So I was like, incredibly bored today because lately I've been studying way too much for my oncoming exams and all of the sudden I was like: yeah I'm gonna watch the 2k3 show non-stop. So I did just that. And I got inspired. And then this happened. So long story short, Enjoy!
Number 2: "Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property" The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 17
I had it first. When dad came back to the lair with the toys he found last night, he gave it to me first. When we all woke up that morning and dad told us to play in the living room while he made us breakfast, I had it first. But after we had eaten and Mikey and I had helped daddy with cleaning up afterwards, he was playing with it.
Well I got angry of course so I pushed him and got my toy back, because it is mine. When I had it I noticed that he had taken the back of the action figure off and that all kinds of wires and plastic were poking out where they shouldn't have been poking out. I told him it was mine since I had it first and that he shouldn't have touched it, but then he started yelling back and now for some reason dad chose me to stand in the corner. Probably because next to Mikey, it's me who gets into trouble most of the time.
"Raphael?"
I look up and see dad coming over. He crouches down in front of me which I hate. We're eight years old already, he doesn't have to act like we're still toddlers.
"Raphael, do you understand why I put you in time-out?"
I huff angrily and cross my arms. I want to shout at dad but I know I shouldn't. He'll punish me if I do because I won't do as he says which means I'm 'questioning his reasoning' and being 'disrespectful'. I'm not really sure what he means with that, but I don't want to hurt dad by doing either of those two things. Besides, dad isn't only punishing us. He listens to us when we have something to say. I bet that if I explain to him what happened he'll get me my toy back.
"It was mine, father. I had it first and I was playing with it first. But then after breakfast Donnie took it away and he didn't even ask. And then I saw that the back was off too and I bet he won't put it back on now. He always breaks all of our toys!"
I don't mention that most of the time my little brother also puts them back together again. I'm too angry for that. Donnie should've asked if he could touch my action figure. If he had then it wouldn't have been broken right now.
"Are you speaking of the Spiderman action figure I brought?" Dad asks me next. I nod. I had forgotten the name but now I remember. I was thinking of changing the name because seriously, why name a superhero after spiders? Those aren't scary, you step on them once and squish. It doesn't sound as cool as Hawkeye or Ironman.
"Then you are at fault Raphael," dad continues and I stare at him with wide, open eyes. "I had brought that toy down for all four of you. You very well know that I do not find that many toys that are still unbroken and safe to play with, which means you and your brothers need to share the ones that are. Next time when you find something you want to have so badly, ask your brothers if you may keep it. However, I will not see behaviour like this from you again. Hurting your brother over something as worthless as possessions is not tolerated in this home, have I made myself clear?"
"Hai sensei," I say honestly. Mostly we call him father because that's respectful, but whenever we learn something from dad, we need to call him sensei. Because then he's our teacher, like in ninjutsu. I stretch my arms out for the hug I know comes after. Dad gives me a smile which I return before running off. Maybe I can ask Don if he will fix the Spiderman action figure for me. I bet he will.
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That night I can't sleep. I watch my brothers one by one from my mattress. We have three mattresses now. We used to sleep with all on one, when we were still short enough to lie on one horizontally. When we started to grow, sensei found us new bedding to sleep on. Donnie and I have our own now while Leo and Mikey still share one. Mikey doesn't really like being alone after all and Leo said he was fine with sharing.
Donnie on the other hand is having this crazy growth-spurt and already has grown taller than the width of our largest mattress. I don't mind sharing a bed with my brothers but I'm still glad they didn't chose me to do so. It's nice to have something of your own. Your own blanket, your own pillow, no kicking brothers throwing you off the mattress.
Because I can't sleep I grab the Spiderman figure next to my bed. It doesn't work anymore. It used to talk and a couple of lights would flash on when you push a button. Don tried to fix it but one of the wires I saw in the back got damaged when I pushed my brother. Donnie felt bad so I couldn't stay angry with him. Also, dad would put me in the corner again if I would. So I had told him it was fine as long as I could keep it from now on. He was okay with that.
I'm glad to finally have a toy to myself from now on but it isn't as much fun as it used to be when it wasn't broken. We don't have that many electric toys to play with around the lair, mostly because we hardly have any batteries. So that's why Donnie wanted to break it apart in the first place. He likes this kind of stuff and wants to know how it works just as badly as I want to play with it.
