1

Nathan! Nathan! A low and quiet voice called out from the inner room. Laying down on the only wooden bed in the room, weak and pale to the bone, was Nathan's sick mother.

A part of her face was burned, making it impossible to recognise her.

Obviously, the wooden bed was the only good thing in the room. The ceiling wasn't properly patched up, nor was the window helping out with the cold weather. Not to even mention part of the room that was leaking. 

Nathan ran in as soon as he heard his mother coughing horribly. It was as if the sickness was only getting worse instead of better. Running in, he stops abruptly on the door, though there wasn't any door there.

A thorny piece of cloth was used as a shed in the room. Nathan took a deep breath, cleaned his tears, and then went in smiling to comfort his mother. 

"Hey mom, how are you doing?" He smiled down at her, grabbed her right palm, and kissed it. He gently placed his mother's palm on his cheek as she caressed him. 

"You are the best thing I would ever ask for, Nathan." She said with difficulty breathing.

"Please be happy for me, will you? I want you to know everything." she coughed and continued.

"Everything will soon be okay." She started coughing again without seizing, yet she was still trying to finish what she had wanted to tell him. 

"Mom, shhhh, stop. You need to stop talking. Ok, stop, please." Nathan couldn't hold back his tears any longer.

Quickly, he ran out and came back with a cup of water. He carried her up, making her sit up right and leaning on him as he backpedalled her. He helped Mrs. Rose gulp the water down until she was able to relax again. 

"It's okay now, mummy, you can stop talking to her. I understand everything just fine. Just rest. The doctor said you need more than just rest. Let me go and find us something to eat tonight." He laid her back down gently and kissed her forehead before heading out. 

Nathan was out of the house, but not without looking at it before leaving. They were living in an old, shabby abandoned house. A part was burned down, and the rest of the house was already falling apart. They didn't have much left except the bed and some shabby clothes.

Most of the manageable stuff in the house has been sold by Nathan to buy his mother's medication. In front of the house was an old, rusty oil drum filled with rainy water, and that has been their drinking water since they were refused access to fetching water from the community water tap.

Beside it were three stones rolled up together to create a cooking stand in the old-fashioned way. Nathan waved his head, wondering why his mother always says "everything would be okay."

With one more glance at the house, he left, heading towards the community. Since the house they live in is an abandoned building far away from the community, Of course, no one wanted to have anything to do with him or his mother. Reasons have been best known to them. 

Walking five miles into the street of Froberg from his home. The street wasn't a busy one, though, but it's still more lively than ever. He could hear the joy of children playing from their various homes, some angry nannies pissing off, and elder siblings trying to be the "not my problem type" as they relaxed in their rooms, either playing a video game or chatting with their class.

The community has always been as usual; even though there wasn't that much noise, it didn't stop the people in it from fighting each other. 

Nathan was still walking along the road to find himself something to do and get paid by the day. Five yards away from him, a lady in her late 50s, still wearing her night robe, was negotiating with two young boys to clear up her backyard because it was already too bushy.

Seeing that the bush was overgrown, they charged her 50 dollars. Too stingy and unwilling, she refused them, saying that she would only pay 30 dollars. The boys tried to reason with her that the yard was too big and wide, not to mention it was way overgrown. 

"Well, that's ain't my business; besides, I'm paying you guys 30 dollars, which is way too much for the little job; moreover, you would be using a field machine to do that, not your bare hands." Mrs. Smith is a greedy woman whom everyone in the neighbourhood already knows; she never loves to share, even when she has too many.

Even her children were growing much like her. Her husband works in the neighbouring town, the city of Zion, which is a  which is a very big and wealthy town. Most of the people who lived there were the rich, those who could afford a payment in the city. 

"Well, Mrs. Smith, we hope you will find someone unfortunate to do that for you with just 30 dollars. Come, man, let go and find something else to  do." One of the boys said he was pulling the other with him. 

"Ok, I will make it 40, she yelled behind them". But they refused to turn around. She tried to add more money to it but stopped when she recognised Nathan's everyday wear. He has never changed his clothes once. He had a torn-up shirt and a pant that wasn't exactly his size, so he tied it with a rope. 

"Oh, Nathan." Mrs. Smith yelled out. 

Nathan turned at the call of his name. "Yes, Mrs. Smith." He ran towards her duplex. 

"Such a poor boy; I do pity him though." One of the boys said this while looking at Nathan, who hurriedly ran to Mrs. Smith. 

"Well, who gives a fuck about him, huh? Come on, let's go. He is going to do the work for her even at the very lowest price.".