Struggle for Existence

The congested street was bustling with life on the chilly November evening. It seemed as if the entire town was on the road that day. Making his way through the extremely heavy human traffic a small boy swiftly kept moving forward. His poor ragged clothes betrayed the nimbleness with which his eyes moved in search of something. He had a frayed hat on, which gifted him the sumptuousness of a bit of warmth in the gushing wind. His bare feet was cold in the icy gust but the boy, oblivious of all this, kept running frontward hurriedly getting lost in the monstrous mob ahead. His observant eyes finally found its new target. The subject was a tall well fed man in his mid forties. His bulging waist line, muslin shirt and silk umbrella starkly proved the disparity between him and the boy. The lad speedily edged near him and with a small knife deftly cut open the pocket of the trouser of the non-suspecting man. His skilled hands had done this a hundred times before while his trained eyes made sure that that he was not being watched. As expected the over sized wallet came dropping down that was snatched by the little thief in a jiffy Mission accomplished, the little crook fled with an alarming speed in the opposite direction making sure not to enter that lane again the same nightfall. Alone and in a quieter place he slowly and carefully emptied his half torn dirty pant pocket. His eyes gleamed seeing his loot of the day-3 wallets, a gold chain, a few silver coins, an embroidered handkerchief and a few pennies. He was satisfied indeed. With the money he went off to a nearby medical store where he handed the shopkeeper a worn out tattered soiled piece of paper kept carefully folded in one of his shirt pockets.The piece had the names of the drugs he wanted. The money was just enough to pay off the medicine bills. The boy started his homeward walk, wearily, too tired for the day. He was happy indeed bcoz his ailing grandmother would get her day’s supply of drugs all right. He felt satisfied about his work that day, satisfied about the booty he had snatched, satisfied that he would make his grandma, his lone family,perhaps breath for a few more days…….