This isn't the first toy that has been the property of only one brother. That'd be Mikey's bear. Inside it's belly is a small, hard square and when you push it it'll make roaring sounds. Even though Donnie is extremely curious as to how it works, he never even tried to touch it. Because dad had told us once that it was Mikey's. It was the very first toy in the lair that ever belonged to only one of us, not to everyone. Dad said it was because Mikey had found it himself. When you work hard to get something then you can enjoy the reward you get after. Mikey had been helping dad scavenging that day while during that same week he had a lot of nightmares, all of them about the evil humans finding out about us or taking dad away. He was scared but he helped dad anyways and it was then that he found the bear. So it's probably fair that he could keep-
Hey. I carefully crawl out of my bed, the idea that just interrupted my train of thoughts now stuck in my mind. I've snuck out of our room plenty of times before and I do it just as easily as I always had. The living room is more tricky though. Mostly when I sneak out of bed it's because I want to watch TV when I can't sleep. That happens to me sometimes but the same goes for Donnie and Mikey. Dad always finds out about it though. He lets me watch TV for exactly half an hour every time I come down before he comes out to bring me back to bed.
Hopefully dad will think I'm going to watch TV again so he won't come out of his room for another half an hour. After all, none of us have ever attempted to leave the lair at midnight, not without his supervision. I guess the thirty minutes are enough for me to get back, I think, I hope. If dad finds out I've broken his number one rule, he'll be very angry. And I'm not even afraid of him being angry, it's more like that I don't want him to be disappointed in me and stop teaching me how to be a ninja. He says ninjas live by very strict rules which you can't break. But I really want to do this too, and dad also says that you must do what feels right. This feels right.
When we go out, we have to wear our coats, hats, gloves and shoes. They're stored close to the lair entry because even Leo manages to forget about them sometimes. I snag my clothes from the shelf and put them on when I'm in the tunnels so no one can hear me.
As soon as I've done that, I listen again. Everything is quiet, no sounds coming from the lair or further into the tunnel. When I have the clothes on and strapped around my body like dad always told us to do, I walk to one of the few manholes I can remember. We've all went with dad to go scavenging at some point. He doesn't like bringing us along but sometimes dad is just too large to crawl through the smaller bins unnoticed or even to just come out in the morning without being seen.
I know this manhole leads to the alleyway near the toy store. I've only been there once because dad thinks toys aren't as important to scavenge as food is. But he brought each of us along to this place once because the toy store doesn't throw out toys, they put them outside for them to get picked up for orphanages. Dad will let us chose one toy for all four of us because he says we have right to them as well, but we can only take one so we need to share. But this time I'll bring home a toy all by myself, maybe some food as well. Then I worked really hard for it and dad will let me keep the toy.
It's pretty easy to find the right manhole. I get a little nervous all of the sudden but I probably shouldn't. I've been with dad a couple of times already, I know what to do. And I'm older now, I'm a big boy, dad told us so. And big boys have to behave their age which means not being a scaredy-cat.
I climb the ladder and struggle a little with the cover. It's heavier than I thought it would be. When I finally manage to move it, I'm glad it isn't as dark outside anymore. It's probably around six or seven in the morning right now because I'm sure I've slept some tonight. I'm glad the sun is already coming up. Leo tells Mikey ninjas need to work together with the darkness and the shadows but that doesn't mean finding cool stuff won't be much easier with a bit of light.
When I get out in the open and start looking around the alley, I quickly find out there is a reason why dad doesn't take us here that often. There's nothing standing at the back of the store. They probably do the donations like once every few months. Now there's nothing except for a few dumpsters used by the stores around here. It's Tuesday though so that means the trash is going to be picked up today. Maybe this doesn't have to be a wasted trip after all, if I can come home with some food so dad won't be angry with me.
I climb into the first dumpster when I hear someone shouting.
"Hey!"
Maybe I haven't been as stealthy as I usually am when dad is there. I'm not allowed to talk to people. Dad did once, when he had his clothes on. But we were never allowed because it's too dangerous, dad says. But it isn't like anyone would see I'm a turtle now, right? Humans are rather stupid, you see them doing stupid stuff on TV all the time.
