In a silent and rundown alleyway, where trash-piles and wet sludge from unknown sources litter the surroundings as unique decorations.
An eleven-year-old child could be seen scouring through the bins. Cuts and scrapes appear on his skin in mesmerizing decorations of art as his hands sift around broken glass and smelly concoctions of waste.
After several minutes of foraging, Isaac retreats from his hunt, pulling out a half-eaten burger mixed with black, filthy condiments on an unknown mixture.
With a bitter smile of satisfaction. Isaac devours the burger as if it's a delicacy, though his contorted face and trembling lips betray his inner thoughts.
His stomach churns in discomfort and bile, along with other, unique substances, forcing their way up his throat, causing him to lean over in motion of vomiting.
Panic sets in his eyes, forcefully putting a hand over his mouth. Isaac swallows back his breakfast and breathes a sigh of relief when he manages to bring it back down.
"This is no time to be picky, " Isaac tells himself.
'Damn, look at you, spitting facts so early in the morning, a ghostly silhouette with an appearance similar to his own, carrying a large, oversized lamb leg, appears standing beside him, chewing down with gusto.
Isaac, seemingly not surprised by the strange figure, glances over at the lamb in envy, his unsatisfied stomach churning in protest.
As if finding amusement in Isaac's plight, the figure lets out a chuckle and makes a gesture of handing over the lamb. 'Want some?'
You're just an annoying hallucination, and I have yet to find any of your jokes funny,
"heh... Lighten up, kid. Your situation could be worse, for example...
Before the hallucination could finish its sentence, it vanished just as mysteriously as it came.
"You alright, kid?"
The gruff voice of a middle-aged man came through the alleyway as a tanned, muscular man with an untrimmed beard and a wild haircut approached.
Isaacs's frail muscles tighten in nervousness,
"I...I'm fine, sir," came a stammered response.
"Are you sure, you don't look fine if you asked me." The man gave Isaac a run over with his eyes. "Where are your parents?"
At the sound of the question. Isaac looked down in silence, though the silence only lasted a brief moment. "They're both dead," came his reply.
"Ohh..." the man stood there with a frown as if pondering something before giving out a disgruntled snort, "I've already told the village head countless times. This damn place needs an orphanage." before scratching his unruly hair,
After another bout of silence, this time much longer than before. The man spoke.
"Tell you what, I've always wanted a kid of my own. But it seems no woman here takes a fancy to me. What's your name?"
"Umm... My name is Isaac." Something akin to hope seems to bloom in Isaac's heart.
The man let out, perhaps what he thought was a disarming smile, before turning around. "The name's Paul, follow me, let's get you something to eat, but first a shower, something I've doubt you've seen in a while," he cracked a not-so-funny joke. However, Isaac chuckled in nervous embarrassment.
---
The duo left the alley and entered the sparsely populated street. Passersby gave Isaac a strange glance, with some kids and immature adults pointing fingers and gesturing.
It was a silent walk, one that felt like eternity to Isaac.
'Now would you look at that.' The hallucination reappeared face contorted in a frown of annoyance. 'Stray pup found itself a home.'
Isaac remained silent. Staring at the road ahead, afraid that if he responded, he might seem wrong in the head to Paul. He blew his chance at having a home.
'It's almost too good to be true. The hallucination continues, heh... I love things that are too good to be true. They always end up being completely untrue. Always... let's see how this situation blows up. Care to take a guess?'
The reply it got was a defining silence, geez, you're boring, but I think he might be an alcoholic like our dad, or perhaps he's a cannibal that loves to eat children. He did say he wants an orphanage. More like he's trying to build himself a food storage.
The hallucination then let out a mad cackle as if he had cracked the funniest joke in the world. 'Hey, that one was funny. At least give me a smirk of something... tsk... so boring.'
It disappeared again.
"We're here," Paul's voice cut through Isaac's stoicism. "It's nothing fancy, but it's what I call home. What do you think?
Staring up at the dilapidated structure. A perfect depiction of a safety hazard, Isaac let out a smile, "It's amazing," way better than my soggy cardboard box...
The man stares in silence at the joke, and a look of pity or amusement flashes through his eyes. "Well, this is where you'll be staying until I can scrape enough money to get a better place.
Hmmm... perhaps he's a gambling addict instead. The hallucination came back, but Isaac expertly ignored it. Opening the door, Paul let Isaac enter first before he entered and closed the door behind him. "Like I said, nothing fancy, but you'll just have to make do. Take yourself home. The shower is down the hallway to the right. There is an unoccupied room on the right as well. My room is to the left, further down.
While you freshen up, I'll cook something up for you. I'm sure you're hungry.
If there is one thing I'm confident in, it's my dishes. I can make a mean casserole. Though caving that for breakfast seems a bit much, I hope you don't mind."
"No, no, not at all," Isaac replied,
"And... thank you for taking me in." gratitude-filled Isaac's heart, and he let out a heartfelt smile.
Turning the knob. Isaac let the cold water run down his body, causing him to shiver. As the water trickled down from his skin and onto the tile, they merged with the slowly falling salty droplets of tears.
Isaac's body quakes with another shiver as he suppresses his sobs.
"It's finally over."
"You fucking pussy" the hallucination briefly appears for an instant before vanishing,