The Curtain

Thin and frail, a little boy stood on his legs of sticks. His knobby knees stuck out awkwardly from the bottom of his dirty gray shorts. His belly was protruding outward and his eyes were glazed over as he stood on his tippy toes peering up through a window. His belly had stopped growling days ago, maybe weeks ago, but his mind still reminded him of what he was missing out on. When he smelt the foods from inside the house he couldn't help but follow where it led him. Being too polite to beg, the little boy only hoped to be noticed by the large man who was settling down for his supper. The man's sides hung over the chair, he was too big. The table in front of him was covered with foods of all sorts and there was not a spot of table visible beneath it. The man's chair creaked when he leaned over to refill his plate with more food. It did not creak because it was poorly made; it creaked underneath the weight of the massive man who was feasting upon it.

Chewing on steak he muttered something to the servant who was standing off to the side. As the man spoke some food fell out of his mouth and landed on his purple blouse which was already stained from previous dinners. The servant refilled the man's wine glass to the brim then walked over to the window and closed the curtain on the little boy who was dreaming of a taste.

The boy’s body fell limp and he let his back slid down the wall so he could sit. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Small drops of tears slid down his cheeks, making trails. His eyes, cloudy, gazed off into the city. The small mud houses built to close to one another lined the dirt streets. Children who looked exactly like him wondered around aimlessly in search of food. Merchants watched there stands and carts like hawks, ready to pounce on any child who mustered enough courage to try and steal. He had never tried stealing, never once thought it was right. He usually got by with what was left in the street gutter or by donations from some kind soul. But it was getting late. The sun was going down behind the houses, casting long shadows on the ground and he still had not satisfied his hunger. With his last bit of hope the boy raised his head to the sky and prayed to the gods that he would eat that night. The sun then dipped below the skyline, leaving room for the moon to light up the darkness.

Only moments later he heard load voices coming down the street. He watched as a small spot of light weaved back and forth across the dirt. Closer and closer the voices came until he could make out shadows against the house on the other side of the street. The figures appeared tall and strong, there deep voices sounded nerves but not frightened. When they crouched down in the bush, he noticed that after a hush the group had quieted. One was climbing up onto the back of one of the crouched figures and trying to lift himself through a dark open window. Then, letting go, the figure fell down onto the ground landing on his back.

The little boy, interested, snuck along the shadows. He crawled closer to what he could now see were a group of three teenage boys. These boys were different from the others that he was used to see shuffling through the city streets every day. These boys were muscular, they smelled clean, and there clothes were not torn or dirty. The little boy desperately wanted to be like them. They obviously did not worry about what they were going to have for dinner.

The boy that had dropped from the window stood up. He was the smallest out of the bunch, but by no means was he small. “Reth, it’s too tiny. I can’t even fit.” He said.

“Polo, go try the front door. Maybe it is open at this house.” Said Reth, who when he stood up was the tallest, and the most noticeably strong out of the bunch. Polo, the one who dropped from the window, crept along the side of the house to the front and appeared back a few moments later.

“Locked.” He said.

“Shoot. What are we going to do for food?” asked a third boy who was still crouched on the ground.

“We will figure something out” Reth said, he seemed to be the leader of the group. His eyes were scanning the wall of the house, flicking back to the window, trying to figure out how they could enter. The little boy then stepped out of the shadows into a trail of moonlight reflected on to the street.

“I can help.” He said. Reth stepped forward, the other boy on the ground rose and Polo turned around to face the little boy.

“You are just a poor little boy! What can you do that could possibly help us?” Polo said. Not even expecting an answer he turned his back. “Go, run off now.”

“No. I can help you. You said the window was too tiny. I am tiny. Put me through the window.”

“Come here.” Reth said, now he was smiling. He patted the little boy on the back and then bent down to look him in the face. “He looks hungry.”

“I am” the little boy said.

“Okay you see Daren right there.” He pointed to the boy who had complained about not having dinner. The little boy nodded. “He will crouch down and then Polo will climb on top. Then Polo will lift you up to the window and you will climb in and go around to the front and open the door for us. Got it?”

“Yes” said the little boy. He then watched as Daren crouched down and Polo climbed on top. He waited for Polos hand to beckon him closer before he walked over near the window not wanting to get in the way.

“Ready?” Polo asked as he placed his hands on the little boy’s shoulders.

“Yes” he said as his feet left the ground and his skinny legs dangled beneath him. Once he could grab the windowsill he did and then he pulled himself through and tumbled onto the floor inside the house.