"What!" I shout back, poking my head back over the edge of the dumpster. For a moment I regret the decision because the one that shouted apparently has friends. I shrink back a little when they come over and start laughing.
"Watcha doin' lil' man?"
They're with four of them and I don't think they're eighteen yet. But they're much older than I am, that's for sure. They don't seem very friendly, the way they laugh. They walk strangely, swaying the way Leo walked after Donnie had hit him against his head on accident during a spar. Why are they out this early anyway? It's Sunday after all.
"Diggin' through the trash? You a streetrat or somethin'?"
The boy who is talking sounds a little strange. As if his voice is just as wobbly as his walk is. He has a leather jacket on with a white t-shirt underneath. His jeans are ripped but in a good way, like it's supposed to be ripped. His hair is gelled backwards and he wears sunglasses. He looks really cool.
"None of your business," I reply, not letting him get the better of me. We don't like going through the trash but dad told us we have to because people will never understand us. It's the only way we can survive. It's a hard way, but at least we can live.
I crawl backwards a little when those guys won't seem to stop laughing, yelling things towards one another I don't really catch and coming closer and closer while they try to keep their balance. I'm not afraid of them, of course. Not really. I just don't want them to see me up close. Plus, they're acting really weird. I don't want them close.
When I slowly back away my hand presses on something really hard which makes me hiss. When I look down I see bright red plastic and for a moment that holds my undivided attention. They're rollerblades. I've seen them before on TV but never in reality. I've always wanted to try something like it though. I grab the one underneath my hand first and notice how one of the straps is broken and two wheels are missing. The other one is in a good condition though.
"What you got there, streetrat?"
I keep the blades close to me when I climb over the edge and jump onto the ground. I closed the manhole cover after I had climbed through it so I can't really go anywhere from here. I'm stuck.
"They're mine!" I yell back at them, marvelling at how good it feels to finally call something my own. But these guys think differently because they start laughing again. One in a red t-shirt comes closer and rips one of the blades out of my arms. Too bad for him because now I got one of my hands free. I grab at his face and get a hold of a large nose-ring. I pull and he screams. He lets go of my blade and I do the same to his nose-ring when sticky blood touches my skin.
"You filthy lil'…"
He doesn't finish his sentence and instead starts moaning, holding his nose tightly. The other three guys come at me now and the nervousness from before comes back big-time. Not like I'm afraid or anything, I can probably take these guys down. I'm a trained ninja. But they're with more and way bigger than I am. It's different from throwing Mikey over my shoulder or tackling Donnie to the ground. These guys are huge and strong. I don't even know what they want from me but from what I've seen in the movies, nothing of this is going to end well. Guys like them, the cool-looking ones, hurt people for fun.
The third boy, one with jet black hair pointed up into spikes, comes closer to me. He wears black boots with spikes on the back, a brown jacket with spikes on the shoulders and the rings on his fingers are decorated with spikes. Makes me wonder what his nickname would be…
Before I can even think about it though, he comes at me with his fist, punching me in the cheek and making it bleed when the sharp rings pierce my skin. I choke out a yell before ducking and grabbing the dropped rollerblade, ready to break into a run. But before I can even think of turning around, a hand grabs me by my coat. It's the last guy. He's quite tall and looks a little more clumsy than the other three. He wears a simple hoody and pants which seem to be a size too big for him. Too bad his hold is way stronger than he actually looks like.
"Oh dear, what's happening here?"
Another voice? My attackers are standing in front of me in a semi-circle, I can't see what's happening behind them. It sounds like a woman though. An old woman. Great, how is some old lady going to fix this? I'll probably need to defend her too, like in Batman. All the superheroes protect the old, helpless, defenceless women who are being mugged.
"We were jus' playin'with this lil' guy, ma'am," 'Spikey' says. Because they all turn around I can finally glance around them to see the lady. She looks really old. She has a walking stick and this very long woollen coat while it isn't even that cold outside. She also has this really big had on and even from here I can smell her 'old-ladies-perfume'.
"They're lying!" I say, stomping my foot a little even though I know that's something two-year-olds do. "They tried to steal my blades."
She frowns a little, her face scrunching up when she addresses the four guys in front of me. "You lads do not sound so well," she says. "I do not approve of youngsters like you roaming the streets this early, especially not while intoxicated from after what I assume was a whole night of partying."
