Chapter 3

Helping Hands

It was snowing. I hated the snow. I often saw kids at the parks with their parents playing in it. What idiots, if you get wet in cold like this you'll get sick and you can't steal and eat. I learned that early and I almost starved as a result. Still, it was a good place to hang out, people brought snacks and parents usually kept an eye on the kids so the food was easy to snatch. I had seen one old guy, dressed all in black except for a white collar come here a little while ago. He didn't bring any kids but just sat and watched those idiots play. I thought it strange but he didn't have anything I wanted so I ignored him.

He was back today, this time he had brought a kid. Short, little, happy guy that made friends with all the other kids and didn't care he was getting soaked. I snorted, what a moron. I managed to pinch a sandwich from a couple and hid in an alley to eat it. It was the only meal I had gotten today and I wasn't about to waste it. I was sitting there, feeling my stomach digest it, when this older kid dashed into my little place. I grabbed a stick beside me and watched him wearily as he settled down.

He had on a tattered, long coat and he smiled wickedly at me. I gulped. "Hey kid, yous looks like yous could use some 'dvice."

I was surprised at this and glared at him silently. Advice was never accurate and often too high a price. He just kept on grinning, a gleam in his eye.

"There's a few nice places 'round here ya can sneak inta to pinch some big loot." He pulled a small loaf of bread from his pocket wrapped in a plastic bag and a shiny-looking ring. "Take my advice, kid. With a sweet face likin' yours, you cin git a load of booty from those nice folk. Jus' look for big houses and I swear it's a whooper of a good t'ing!"

I looked greedily at his bread. He instantly noticed the looked and hugged the loaf to his chest. "But don' 'spect me ta share!"

The boy stood up and hurried away, his bare feet slapping the puddles. I snorted wishfully at the lost meal. Then I thought to myself out loud, it helped greatly to organise thoughts. "Hm, mayba that guy's gotta idea. Good 'un too. Big houses…"

I stood up, not bothering to brush the wet, gritty gravel and dirt off my tattered clothes. I knew where a big house was. I, fortunately, had a pair of boots that were too big for me that I had pinch off some donation box. It didn't help my running but it kept my toes attached to my body. I found the house I was looking for.

It was big. There was an unkept lawn lightly covered in snow leading to the front door. A path was there, barely visible in the white powder. Only a few footsteps leading up to the arched wooden doors cleared it. There were two large windows on either side of the door, not broken so they were out of place next to the old, sharp stone wall they were jutting out off. The sides were covered in dense trees. A path lead through the left side, almost hidden by the branches as it followed the walls. There were two stories but the second one had no windows. I hid in the trees off to the right as I thought about what to do.

I supposed I would have to go in. That thought excited me terribly. I hadn't been inside a real building, one with four walls and a roof, since I had left home. Even if I was only going to be in there for a few minutes, it would be awesome! I sat in the snow behind a tree for a good while, waiting for someone to come out. The wind picked up but I never noticed.

Nobody left for the whole time I was there. I was beginning to suspect no one was home. If the house was empty, I guessed it would make my life a whole lot easier. I crept closer, my head already fantasising about the food I would be eating and the warmth I would have tonight. My mouth started to water at the thought. Almost dropping my guard, I stalked up to the house stealthily and paused in front of the huge arched doors, excitement coiled in my chest as my mouth went dry.

I cautiously touched the metal handle with one hand. When nothing happened, I gripped it with my tiny fist and pulled. As I pulled, though, someone pushed.

I was caught unsuspecting as a boy my height, pushed the door, his mouth going a mile a minute. Combined with shock, fear and momentum, I fell back in the shallow snow right on my butt. The boy noticed me as an older man followed him out. It was that boy from the park with that old guy in the black. He looked into my frightened eyes with surprise for a minute, before smiling broadly.

"Hey! Whatcha doin' in the snow?" the boy asked brightly and offered his hand to me. I looked at his gloved hand, still fearful of what he would do. I locked gazes with him for a minute but he never stopped smiling or pulled his hand away. Slowly and very carefully, I lifted one of my cold, red-swollen hands to him and placed it gingerly on his woollen palm. His hand gripped mine tightly and he hauled me to my feet.