The tiny heavy head had in due course succumbed to the softness of the pillow as his nose took in the smell of his home. The little flowers that danced in front of his window, his mother as she sat with that pillow on her lap, her small head framed by her palms as she cupped them. He could see her brown eyes that turned golden as the sun caressed it and her lips spun tales of her village and childhood. Ram was with her again, he smiled.

The sun rays pierced through the cracks on the walls and red tinted glass that webbed itself across the windows. As Ram's eyes fluttered open, he saw the shadow of a stick thin man looming over his head. The sun rays spread out around him, making him glow. Ram hands reached his eyes as he rubbed them and recognised the shadow as Piyush. Within seconds the boys were back on the streets.

Ram's neck was tilted up as he gazed at the tall red and blue and green buildings around him. His eyes twinkled as his mouth showcased his teeth. He never knew that buildings could be built so high or that there was place one could see so many in the same spot. The streets were not made of mud nor did they move with Ram as his feet carried him along.

As the boys walked along, the buildings were replaced by tents and stalls, people crammed every inch of the road. The vendors were yelling out their prices, he could see wide eyed men and women bargaining and screaming at the top of their voices. He could see vegetables being bagged and women talk as their eyebrows moved in all directions. There was not a single word uttered that Ram could fully comprehend as words gave way to gibberish. Ram smiled, this was all so new to him yet it somehow felt like he had seen it all before.

Piyush grabbed Ram's wrist and led them into the crowd. Ram watched as Piyush's hand slipped into a open bag and retrieved a hand sewn purse. Those bony hands then slipped into back pockets as they swiftly bagged their earnings into a plastic bag hung on his shoulder.

As soon as they were out of the crowd and behind a banyan tree, the boys let their feet rest. Piyush swiftly turned the plastic bag upside down and let the purses pour out. Ram's eyelids lifted themselves as he looked at the small pile in front of him. He looked into Piyush's black orbs and saw a smile spread across his face. The teen was proud.

Bony fingers went through every purse and gathered every rupee. As his hands paced across the notes and coins, he said, " Four hundred and fifty and four hundred and fifty one." Piyush put the money back in his various packets and smiled at Ram. " We have fifty one rupees extra. I will show you our spot, a hole where we will keep all our extra cash." "Is it safe? Can't we just keep it on us?" asked Ram. "Too much risk. He often whisks us. And besides, for weeds like us, money is respect, it is the only thing that can win you anything."

Ram looked at the boy in front of him. Behind the eyes that never let tears out was a boy who had seen too much, a broken doll. Ram remembered the opening line of his textbook, 'Money cannot buy happiness.' He had yet to realise that his lips had moved with his thoughts. His hands quickly wrapped themselves around his mouth as he saw   Piyush's eyes narrow and just the corner of his one lip tuck up, it was a smirk. "Money can buy me out of this life and I am sure happiness will follow" said Piyush. Ram saw a single drop of water drift across his cheek as he bit the side of his cheek. Head lowered, he continued. "Those who say that money can't buy them happiness haven't had people narrow their eyes as they looked at the holes in their shirt, they haven't slept on a stone in the winter nor have they lost their family due to their financial situations. They are the ones the world has been gentle to, people who haven't seen this world of ours."

Piyush's hand swiftly sucked the lone tear as he took hold of Ram's wrist. They ran as the wind bellowed in their ears. Ram's feet were dragged along as he stared at Piyush's back. As his feet came to a stop, Ram's neck moved from  one corner to another. His feet twirled as his eyes shined, the view in front of him reflected in them.

The blue sky was adorned with the white clouds: a crown. The structure was entirely made of stone, every inch of it was decorated with sculptures that glistened in the sun. The pillars too were carved with deities. Ram's eyes widened as his hands reached out to touch one of them. The soothing coolness spread throughout his body as the boy stretched his lips from ear to ear.