“Go find the front door” he heard Reth shout and the little boy did exactly that. He opened the front door for the three boys who were standing right out front. There faces were smiling and they looked eager. “Good work” Reth said as he pushed the little boy aside and entered the house going strait to the kitchen. The other two filed suit, fallowing him in. The little boy watched from the doorway as the three boys raided the cabinets and the pantry for anything and everything to eat.

“Kid, help yourself. It’s well deserved” said Daren with a mouth full of bread. The little boy nodded and stepped into the kitchen. Reth tossed him a piece of beef jerky and a slice of bread. They were gone in seconds and so the little boy ate some fruit and then more beef jerky and then had two more slices of bread. It was a feast for him.

“Whoa buddy; you haven’t eaten in a while have you?” Reth asked. The little boy shook his head. “No worries. If you keep helping us out then you will eat every night.”

“That would be great.”

“What is your name anyway?”

“Ilo” the little boy replied.

“What are you doing here, on the outskirts of the city? Most kids like you stay near the market.” Polo said.

“I smelt something amazing earlier today. I smelt chicken, and beef, all cooked and seasoned. I dreaming of this feast, fallowing my nose and found myself across the street.” Ilo said pointing in the direction of the man’s house.

“Did they give you any?”

“No. The man there, he noticed me and then told his servant to draw the curtain so I would not be able to see. But I did see. He had a table filled with so much food, I had never seen so much on one mans table.”

“Horrible. How dare he close the curtain on you!? You’re just a little boy Ilo. He is a greedy pig. That’s what people are like on the outskirts of the city. They are big fat greedy pigs, hogging all the food and sharing none.” Daren said.

“Do you think he has finished his meal?” Daren asked with a smile. “Maybe he has some leftovers that we could barrow.”

“Alright. We can raid his house after we finish eating from this once” Reth announced. “We will teach him a lesson on sharing.”

“Sounds good to me” said Ilo.

After they had cleaned out the house of its food they boys left through the front door and crossed the dirt street. It was still very dark out and no lights shown from any houses. Again this house was built like the other so the older boys lifted Ilo up through the window. Ilo crept quietly through the house to the front and let in the older boys.

“Lets head to his kitchen.” Whispered Reth and he lead the boys there. Again they feasted; Long after the other boys were done, Ilo kept eating. The others watched with satisfied stomachs. But when Ilo could eat no more he laid his head upon the table.

  “Done? Let’s find this greedy pig” said Reth.

“What do you mean?” Ilo asked, licking crumbs of his tiny fingers. “I don’t want to wake anyone.”

“He told his servant to close the curtain and then he continued to eat his dinner. Is this information correct Ilo?” Reth asked. Ilo nodded.

“Look at yourself Ilo. You do not look healthy.” Daren said. “To be honest Ilo you might not have waken up in the morning if you did not have any food in your belly.”

“Don’t say things like that.”

“It’s the truth. We were all like you, but then we discovered the people who live on the outskirts of the city. They live out here so they can hide all their riches away, they live out here so they can eat as much as they want. They are greedy pigs” said Daren.

“You would have died outside his window and the man that lives in this house would not have minded” Reth said.

“I would not have died.” Ilo said, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

“Little Ilo don’t cry. Be strong. This man should be the one suffering.” Reth said, standing up from the table. “Come.” He grabbed Ilo by the hand and they left the kitchen. Reth led him through the house until they found what he was looking for. Reth pushed open the door and stepped inside pulling Ilo behind him.

In the room there was a giant bed. In the bed was the large man who Ilo watched feast. The bed was so grand, with folds of purple drapery, and ornate carved wooden posts. The quilt that covered the man was also purple with gold thread woven in the seams and tassels that hung from the corners. Golden thread ropes tied up the curtains together of the four posts and the man’s head rested on feather filled pillow after feather filled pillow.

“Wow” Ilo said gasping at the magnificence of the bed. Reth brought a finger to his lips to quite Ilo. Then he took a maroon coloured blanket that was draped over the arm of a chair that sat in the corner of the room. With the blanket Reth walked over to the man and covered his face.

Ilo lost his breath. He stepped backwards and let himself slide down against the wall. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Tears fell from his eyes making wet trails on his cheeks as he watched Reth.

Minutes later Reth stopped. He walked to each corner of the bed and pulled the golden ropes loose, letting the curtains fall from their posts, hiding the body of the man so the little boy could not see him anymore.