The cool kids kind of laugh at that but they sound more nervous than when they laughed at me a couple of minutes ago. I'm not really sure why because I didn't understand what the lady meant. Why would guys like them care of what she approves off? They're too cool for that, right?
"Now if I'm not mistaken," the lady continues. "You are under twenty-one years old. If you don't want to get into trouble I advise you to make your way home now and leave this young boy alone."
To my surprise, they do. They just walk away, still grinning a little and pushing each other about but they don't seem as confident as when they walked up to me. I could be offended because I'm a way better fighter than that lady could ever be. They should've been scared of me, not her. But I'm way to happy really. Because I still have my rollerblades and came out untouched.
"Sweetie, does it hurt?"
Oh right, except for my cheek. I try to keep my face hidden behind my cap like dad taught us to do if we were ever spoken to by humans.
"Oh dear child, how could those boys ever pick on someone as unfortunate as you are. Look at your clothes! And digging through a filthy dumpster just to find yourself something to play with. You don't have much, boy, do you?"
I shake my head, fumbling with the blades in my hands. It's true what she said, we don't have that much. Dad tells us that all the time and then apologises for it although I'm not sure why. It's all we've ever known. So I don't really get why she seems to feel so bad for me.
"I have my family though," I tell her, hoping it'll make her happy to hear that. "And I found rollerblades now."
The lady smiles and comes a little closer. She doesn't look threatening like the boys from earlier. She looks friendly, the smile on her face wrinkling her cheeks and forehead even more. I think I like un-cool people like her way more than the cool kids from before.
"Of course you do. Oh special little boys like you warm my heart. Now I have to be on my way now, I wouldn't want to be late to hear the church's choir singing."
She takes another few steps closer, squatting in front of me with effort and heavily leaning on her walking stick, a little like dad always does. She has something in her hand and presses it into mine.
"Sweet children like you deserve all there is in the world. Let nobody tell you any different."
She takes something from her pocket, a napkin I think. She comes closer and tries to press it against my cheek. But that's when she sees it. She starts screaming.
I scramble back, yelping slightly but nothing like the sound the old lady makes now.
"You demon, stay away from me," she screeches. "No wonder you live of garbage, you are a monster! Only God's children deserve His makings and the right to live on this planet!"
She scares me really badly now. She doesn't fight me, and I don't want to fight her. Yet she makes me afraid. I take a few steps back and fall on my knees by the sewer's manhole, shoving the metal lid away. I want to reach for my rollerblades but the woman starts kicking in my direction, almost stepping on my splayed fingers. I let myself fall, unknowingly taking the small package the lady pushed into my hands, with me.
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It's around half an hour later that Master Splinter finds me. I brace myself when I get picked up by furry arms and pressed against a warm chest. Only then do I allow a few tears to slip past my eyelids. Dad isn't angry now, he is scared like I was. I know he is because he holds me the way he held Donnie when he had split his head open while playing in the sewers. He holds me the way he held Mikey when he was very sick and he thought he wouldn't make it. He holds me the way he held Leo when my oldest brother had gotten lost and had been strolling around the sewers for hours. And now he holds me, and makes me feel safe.
"Raphael, where have you been?" I can hear dad speak softly. "I was so afraid when you didn't come out of your room. Your brothers didn't even know where you were. Your clothes were gone and God, Raphael, where have you been?"
I take a few deep breaths when dad puts me down again. He stays crouched besides me, his hands still barely touching mine. I think I scared him badly.
"I went topside," I tell him honestly. I dare to because I think he figured as much. "I tried to find myself my own toys but then some boys came and they hit me on the cheek and they tried to take my rollerblades from me but they were stopped when this lady came and she scared them away but then I scared her and she scared me and I couldn't take the blades with me because she was scary so I ran and then I found you."
It takes dad a long time to say something. He rubs my cheek gently, whipping the blood away with his sleeve. I think he'll put the booboo-spray on once we get home. I wince at the thought.
"Raphael," dad says, looking at me sternly. I think he's starting to get less scared now and more angry. "Why did you go above ground? Has this to do with that action figure of yours?"
I nod. "Mikey has his own bear because he found it. I thought if I could find my own toy and maybe bring some food along too, that you would let me keep it. Then I would always have something to play with that Leo doesn't hog for weeks, Donnie won't break apart and Mikey won't doodle on."
