Toby
Every story is supposed to have a happy ending. Not always a happy beginning, though. And some stories… don't even have endings. They just stop. Those stories… are the ones that have a million secrets to tell, but no one to speak for them. So if my story just… ends, then I'll end with the suspension of unspoken words.
It's a gloomy, rather dreary, early fall day. The streets are quiet. The vendors were quiet. All you could here was the sound of a boat, off in the distance.
Louis Poe, a young homeless child, wanders the street. Only ten years old, abandoned when he was seven, had been searching for a family ever since. Without luck, he did odd jobs around town and dirty work. Until that one day…
Adolfo Pirelli. That's the only thing you heard these days. Adolfo this Pirelli that. Personally I didn't understand all the rage. Out of curiosity, I found myself in a crowd of people, watching a man sell a liquid for hair. Louis now understood why people were so fascinated by the Italian man.
"What are you doing, boy?" A bald, rather ugly man asked me that night once leaving the show.
"Walking, sir." I answered, all though I was really searching for a place to sleep. He squints his eyes and tilts to the left. It became quite obvious he had a little bit too much rum.
"I-I know you." The man said. "You're the boy who always comes and and steals from my shop." I shook my head fervently. Though I had in fact stolen from the shop. How else was I supposed to eat?
"Yeah, you always steal my eggs!" He yells, his face turning a rosy red color. I don't even bother thinking before turning to run away. I dashed down the alley and into the town square. I dove under a bench and hid there, hardly breathing.
"Hello, there." A voice said from above the bench, I peer out from underneath the bench. There, in front of me was Adolfo Pirelli.
"Excuse me, sir. I was only-"
"What are you doing out so late on this damned, cold night." He asks.
"Well, sir, I don't exactly-"
"Ah, orphan!" He comes to the conclusion. "I saw you in my crowd today. How would you like to be my… apprentice?" He asks. I crawl out from the bench. Out of all the tasks I have done for people, never had I had a real job.
"I would like that very much, sir." I nod.
"Wonderful. We start tomorrow morning. Come with me, I'll give you a place to rest." I follow Mr. Pirelli to a wagon outside the inn. "You can stay in here for the night." He says. As he is about to leave, he asks, "What's your name, boy?"
"Louis Poe." I answer, but really focused on the smell of food escaping the inn.
"You go by Toby, now." He says and slams the coach door shut, locking the door. My eyes widened. This possibly, was a terrible, unforgettably horrific, idea.