to the boy. Watching the boy lap his face with the handkerchief, Father Gabriel whispered: "Perhaps it was God's order for bringing you here". The boy raises his head, does not clearly heard what Father Gabriel had said. "Nothing," Father Gabriel smile, gently pat the boy's head, "Do tell your brother that it would be the last day for both of you to dig rubbish bin and sleep beside the bakery house". -end of Chapter 1
