Imagine

All good things must come to an end, and the end has come. The world does not remember how it fell apart nor does it care. Nations no longer vie for hegemonic power. The greatest cities lie destitute; the buildings that once touched the sky have toppled. Brick and mortar crumble beneath the feet of scavengers, as they pick through the lives of the dead. All that remains is the shadow of humanity that suffers and cries among ruins of the old world. Only the dead know true peace.

The world has ended, but life has found a way in a place scavengers call Shanty Town, or simply Shanty. “This place is the silver lining around a storm-cloud. She may be held together with tacks and chewing gum, and a spit shine may make her look worse, but Shanty is still a hell of a lot better than living out there in the unknown,” remarks a town denizen. Muddy and rank streets lined by crude shacks make up most of Shanty. A lucky few have found intact buildings to live in.

Barter is what keeps Shanty afloat, and the citizenry at relative ease. As long as you have something of value lining your pockets or skills to trade, you are welcome. For those who have neither, but have a body and face, Madam Love’s House of Skin may be the place for you. At Madam Love’s, a room, a bed, and something warm in your belly is guaranteed, as long as you work for it, and make your customers happy. “Sex sells in the best of times, and even better in the worst of times,”according to Madam Love.

Day and night, orphaned urchins roam the streets preying on newcomers entering from the unknown and on drunks that are pushed out of Madam Love’s. The code of the urchins is to share the spoils, and every newcomer is a patsy to play. In Shanty, thieving is as much of a hinderance as it is a skill bought and paid for. An urchin can find themselves as a hired hand for their thieving skills, but if they are caught, Shanty cuts off all ties to their employer along with the urchin’s hands. Not all orphans live a life of crime. Some have found their way by working honestly with barterers and tradesmen, while others die of starvation or succumb to ‘The Cough.’

The life of an urchin is harder than most, but they find solace in one another and safety in numbers. On the far side of Shanty lies a dilapidated house with a storm shelter. This shelter is one of the many burrows that the urchins use to seek refuge from ash storms, marauder attacks, and their greatest enemy – winter. In the basement lies a blond girl. “Goldie,” is what the urchins call her. It is not her given name but she likes it well enough. She misses the sound of her real name, especially when her mother spoke it aloud. ‘The Cough’ had taken her mother some three months ago on Goldie’s birthday, or at least that is what her mother called that day. That day, her mother gifted Goldie the one thing she covets most, a tarnished silver heart-shaped locket.

Hidden beneath a blanket, Goldie turns the locket in front of her eyes. She traces the ivy engraving on the outside of the locket with her thumb. She opens it to reveal a photo of a smiling man and woman. The silver ivy on her fingers calms her nerves, the photo has a way of lifting her spirit, while the weight of the locket around her neck reminds her of her mother’s warm embrace. The loud creak from the storm door startles her. She quickly tucks the locket away in her shirt. The sound of rushed foot steps and a boy’s voice fills the basement, “Goldieeeeee! Oh, Goldieee! Goldie?”

Goldie throws the blanket off of her, “Oh what is it Hector!”

“It’s about time you got up, Goldie. The urchins are having a meet.”

“A meet? A meet about what?”

“How am I to know? The big kids never tell me nothing, besides my job is to just steal things.”

“Hector, aren’t you afraid that some day you’ll get caught?”

“I tend not to think about it, besides if I’m lucky, they may just take one of my hands instead of both. I’d be plum useless with no hands. Besides, if they took both of them, I couldn’t do this.”

Hector dives into the blanket with Goldie and tickles her all over.

“Stop Hector!” Goldie laughs, “Stop, you know I can’t stand that!”

“Then you better get out of bed.” Hector’s voice trails off. He stares at the locket draped around Goldie’s neck. “Goldie, what is that? Who did you lift that from?”

“Hector, you can’t tell anyone I have this.”

“But, you know the rules, Goldie. You can’t be keeping things to yourself like that. Especially since, well, you know…”

“Know what, Hector?”

“Well… I did hear somethings.”

“About what?”

“About, you. . .”

Hector turns his head away.

“What about me?”

“I don’t wanna say. . .”

“Hector, whatever it is I won’t be mad.”

“Well, I heard it from Ridley.”

“Oh, that Ridley is just a hot-head. What did he have to say?”

“Well, he and some of the other urchins are saying you’re not carrying your weight. You haven’t stolen nothing since you got here, and its been three months. I mean you could at least roll a drunk here and there.”

“I don’t know what they expect me to do? I’m not good at that sort of thing. . . I’d be caught my first time out, and I’d lose well. . . You know.”

“Gosh, Goldie, you ain’t the only one who’s out there risking your digits.”

“Please, just keep it secret. My momma gave me this, and its all I got in this entire wretched world.”