Dad shakes his head, letting go of a long sigh. He stands up and rubs my head a little. He doesn't really look that happy.
"That's not how it works, Raphael. It's… difficult for you to understand when you are this young. You know I have a hard time providing for the four of you and I am truly sorry that you have to grow up in this environment of shortages and poverty. I understand that you long for something that can be yours and yours alone but I am afraid it is hard for me to comply to your wishes. Do you understand that?"
I nod again, taking dad's hand when he starts walking. "I don't mind that much, dad. I just wanted my own toy. So I thought I could get it on my own so I wouldn't bother you with it."
The rest of our way home dad reprimands me of my 'foolish behaviour' and how I 'endangered myself and the family' and to 'never scare him so much ever again'. I think that's what I hate the most, that I scared dad. Because he's a ninja master, he usually isn't afraid of anything. I tell him I'm very sorry and he accepts it. I'm not allowed to watch TV for a week though and I'll have to help dad after every meal with cleaning up as a punishment. Also I'll have to meditate for another hour, every day of this week to think of what I've done and how dangerous and stupid it had been. I know that isn't as bad as it could have been though.
"Father?" I ask when we come near the lair. He hasn't said anything to me for the last couple of minutes, probably letting everything sink in, like I've been doing.
"Something strange happened topside," I continue when dad nods his head to show he heard me. "I told you about the woman who helped me, right?" He nods again. "Well, she did something odd. First she told me that I was a good kid and that I deserved to have everything in the world. But then she came closer to take a look at my cheek and she started screaming. She said I was a demon."
Dad winces when he hears my story. He stops short and bends down again to face me. Both of his hands lean on my shoulder, his stick leaning against the sewer wall on our right.
"Can't we have anything because we look different?" I ask dad.
He shakes his head. For some reason he hugs me again and when he pulls back he looks really sad.
"Yes we look different but don't let that be a reason to keep you down, my son. You are such a spirited and strong soul, Raphael, and you don't deserve to be treated in the way that woman did to you. She was not in her right mind to tell you that, alright? You and your brothers are so special to me and if I could, I would give you all in the world."
And that makes sense. What that woman yelled was scary and weird. What daddy tells me now isn't. It's what he has always told us and since dad is always right, I'm pretty sure he's right about this too. Plus, dad always told us to never start a fight, only fight back when someone else attacks you. Then you're allowed because it is self-defence. The humans I've met today, they both tried to start fights with me. If they are as good as they think they are, they would have honoured the bush.. bushilo… mushimi… the ninja code.
Confidently I let go of dad's hand when we enter the lair. There my brothers immediately surround me, asking a mile per hour on where I've been. Dad told me not to tell them too much but I just can't leave the part out in which I was surrounded by this whole gang of kids, ready to beat the shell out of them even when I was outnumbered.
When I'm done telling them the story, and clearly stating to them in how much trouble I had gotten into because dad doesn't want me to have a bad influence on my brothers, we all finally have breakfast. My brothers obviously hadn't eaten yet either since dad was trying to find me. As it is already close to noon, we were all very hungry. After eating, I did the dishes as it was part my punishment.
Finally, after doing everything I was supposed to so I wouldn't be on dad's bad side anymore, I sat down in our shared bedroom to find something to do. I ran my hands through my belt and found the small package the crazy-lady had given me.
I look at it closely and come to the conclusion that there are gummi-bears inside. Dad doesn't allow us candy very often because it isn't nutritious or anything and because he says it makes us hyper. Also, there isn't that much candy to be found in garbage cans or on the streets. This package is a treasure here in the lair.
I stand up, entering the living room where all of my brothers are doing their own thing. The least I can do is give them a bear too, right?
Phew, this turned out way longer than I had expected. Man, did I like doing this. And for all you Raph-fans out there, I'm sorry if he comes off a little OOC but this is what I envision an eight-year-old Raph to be. He isn't all hormonal-enraged-teenager yet, he's just a little boy with little-boy-logic. I've been tutoring an eight-year-old for a long time now (just as hard-headed as our favourite turtle in red) so this is what he's based on and what I thought sounded about right.
Okay, that sounded very defensive but anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this little Splinter/Raph moment, I absolutely loved it.
See ya all!