Love and Greed

No matter how far this world may stray us from what we perceive as "normal", something within us will always stay the same.

When our home was taken from us we did not know how we could possibly heal. Everything seemed bleak and grey; like the light had been sucked from our hearts. The wonderful thing about life, though, is that no matter how dark of a tunnel you find yourself in, as long as you keep moving forward you will always find the light again. Likely, it won't be the same light that you once knew. It will shine differently and make you feel something new. Your journey through a tunnel can change you, and it can lead you to an unfamiliar place. But, you belong there now. Whatever has been left behind was only meant to teach you a lesson, and now you can create an even stronger home than you had before. It comes from that spark within us that will never change; the flame that drives and moves us and pushes us to always do better. Call it our souls, or God, or spirit; whatever it is, it is rooted in love. That strength to keep getting up after we fall, the will to fight our fears, the heart to love ourselves and others, and to create a world that brings us peace.

Some of us have been hurt by love, and that is a deep scar to accept. However, it is our own responsibility to heal. Even though what happened to us was not fair or our fault, we have to learn how to heal. It isn't an easy task, and a lot of people will find themselves in a murky pit of their own shadows. No matter how horrible things may get, we must not drag others down with us. We can bear our hearts to each other and cry together, but to treat our neighbours the same horrible way we have been treated is just cutting more wounds. How silly it is to try and put out fires with more fire, but sometimes our pain can fog up our minds. Sadness can dull our senses. Anger can numb our hearts. We've all been there, but some of us don't handle it very well. No matter what, though, the universe will make us learn our lesson; whether we want to learn it or not.

In one new earth village by the name of Filantropia, there lived two fishermen. The first was called Altroo. Altroo was a squat, slightly pudgy man with large, soft green eyes. His heart was good and warm, and he was a very kind and generous person. Ask anyone in Filantropia about this man and they would surely have a number of sweet things to say about him.

The second fisherman was named Corro. Corro was a tall, thin man with pale skin, narrowed eyes, and very gaunt features. He was not born in Filantropia. He came from a nearby place called Avarice. The city of Avarice was known to harbour extravagant wealth and, in contrast, debilitating poverty.

Filantropia had always been a place of community and love. Yes, they had money, but not to flaunt around and be frivolous with. It was used for necessities and gifts for those they cared about. Things to make Filantropia feel warm and more like a true, happy home.

Corro had a hard time understanding the way things worked in this foreign town. He travelled to Filantropia not long ago after his younger sister, Von, had been executed for trying to steal a high born lady's jewels right out of her pocket. Von had been the only family that Corro had left. Their parents had both died of an illness when Corro was only 15. He had to take on the responsibility of his little sister, and this was not an easy feat. Losing their parents took a heavy toll on both of them, and they spent most of their days together being hungry and miserable.

When Von was executed, Corro mourned her for months. He cursed himself for not teaching her better and for not giving her more while he could. As he ate scraps from the trash of wealthy people he told himself he deserved it. He deserved to eat mouldy bread and potato peels for the unfair way he treated Von. She was once silly and fun and full of love and life, and Corro felt personally responsible for ruining that beautiful light of hers.

Eventually, after months and months of barely keeping himself alive, something within Corro changed. He no longer felt the need to punish himself; now, a new goal manifested in his heart. He should honour his family by doing better than they ever could. He should work and grow and buy a real house in the city. He should dine on meals fit for kings and queens, and others shall respect him and view him from below the pedestal that he will perch upon.

Corro collected a few things; clothes and shoes, a tattered portrait of his family that his mother had painted, a few jars of herbs and spices, and his father's old fishing rod. Then, he began his journey to Filantropia, a place he heard had a lot of wealth that is hardly ever spent. He'd grown tired of the sneaky and shifty folk that inhabited the slums of Avarice, and those that had money surely did not want to give it to someone who was the lowest of the low in the community.

Corro was received at Filantropia with open arms. The people here love new visitors and people that are looking to move into their village. Their hearts are always full and ready to give more love; their motto really is 'the more the merrier'. Corro was not used to such warmth, and he found it difficult to believe that they were being genuine. However, they helped him move into his own little hut down by the river, right across the way from the home Altroo had resided in since he was a young boy.

