Untitled Piece

Here's the story telling piece I wrote. I'm not so sure if this will  win us the favor of the judges, but I would like an honest opinion from you guys. Thanks for reading, and spending  your time with this crappy or whatever post. Happy reading !

              In a small shaggy apartment, lives a family of two: a mother and a daughter. Day by day, they live with their heads held high in their low ceilinged residence. They wake as the first rays of light penetrate the handmade bed where they lay, cold but comfortable in each other’s warmth.  Meager meals of potatoes or corn fill their bellies after saying their morning prayers.  After that, the daughter, Shiela, would arduously do her daily routines before heading off to the nearest school.

            One foggy morning, Shiela was leaping from rock to rock to avoid the wet muddy ground. The downpour from the previous night created loud noisy steps as she made her way to school. Splash! Splash! She could feel the muddy water seeping into the hole on her shoes. Splash! Splash! Now the murky drops were getting her clothes dirty too. “Oh Lord, please let a familiar car pass by, so I can get a hitch ride to school,” She prayed.

            A few minutes later, their neighbor’s motorcycle passed by, and splashed her more of the brown substance. “Hop in Shiela. I’ll take you to school,” Shiela was disgruntled at the sudden kindness of her neighbor, and thanked the Lord for answering her prayers. It wasn’t a slick and chic car, but it made her trip easier. She accepted the neighbor’s offer and thanked him with a wide toothy grin. “Thank you for the ride, kuya!”

            In the middle of the road, the engine of the motorcycle came to a sputtering stop. Their neighbor shouted a string of curses, which made Shiela wince. Her mother never cursed even when the going gets tough. Shiela thanked the driver again before she started walking once more.

A few more steps brought her to a bakery owned by their rich neighbor. Although she had breakfast earlier, her stomach gave a quiet growl as the smell of freshly baked bread waft throughout the area. “Hmmmm. Lord I hope I can eat delicious bread from that bakery,” she prayed silently as she inhaled the pleasant smell. Suddenly, their middle aged neighbor bumped her from behind which caused her to topple over.

“I’m so sorry Shiela. Here, take this biscuits as a sign of my apology,” the middle-aged man handed her the biscuits. Shiela was bruised, but she silently thanked the Lord for their neighbor’s sweet pity. It wasn’t the bread she hoped for, but it can cover the gnawing hunger she felt. She ate the biscuits and thanked him with a healthy smile. “Thank you for the biscuits manong!”

They ate while walking for a while, when another man rushed past them and bumped their middle-aged neighbor on his shoulder blades. Their neighbor shoved the man, and a brawl ensued after their tempers ran out. Shiela’s mother never spanked her even if she sometimes crossed the lines. Shiela hurriedly backed away from the slowly gathering crowd, and made her way to school alone.

A few more blocks, and she would finally reach the school gates, when her hand stitched bag gave way and spilled the contents of her bag- tattered books, broken pencils and scratch papers- on the ground. “Oh Lord! Please help me get through this day,” she prayed silently, while she busily picked her things. Her eyes suddenly blurred with tears from all the misfortune she encountered even before the day fully started.

A hand tapped her shoulders as she stood up. It was their old neighbor this time, holding a sturdy bag in one hand, and a cane on the other hand. Shiela looked up as their old neighbor placed the bag in her hands. “I’m supposed to give that to my daughter, but she already owns a collection of bags. This would help your cause more,” the old man smiled a sad smile. Shiela, feeling ashamed of her poverty, silently received the bag with nothing but a sniff. Her words of thank you were stuck on her throat. Out of sheer happiness, she hugged the old man and helped him cross the street.

“Thank you lolo. I will never lose this bag, and I will take care of it as much as I can,” she muttered the words, when she finally calmed down. “It is nothing child. Just pray to the Lord, keep your faith and dreams close to your heart, and never give up on your education. That’s the only treasure that will never be taken from you,” the old man patted her head lightly as they made their way through the busy streets.