Rain fell upon the grounds of the busy city streets. Car horns were blaring and deafening the pedestrians, telling them to hurry up. The people crossing the streets were covering their ears and shouting at some of the drivers, telling them to just keep their mouths shut and be patient.
One of those pedestrians was a little boy, no older than 8, one would suppose. He runs across the street, looking down on his little feet and the white lines of the pedestrian lane. He avoids the legs and feet of the huge people, at the same time clutching to the huge piece of cloth covering his cold body. As soon as he got to the other side, he ran faster, hurriedly getting back "home".
He makes a right and continues to run. He attempts to dodge the people's legs that were towering over him, and they ignore the poor little boy, not even bothering to stop when he tripped over. His short, obsidian hair got wet, but he managed to get back up. He made another right and went inside a dark alleyway. He ran to the very edge, where a huge but old wooden fence separates the alley into two parts. Soon, he got inside a soggy cardboard box, his only means of shelter for a squatter kid like him.
He took off the big piece of cloth that wrapped around him and used it to wipe the mud of his little face. After smudging the last of the mud from his nose, he set it down and started to put his hand in his pocket, looking for something. When he saw the thing he was looking for, he let out a sigh of relief and started nibbling on it.
"Woof!" he heard from outside. He peeped out and saw his little puppy, Buddy. He motioned his hand and told Buddy to come. The little pup did as told and ran happily to his master. He was soaking wet, but ruffled the rest of the water away when he got inside, causing the boy to get wet as well. He used the big piece of cloth and wrapped it around his puppy, keeping him warm. The boy sliced the bread in half with his smudged hands and gave the other one to the pup, who ate it in less than a couple of seconds. The boy then started finishing his own half of the bread, taking in small bites and tried to make it last.
This was his only means of survival ever since he ran away from the orphanage. He was one of the lucky ones. He didn't even remember how he got there. He hated that place. They rarely gave you food, and if they did, they would be left overs from the dog's food bowl. The children there were poor and distraught, abandoned there against their will. The ones who got away successfully lived another life. Those who merely tried, suffered dire consequences. The little boy of eight knew he wouldn't survive alone. He tried convincing some of his "inmates", but they refused to listen. So that night, he got ready. He took the clothes that he owned and stole some of the head's (who curiously loved to wear the color green). He took one of the dog's puppies whom he shared a companionship with and left, leaving him dust in the wind. The heads stopped searching for him after an unsuccessful week, so the boy lived in peace and quiet...or so he thought.
And now here he was, in the middle of the rain. Suffering in a dark alley in a cardboard box with a baby dog as his only companion. He's resorted to stealing after deciding that garbage was not the best place to get food. He's stolen from restaurants, posing as a child from an unsuspecting family and stole one whole plate full of rice and chicken. Ever since, he's mastered the technique after doing the same thing three times a day for 2 months. But when everything gets too scarce, he steals from the supermarkets instead. He's been caught more than once. Some would have such kind souls and let him get away with it, but most want him locked up in jail for the rest of his life.
A tear landed on his bare, dirty foot. He started crying again. He covered his little eyes with his hands, his fingers clutching his hair too. He muffled a scream that he was sure the people passing by would ignore. They did...but not all by passers are the same. One man heard the boy's cry. He tilted his head in the direction of the alley and walked slowly towards there, not wanting to startle the poor child. His footsteps sounded murky because of the excessive amount of mud there.
The boy was rolled up in a ball in his box, holding his knees close to his chest. He laid down next to Buddy, who crept up next to him as well. They were sleeping rather soundly until the little boy's ears reacted to the sounds of motion made by the man. He sat up quietly, not wanting his pup to stir in his sleep. He let one eye gaze outside and fear struck him when he saw the big guy's shadow.
He looks so scary, he thought, terrified of what might come. He's had enough trouble of old men telling him to get out of there. The same men who were stuck in his same situation. He shivered in his place, but mustered up the courage to slowly stand up and run towards him.
"Go AWAY!" he yelled in a high voice. He continued running until he was right in front of him and started punching his leg. The man laughed and crouched down at the boy's level
"What do you want?" he asked angrily, a pout coming across his face. Most would say that face was that of a cute kid's, but the older man knew he was serious. He stared into the boy's dark brown eyes with his own pair of icy blue eyes.
"I just want to know your name" the man said, a smile coming up on his old face.
The boy's face changed. He's never seen anyone smile at him like that before. He smiled slightly as well
"Well? What's your name, my boy?"
"Uh..." the kid was dumbfounded. He was never given a name. The people in the orphanage called him "scoundrel", "useless", "unworthy". The kids would simply call him "006", as he was the 6th person to wind up there. There were 16 kids in the orphanage, including those who escaped.
"I'm...not sure..." he said, hanging his head down low.
The man frowned a little. He lifted his hand and ruffled the boy's hair as a sign of affection.
"You want me to give you a name, little boy?" he asked. The boy lifted his head up again, glowing with happiness once more.
"You'd do that?" he said in bewilderment, of all the childish wonders.
The man chuckled at his reply
"Of course...now. Let's begin with...what name would you like?" he asked
"I...I don't know. The only thing I'm called was "006"" he responded
"Oh...do you want me to name you that?"
"Not really"
"Hm..." the man thought for a while. He snapped his fingers and got an idea
"How about just "Six"?"
"Well...that does sound a little better..." Six commented
"Only a little?" the man said
Six nodded
"Hm...how about I give you a real name then I'll only call you "Six" when the time comes. Alright?" he added
"Uh..." Six thought about it, and finally agreed
"Okay"
"So...a real name...how about...Sam. Short for "Samuel""
"Okay...I like it!" he said cheerily
"Okay, then. Sam, would you like to come home with me? I'll take care of you from now on, I promise" The man said, patting the boy on the head. He took off the fedora hat he wore that covered his messy black hair and put it on the boy's own head, showing the huge difference in size. The hat covered his eyes, but he used his little hands to tilt it up so he could see the flashing smile of the old man
"Really?"
"Of course, I'm not going to leave a poor kid like you alone in a place like this. You're coming back with me on an island, where there are some kids there like you as well"
"I'll have playmates?"
"Yes, but we're not playing any ordinary game. But I'll take care of all of you all the same. Okay?" and the man outstretched his hand. Sam put his hand in his own, showing the huge difference. The guy gripped his hand tightly and shook it.
"Well come on, let's get you out of here" and the man started pulling him. But Sam hesitated first
"What is it?" the man asked
"Can I bring someone with me?" he asked innocently
"Um...sure"
Sam put two fingers in his mouth and made a whistle sound. Buddy, who was still sleeping soundly in the cardboard box, jolted up and wagged his tail. He looked outside and saw his master, begging him to come. The puppy barked and took the big piece of cloth with him as he ran across, jumping into his master's open arms.
"Okay, we can go now!" he said as Buddy licked his little face clean. The man chuckled at the cute little moment as they walked out the dark alley and into the city lights. Sam squinted his eyes a little, as he's not so used to this.
"By the way, mister" he asked, remembering his values
"What is it?"
"What's your name? You haven't told me yet"
"Oh" he said. He stopped on his tracks and crouched down again, leveling with Sam.
"I'm known by many names, my boy. But I am known better as...One"