Page 20 - TEARS OF SUFFERING

TEARS OF SUFFERING

aunt and plodded towards the door. Stepping on the
threshold, he turned back and cast a final glance at his
aunt, and then walked out.

All alone, the boy loitered in the town like a bird free of
the cage. He was now the master with no one above to
command. He followed his own will and floated around
the town. However, at the back of his mind was the
nagging fear that his uncle might catch him anytime. So,
he roved about the town with care. And whenever he saw
uncle in the town, he scrambled for a corner, and with
circumspection, he came out in the open and resumed
the delightful life of a vagabond.

The money his aunt gave him would be minimally spent
on light meals until he starved one day. It made him think
of returning home, but the fear of his callous uncle
flogging him deterred him. Days passed and he was
drifting about hungrily, nameless and shameless.

So, starvation compelled him to pilfer edibles from the
vendors and shops. When the days favoured him, he
found enough to eat, but most of the time, he got
beatings. God neglected him, but he had the strength to
tolerate the destitution.

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