The Night Stars★
I was walking through the street from the school. It was dim and moisture as usual. It smelled of garbage, and flies flew everywhere.
The street was narrowed by the walls of the other houses which were covered with fungus.
I wanted to walk by the proper-clean street, but there isn’t any neat street in this town. Every street is just like this in the town.
The present situation was totally different from neat-and-clean-type. We; our family lived in a small old town, which existed at the corner of London. Most of the people who are living here are poor, or really poor (orphans). Out of this dirty town -which was fully filled with the many blocks of small houses, and narrowed streets between the houses which are all disgusting- was an old school, where we children of the town go to.
Many small children here get lost in the maze of the street, or get beaten up by the gang of teenage-orphan-bullies. But the teenagers like me who had grown up in this town, usually don’t get lost in the maze or get beaten up.
Almost forty percent of this town are orphans. There isn’t any orphanage, and all of them can’t be adopted. So they live under the roofs or on the corner of the streets. Some of them are thieves and those bullies.
Everything is dark these days. The people becomes selfish, and everything is getting worse. I think the major reason of this problem are moneys. Even our parents are worried of the less money problem.
The orphans in the streets are overflowing these days. The number of lost kids are increasing day by day. Their parents leave them behind, and run away to the other towns to get more money and live comfortably without kids.
As I reached my house, I noticed my sisters: Rose and Bella. Rose is my twin sister (And she is sometimes very irritating). She is thirteen, just like me. And Bella is our younger sister, seven.
They were walking down the street towards me, carrying an almost-torn old school bag.
“John!” Rose called me, waving her hand. Bella smiled, and I could see her front tooth missing.
We knocked at the door. We expected our mom opening the door, frowning at us with our baby brother Tommy in her arms. She always frowns at us, but we always took that as greet.
But no sound came. We knocked again. “Mama?” I yelled.
No answer. Feeling strange, I took out my emergency house key from my pocket, and opened the door.
A hollowed dining room greeted us with three oranges on the small round table.
“Mama? Tommy?” Rose murmured, checking the bed rooms and bathroom.
“Daddy?” Bella shouted, throwing her bag on a chair.
We waited for a surprise. Maybe our mom and dad will come out from somewhere with some gifts for us.
But no surprises came. Rose shook her head and collapsed on her bed.
“Don’t touch my pillow!” Bella yelled at Rose. The sisters shared the bed together. And they always shout at each other at night on their bed.
Rose got up, and sat on a chair. “I’m going to make lunch.” She said, getting up again. “Help me, Bella.”
Hours passed, and our parents still didn’t come back. We spent our night alone. Of course we spent our nights alone many times before, but this time was strangely different. Usually our mom leave us some notes saying that she’ll be back on Saturday or something, but there were no notes this time. Everything was so quiet. And our parents’ bedroom was almost hollow except for a closet, a bed and a chair.
I had some theories, but it was really bad that I didn’t share it with Bella. I locked my eyes with Rose. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? She asked, We can’t be so unlucky, can’t we?
Don’t talk about it here. I warned her, Not in front of Bella.
As Bella fell asleep, Rose and I climbed out of the beds, and out of the house. We sat on the stairs, and Rose bustled out talking.
“You also think that our parents left us?” She asked, her face full of misery.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure but-”
“No!” Bella shouted, coming out of the door.
“Bella, you’re supposed to be asleep!” Rose hissed, fully shocked.
“But I don’t want to sleep if our daddy and mama left us!” Bella argued, sobbing.
I sighed and let Bella sit between Rose and me. “We are not sure yet, Bella.” I said, putting her hand on mine. “But if they really did, it’s okay. We’ll find them again.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
We looked up at the sky. The chilly night breeze swept our faces.
“But there isn’t any stars” Bella muttered, “how are we going to find them if there isn’t any stars?”
Rose hesitated. “The stars are always up in the sky.” She said, in her most comforting voice, “Only we can’t see them today. But the stars will be always there”
“Will our mama and daddy regret leaving us?” Bella asked
“I’m sure they will.” I told her. And I was really sure. I don’t know how, but something told me that I’m correct.
“Come on now,” Rose said, getting up. “Let’s go and sleep. Whatever we’re going to do tomorrow, we have to sleep anyways.”
“I can’t sleep.” Said Bella, frowning.
“Why?” I asked
“’Cause I didn’t brush my teeth. But I don’t want to brush.” Bella grumbled, squinting her eyes and making her best cute face.
Rose and I laughed. “I’ll help you brush, little sister,” Rose grinned, “Come in.”
As Rose and Bella went inside the bathroom, I grinned at myself.
“Everything is going to be fine.” I whispered to myself, “It’s gonna be wonderful.”