LUCEM
Chapter III

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Four years old and often having almost nothing to swallow as food, there was nothing left but scars on some parts of his body and nose that occasionally spilled blood, snot and sometimes both, and he's smart. He was so arrogant as he walked that he refused to raise his hand for help.

Take my hand through every corner of the city for work or scramble for food that the rich who want to be generous share.

“Tick rot, want to wash away sins by supporting our stomach.” So was Marbella's taunts every time she saw them coming.

“Stands tight behind me, Mars.” Her speech.

“Good.” My heart and busy getting rid of the hair that covers my eyes.

Marbella thinks we just have to be smart to live for four years on this street, especially with all the wild gangs and illegal traders, which means they'll sell anything, he said, including us if we are off guard. That's not never happened. Bruised, lips broken, bleeding, sometimes limp legs that he drags running, Marbella always fights, sometimes for her sake sometimes for my sake.

Yeah, we have to be smart. We should be rich too. So determined Marbella was, It took me some long explanations, but Marbella has been exploring the city and learning how things work and money, she says, is the key to everything.

And then one day he saw a stupid-looking kid playing a flute with a hat in front of him to get a dime, he had an idea. What an amazing idea. It just popped up, all at once.

The flute, the dumb-looking kid had traded his flute for half a bag of money cloth, and a few packets of food we had lined up that day. When the boy will pass–.

And Marbella said, “Hey, you! How can you gladly receive our money without seeing the completeness of the items we bought?” And ended up with a full week of practice for me until I was finally able to play the tone.

“Do I have to play this flute every day, Marbi?” Plain ask.

“We won't do that stupid thing, Mars.” Marbella said with a faint smile on her face.

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“What do you want to make a friend, Mars?” Marbella asked that morning.

“Autom?” I'm convincing.

'Why should this troublesome thing be thought of by Marbella's smart brain? Does street dust cause his head to be in trouble?'

“Have you decided?” He returned with a small brown book in his hand.

“Tikus, I want to keep rats.” Reply quickly. At least the rats won't make Marbella work twice as much to feed her. I saw the rats scrambling for food from the garbage pile in the corner of the building where we used to sleep every night.

“Can't you think of any other animals that aren't so disgusting?” Ask Marbella

“No.” I was determined, and again why should I have animals as friends?

“Well, rats are also passable.” Marbella Mumbles. His hands began to be busy flipping through the books in his hands carefully.

“They are everywhere, you will get many friends.” Seringai Marbella peeked out from between her dangling hair.

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”We are here..” Marbella said.

Dawn broke out on the sidelines of the dense trees, as we stepped into the forest and continued to advance deeper and then stopped on the cliff side, under a comfortable shade tree. The river valley stretches below, with a view of a town far across the cliff. Marbella looks far away and stretches her body. 

“What are we here for, Marbi?” Askaqua.

Marbella put her hands into the coat she was wearing and helped a white mouse out of her pocket. I watched without asking. We, more precisely Marbella, he spent the money he had collected with great difficulty just to buy a small white mouse. I glanced at the mouse with regret.

“What is the name of the city, Marbi? I asked while pointing the index finger far ahead.

“Hah, it won't get worse, I'll grow fast and help you make it all happen.” That's all I can do to see her smile back. Marbella's a lamp that can't go out, or I'll get lost.

Marbella chuckled at my words at the time.

“Are you ready, Mars?”. He asked the question gently by touching my shoulder.

“Emm... Yes, I think.” I answered without understanding the direction of the question.

“I'll teach you magic.” He looked at me inside.

“Magic!?”

“Yes, this is family magic, Mom once taught me some magic when I was smaller than you at this time.”

Marbella took out a roll of paper and a book from her coat, and carefully rolled the scroll on the ground.

" It's obsolete paper, don't tear it.” Her speech.

“And it's an older book.” His hand opened a piece of sheet showing his volume made of luxurious but worn-out calf bones. The back of his book was gilded in gold right in the middle.

Marbella wore gloves that she could get out of nowhere like a surgeon and bent over the roll she was holding.

“Alright, let's see what we can get today,” he said. ”Prepare the flute, Mars!”

“Good.” I moved the flute from my pants pocket to my hand.

“Start!”

“What song should I play, Marbi?”

“Everything you've learned and all the tones you can make.” Marbella replied without taking her eyes off the paper.

I nodded slowly, sighing in preparation for my first forest concert.

I've played some songs, and Marbella either heard it or not, she looks just enthusiastic with the writings before her. I took a frisk to ask, but I just dropped the flute—'

“What are you doing, Mars? Keep playing your flute!” His impact.

Flute back up and play the tone as best I can. Every now and then I glance at Marbella who looks like she won't give me time to drink even once. I could feel my pulse racing and the moisture evaporating from my mouth.

“Antracious!” Suddenly Marbella called out in surprise. His spirit immediately lifted.

“See, Mars!” Marbella pointed at the white mouse who had been standing on two hind legs on a large black rock near the root.

I looked at it with a puzzled expression on the face, not understanding if the mouse that could stand up looked so amazing at the moment in Marbella's eyes? I scratched my head that wasn't itchy.

“Mars, direct your gaze slightly to the left.” Said Marbella while directing with her gaze. I followed Marbella's eyes. I was astonished to see dozens of rats standing on their two hind legs and marching closely looking at the white mouse Marbella who now looked like the commander figure of an army.

“Play again, Mars!”

“Which one?” Reply confused.

“The last one you played, or played any one.” Quick reply.

One breath, and I went back to blowing the flute. All of a sudden, all of the rats ran fast and surrounded me.

“Keep playing and don't stop.” Marbella's orders were firm.

My mind was split, my hands trembled as I watched the rats up close as if watching my concert solemnly. The tone I produced became more irregular as all the rats began to squeak. There was no explanation in the beginning about this, I was a bit panicked. On the other hand Marbella seemed to be smiling with satisfaction.

We stayed under a tree for no less than two weeks, until Marbella said that I was able to control all the rats in the forest around us. Time to get back to town.