Rin reluctantly pulled his eyelids open against the harsh sunlight streaming in through the torn blinds. His mother snored softly on the mat beside him. He slid out from under the thin blanket they shared, gently so as not to waken her and padded over to small table in the centre of their small room. A blue light on his fone pulsed softly at him.
2 new notifications
He pulled out a stool and sat before thumbing up the display. Just two new comments? Last night's post still sat at 72 cents. He groaned softly. No way, he was banking on that one to earn big. If he didn't hit a big paying post it looked like next week would be a hungry one for him and his mother.
He clicked the door closed on their tiny room and headed out into town. The streets he walked in were filthy. The detritus from the last flood still clogging up the gutters. He wandered aimlessly for a while, watching other kids scout around much as he did, looking for a story. Something that could earn. His fone pinged.
Loading accident at South Beach harbour
The harbour? That was only minutes away. He turned and started running, stomach growling as his thin-soled trainers slapped the ground. Damn, already a few other kids were running ahead, having seen the news before him.
The familiar bile of disappointment rose in his mouth as he pulled out from the shadow of a loading warehouse and the view of the harbour opened up before him. There were a lot of people milling around at the harbour wall and with a sinking feeling he flipped his fone out and checked the local feed.
Post after Post scrolled under his thumb. Pictures and commentary on the accident.
All original content. Photos the authors own! They screamed.
Some of them were already earning dollars and they had only been up minutes. He shoved his phone deep into a pocket and tried to push through the jostling crowd of kids at the harbour wall to at least get a view of what was unfolding. Elbows shoved into his bony ribs and the wall of bodies with fones thrust above their heads were reluctant to allow him a vantage point.
It was no use. He hunched his shoulders and moved away. Too late
The sun was hot on his neck even at this early hour and he headed away from the throng. The stench of seaweed and waste receding as he navigated the narrow streets back to the centre of town. His thoughts were whirling. It was early and he needed a post. He kicked himself at not being fast enough to catch the accident. That would have fixed his family's food needs for at least a couple of days.
He slipped down an alley leading to the square; hopefully he could beg some scraps or see some action there. With his head down engrossed in his news feed he almost bumped into someone.
'Oh sorry.' Before he could move out of the way a hand shoved him hard on the chest. He slammed up against the wall, fright making his chest constrict. Two hard and mean looking toughs stared at him. One of them grabbed the scruff of his threadbare shirt and leaned his forearm hard against his neck. His eyes bored malevolently into Rin's, onion breath hot against his face. The other frisked him roughly before finding his fone.
'Whatcha got in the wallet little man?' The one holding him growled.
'Nothing.' He managed to squeak. It was true, any earnings he made were siphoned off into a hard wallet as soon as they came in.
The other guy had finished expertly ransacking his profile and online wallet.
'He's right, not a fucking bean.'
Onion breath glared intently at him before punching him hard in the gut. Rin doubled over retching.
'Here, there's your dinner.'
Rin looked up through watering eyes. A fist crashed into his mouth and he smashed hard into the ground.
'Fucking loser.'
Through a half opened eye he watched them swagger away. Once they were gone, he pushed himself gingerly to his feet. Oh god, his face hurt. Blood drooled out of his mouth down his front. He saw his fone discarded and picked it up, hurriedly checking it still worked.
Then he saw it on the ground where he had fallen.
A bloodied tooth.
His tongue quickly checked. One of his front teeth! He felt a thrill of elation! He would get a few dollars on this for sure. He started taking pictures.
He had a post!
