• It was another normal day in the marketplace, as busy as ever. The air filled with the smell of fish, smoke, dust, and sweat. The vendors were selling fresh bangus, carrots, and bloodied pork, and a variety of others; beggars stalked people and kept annoying them until they finally gave and opened their wallets, while some sold Sampaguita-laced necklaces; cars would pass the market contributing to the fume of smoke piling on the streets, as the sun shined mercilessly over all.

    On one side of the market were a row of homes, not really houses, but make shifted houses, yet still home to those who inhabit them; a brick wall separated each one. But somewhere between two brick walls were nothing but a narrow alley, and in that alley was nothing but trash cans and a flat cardboard box that was left by whoever was once sleeping on it; but besides that, there was no life in that alley as it lay hidden to the world, except to those who ever notice it (for even the ones who throw their trash there never bother to think about it).

    Unlike all that was in this marketplace, the alley was shaded, protected from the sun. Out of the blues, a trash can tumbled down, and came out a dog. The dog has thin brown fur but had spots revealing some of it's skin, it was also skinny and malnourished, even it's limbs could be seen now. It was searching the trash for any source of food but alas, there was none. Hopelessly, it exited the alley and into the "world". It blinked as it tuned it's eyes to the bright sunlight. Then it continued to walk, hoping for a chance that there might be any food to show.

    For the past few minutes, all it did was tire itself, so it rested in the shade of a nearby parked car. Then when it saw drops of water falling into a puddle from a tube leading to the gutter of one of the houses, it noticed it was thirsty. It quickly dashed towards the puddle and drank it's reward for the find. After having finished the puddle, it continued on to spot some children playing; they were beggars who seemed to have taken a break and decided to release their natural selves as children. The dog decided to join in, running with the children ever so happily even though through poverty did it enjoy at times. At first, it though that the children had come use to it joining them, but when they started to pick up stones ad throw them at it, it had to flee; it looked back to see them laughing.

    It continued on to market place near the vendors. By this time it was hungry from the futile running it had done. Then it spotted a bread vendor talking to a woman, and so it came closer out of curiosity.
    "Oh Jun, isn't it a bit expensive for just that much?"

    "Sorry mam, but prices and taxes have been going high recently, it seems that the government has forgot to care about it's people."

    The woman was wearing a red dress with a design of blue spots. She was mid-aged and looked as if in her 50's; she was cooling her self with a fan made out of dry leaves and was holding a shopping bag also made out of dry leaves.

    "But how can tinapay even get expensive? I've also been hearing that Mang Berney at the other end of the market has also started to sell tinapay, and even at lower prices."

    Then as Jun replied, he showed a piece of bread to the woman. The dog eyed on it as if were precious. Then the man spotted the dog, SHHH!!!!!! the man shooed, waving his arm for the dog to go away. Hungry, suffering, and tired, and dog quickly jumped and bit into one of the bread in the stands and as soon as it's feet touched the ground, started running. Running as fast as a dog would be, crossing the road and almost getting hit by a car, bumping into the legs of a person, and back to the safe alley.

    But something has changed in the nearly-untouched alley. At the far end of it, was a boy in rags, sitting on the cardboard box; squatting position and face down; also tired and hopeless. He was still a kid, and unlike the other kids, he didn't beg, and look as if he were just waiting to die. The dog was hungry, tired, malnourished, skinny, bony, smelly, full of mites, and nothing to anybody of this cruel life, but it was smart. It approached the boy, nudged him with it's head. The boy look up to see the dog, offering it bread; he was hopeless, also tired, also hungry, and also a lot of other things, but he was handsome if not for the dirt. He took the bread, unsurprised at the dog's smart kindness, and said "Thanks" in a very dying voice; he broke the bread in half and gave the other one back to the dog. Perhaps it also knew who felt what suffering means. The dog sat beside the boy, and both ate the stolen bread in the shaded ally..... nearly-hidden by the world.

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    Bangus- fish
    Sampaguita- flower
    Tinapay- bread
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