The mine was a safe haven for homeless people who wondered the streets of Olta. No matter the age of the person, be it a child or an adult, they accepted labourers of all kinds as long as they were physically capable. Dante had been living on the streets since he was 5, he could not remember any details of his whereabouts, so he assumed he was abandoned by his family, or they died early from illness. In Olta majority of children would not survive till the age of three, adults would die before they reached twenty-five from unknown illnesses or murder. It was a miracle for Dante to survive past five years of age. He worked under two grouchy couple who would make use of him in any means necessary and only fed him twice a day to repay him. He would do odd jobs from polishing the stains of people’s shoes to painting the nails of women who were too idle to do anything else. He would mop the floors of the little restaurant and deliver food to the lousy customers who only came to drink and cause a ruckus.

For Dante, being able to eat twice a day was a luxury on its own. There were plenty kids on the streets who'd die for a piece of bread and a loaf of bread with some water he had every living day. Dante was ever so grateful, and treated the couple who took him in with respect no matter how badly he was treated. One day a kind woman, pitying the poor boy who'd spend his birthday without food gave him a single chocolate cookie on his birthday. He was delighted, he cried as he took the cookie from the lady's hand and held onto it tightly, as if it was his most treasured item. He never had chocolate before, he wanted to eat the chocolate in the little cottage he shared with the cows. When he entered the domain, he could hear the old couple quarrelling. His heart dropped; he knew he would get a beating today. He wanted to pass by the open doors quietly, yet he stopped dead on his track when Marvilles husband shouted his name in anger. 

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

'You ungrateful vermin, where did you get those cookies from?! You've been stealing from my home now?' he barked, stomping in my direction. He dragged me by the neck and threw me to the ground, kicking me while holding fist full of hair as he dragged me across the lawn.

'I did not steal' I yelled; it was of no use as he kept beating me while spewing series of insult at me. I got up several times to run away, he caught me and beat me even harder. I cried and begged him to stop, he'd rip my tattered shirt, unbuckle his belt and beat me senselessly. I eventually broke free when he threw me across the field. I ran as fast as my legs could take me and settled underneath an abandoned church. My cookie was shattered in small pieces, but I ate it with tears streaming down my face. 

it was delicious, the chocolate chip melted in my mouth and the sweet crumbs of the cookie disappeared after few bites. My brain went into a frenzy mode, my muscles relaxed and I felt comforted. The chilly night air hit my bare body, I no longer had a shirt and was left with only my trousers. Not a soul in sight was seen at this time of the night, it was past midnight. I fell asleep at the foot of the abandoned church, my mind felt peaceful first time in while.