Piyush gazed down at the boy, the twinkle in his eyes was something he had lost ages ago. To be honest the Gods had done nothing for him, yet this place calmed him down. He could no longer see the beauty of the place as he passed by children without limbs, limbs that they once possessed. They stretched out their arms and begged. Today he saw Mintu amongst the other boys. His left leg did not extend beyond his knees anymore. It was wrapped up in a red cloth that perhaps covered the blood behind it too. Piyush's hand wrapped around Ram's shoulders as he tilted the boy's body in the opposite direction. He lifted his finger and pointing it at a small platform said, "Ram, that's our spot. This way."

Once the boys were seated, the shade of the trees around them let them escape the heat.

"So, Ram, where are you from?"

"Dhwaraka village."

Piyush's head lowered as he said, "The factory, I see. Why did you leave?"

Ram's eyebrows creased together. "What do you mean by factory?" "I see you haven't noticed. Every year children are brought into.. into this business of ours. Your village just happens to be the prime, what do you call it.. uh recruiting centre. Many of the boys you saw in that room yesterday were once a part of your village. So why did you leave?"

"For my brother, so that he will be able to fulfil his dreams one day. We.."

Ram trailed off as his eyes were captured by the long flowing black hair he had seen yesterday. The brown eyes turned into puddles of honey as the sunlight graced them. The plump lips were light pink in colour with crack embedded in them. The girl was petite, perhaps even fragile yet the way she opened her mouth and smiled, made it seem like she was the happiest girl alive. Her skin was a beautiful shade of caramel. Ram's mouth opened on their own as he said, "Meghna"

Meghna's eyes travelled across Ram's body. She studied the matted brown hair that clung to his face, his thick eyebrows and smooth silk like olive skin adorned by those dark orbs. She smiled again.

"I see you have already met one another" said Piyush. "What were you guys talking about? Have you accomplished your target?" "Nothing much. We have accomplished our target but I want him to try it too." "I know the perfect place" said Meghna as the sides of her lips tucked up and her hands grabbed the boys by their wrists.

As the boys were dragged along in a V formation, their eyes met. Looking at the girl leading them, their eyes rolled and teeth showcased themselves.

They were now at the playground. The parents clustered together in circles as their hands moved comically in sync with their lips. Large areas of the ground were empty as the children spread around. Ram's eyes widened. He lowered his voice and said, "We are not going to steal, are we? People will notice us. Please tell me we are not doing this." Ram subtly moved his eyes towards the two police men with tea cups in hand as they talked to one another.

Meghna's eyes followed Ram's before she said, "I did not expect them to be here. The thing is in crowded places, it is far easier to pick pockets, however if you are caught, you will be amidst an angry mob, you might even be beaten up. This is the perfect spot for amateur. If you are caught, just run as fast as your legs carry you and follow us. These adults are not all that used to running."

Ram, step by step inched towards a cluster of women. He turned his neck and looked back at his friends. Two thumbs up were in plain sight as he willed his legs to move forward. Ram slid behind the back of a broad woman. Turning his head to the other side, he slid his hand into her bright red tiny handbag. His feet rampaged on with the bundle of cash resting in the front pocket of his tattered brown shirt. As Ram felt the bulge on his chest, the little boy looked up at the sky and smiled.

The woman had at this point realised that someone had slipped their hands into her bag. Yet, shock had dumbfounded her as her jaw dropped open, her eyes piercings holes at the back of Ram's head. "Chor! Chor!" she cried as her rounded fingers pointed at the petite boy. Ram saw the policemen hastily rest their tea cups as the liquid danced in the air. His knees bend themselves and carried him away. As he looked at the spot where Meghna and Piyush once stood, all he saw was emptiness.

As he took a sharp turn around the exit, he saw Meghna's green shawl drifting in the air behind her. They had not left him.

**My dear reader, I love writing stories because they have the power to bring out emotions from people I miles and miles away from me. These words are my happiness and to know that it brought out the slightest emotion out of you would mean the world to me. Maybe it just lifted you lip a tiny bit or made lines appear on your forehead, please let me know for that is the sole purpose of these words. Leave a comment, your thoughts, anything. A vote would mean that you enjoyed reading it. It takes seconds and yet means the world to me, the teenager behind the keyboard