Hector sees her eyes begin to well with tears.

“Fine, I’ll keep it a secret. But, you gotta promise that you’ll steal something or trade that locket for something we all can use. I’m a good thief and liar, but if Ridley sees that thing, you’re out on the streets for good.”

Goldie wraps her arms around Hector’s neck.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Goldie walks along the foul excrement filled streets of Shanty to the bazaar. Hector had left her to attend the urchin’s meet. She is fearful as she hardly goes out without Hector or a group of urchins by her side.

Goldie grasps the locket tightly as she walks along the bazaar stalls. An old woman calls out to her, “Young lady, I say, young lady! Come take a look! I have blankets. Winter is coming and you will need something warm to bundle you up. What do you have to trade?” The old woman points at the silver chain around Goldie’s neck. “My dear, I will give you my finest blanket for the chain, and only the chain.” Goldie thinks for a moment, and shakes her head – no. The reminder of her mother’s embrace is more important than a moth eaten blanket.

Goldie continues to walk along the stalls. “Hello there little one,” comes the booming voice of the Shanty Town butcher, “I have fresh pickled cat feet, goat sausage, and more! What do you have to trade?” The butcher looks at the locket around Goldie’s neck. The locket had opened and revealed the hidden photo of the man and woman. “Little one, I will trade a dozen goat sausages to you and the other street orphans for the picture and only the picture. . . What do you say?” Goldie looks at the photo. Turns to the butcher and shakes her head – no. The photograph gave her more fulfillment than any meal could.

Goldie comes to a stop in front of a stall with a purple cloth. On the cloth is an assortment of knives and guns. The twilight sun made the blades shimmer red. “Do you like what you see, girl? Each blade and shooter have proven themselves in combat, I should know.” The arms merchants voice was soft and terrible. A cold shiver runs up Goldie’s spine. “I say, girl, I will give you this revolver with five rounds of ammunition for the locket and only the locket. Shanty town is a dangerous place for a pretty urchin such as yourself.” Without a word, Goldie turns and briskly walks away from the arms stall. To give up the locket would be to give up her heart.

Goldie looks over her shoulder as the arms merchant disappears in the crowd. Goldie trips and falls releasing the locket from her grasp. The locket dangles around her neck. A woman adorned in a shapely red and black tattered dress looks down at her. “My, my, my, aren’t you a sweet young thing.” The woman raises a cigarette to her lips, takes a long drag and blows smoke out of the side of her mouth. “Well, stand up. Let me take a look at you.” Goldie stands and brushes the putrid mud from her pants. The woman lifts Goldie’s chin and moves her head from side to side. “Hmm, rosy cheeks, the odor of innocence, good bone structure. You’re of age, give or take a few months. Are you willing to trade?”

“I’m sorry, Madam Love, I have nothing to trade. I can’t give up my locket, I just can’t.”

“No darling, are you willing to trade your life on the streets for a life in the sheets? All I want is you, my dear. You can keep that gaudy thing around your neck. You are worth so much more.”

“Just me?”

“Just you.”

The cold wind bites at Goldie’s skin as she walks down the deserted street. The last light of the sun fades on the horizon. “Madame Love’s offer was too good to be true,” she thought, “but I wish I had bought the blanket the old woman had offered.” Her stomach grumbles and aches. A hungry night is something she is all too familiar with. “The butcher’s offer to feed the urchins for the photo was generous,” she thought, “and it would have settled the tension with Ridley, at least for a time.” The sound of foot steps in the dark makes her feel uneasy. Up ahead, she can see the faint light of the urchin’s burrow. The foot steps draw closer. Goldie gasps as a silhouette emerges from the darkness. The silver locket falls to the ground and shimmers in the pale moonlight.

Shadows dance against the basement wall in the light of a small oil lamp. Hector sits in thought. The night had grown cold, and Goldie had not returned.“Good riddance to that girl,” came the voice of a ginger boy, “I hope she got what was coming to her! She would have us all starve and freeze to death over a trinket.”

“Shut-up Ridley, you weren’t even at the meet today!”

“If you’re so keen on her, how ‘bout you go find her then Hector,”Ridley laughs.

“Fine, I will! It’s better than being here with you sorry lot.”

A knock comes at the shelter door.

“Goldie,” Hector exclaims. He rushes to the door. The door creaks open and reveals the butcher holding a tray of hot meat.

“Hello children,” booms the butcher, “Come get something to eat!”

The urchins rush to the butcher picking the tray clean. Ridley walks to the butcher, “It’s about time. Here, just as we agreed.” The butcher holds out his hand. Hector sees the locket pass from Ridley to the butcher.

Hector points at Ridley and yells – “Thief!”