Corro got started on his future fortune right away. He spent his first day in Filantropia fishing; the whole day, only breaking a couple of times to pee in a nearby bush. He didn't eat or drink a thing. This hard work and persistence resulted in catching 11 decent sized fish. Corro was elated.

On his way back to his hut, he crossed paths with Filantropia's designated fisherman; Altroo. Altroo smiled at Carro and gestured to the bag full of fish in his grasp.

"That's a good haul you've got there," Altroo said. "I'm a fisherman myself. Always nice to meet a kindred spirit." The first thing that came to Carro's mind was how this was clearly his competition. Altroo continued speaking. "Now, if you're ever running low on stock, I give my catches out for free." Carro was shocked by that.

"You give them out for free?" He asked. "You can afford that?" Altroo nodded.

"As long as I keep food for the hungry I have a loving home in Filantropia. We're a community here. We work together, for ourselves and for each other. Money isn't much of a factor."

"Not a factor?" Carro was beginning to feel a little bothered. "But I'm here to sell these fish."

"Right... Well, good luck with that," Altroo chuckled. "And if you're ever out of stock you're always welcome to my fish, new friend." And with that, Altroo began waddling back to his home.

That night, Carro's mind reeled with thoughts of failure and defeat. He felt as though he had failed his quest before it even started. He thought about how disappointed his parents would be, and how he'd be letting down his little sister. The pain in his heart was so great and deep that he started pondering heinous, nefarious things. Perhaps if Altroo was unable to give away his free fish, the village folk would have no choice but to buy their fish from Carro. Carro made a grave decision that night.

The next day, Carro strolled across the way over to Altroo's hut. Altroo was sat on a wooden chair on his porch, a bucket of fish on his right side. Carro smiled as he approached, and Altroo grinned back.

"Ah, hello newcomer! Come to sample my fish already?" He beams. Carro nods.

"Yeah, actually, I was wondering if I could cook you dinner tonight. I have some wonderful spices that my mother used to keep and I know how to cook a mean trout." Altroo was delighted.

"What a thoughtful gesture, neighbour. Of course I'll dine with you." He reaches into his bucket and pulls out a fairly large fish, and then he hands it to Carro. A pang of guilt tinges in Carro's heart; this man is clearly very generous and sweet. But, he couldn't shake the darkness. He couldn't let go of the glory he thought he needed. So, he took the fish, thanked Altroo, and then headed back to his home.

While Carro's late mother had been a spice conniseur, she made most of her living by creating poisons. The residents of Avarice often had quite a lot of people on their hit lists, and a descreat poison is an easy way to kill someone.

Carro cooked up the fish, and he sprinkled in the most deadly of herbs. The guilt kept begging to be felt, but Carro was much too focused now. He felt this was a mission to bring glory to his family who struggled with poverty their whole brutal and short lives. What is a little more blood shed when so much success lies beyond it?

That evening, Carro brought the cooked, poisoned trout back to Altroo's home. Altroo welcomed him warmly, patted his back as if they'd been friends for years. Carro struggled to keep his composure.

They sat down at Altroo's table and Carro put the fish in the middle. Altroo let out a low whistle. "That looks pretty good, friend," he granted. He leaned in close and gave the dish a heavy inhale. "Mm," he mumbled. "Smells like fish alright." He chuckled and then sat down across from Carro. Carro was focusing on his breathing and trying not to look suspicious.

"It is fish," Carro said. Altroo chuckled some more, and Carro gave him a squeamish smile.

"Well, friend. Tell me your story," Altroo said as he stood up and started carving up the fish.

"My story?" Carro repeated nervously. "It's, uh ... It's not a very pleasant one." Altroo glances up into Carro's eyes and he looks sympathetic.

"Everyone has got a little darkness in their tales." He piles some fish onto his own plate, and then puts the same amount onto Carro's plate. "Did you want more than that or is that good for you?" Carro hesitated.

"I- I don't know. That's good, I think." Carro's body was close to trembling. Altroo started to look worried.

"Listen, if there's something you need to talk about..."

"No," Carro blurted out, suddenly regaining his composure. "No, I'm alright. Just thinking about how nice this place is compared to where I used to live." Altroo hums as he sits back down in his seat.

"It's tough to find a better place to call home than Filantropia." Carro pondered that for a moment.

"Well, the homes are quite small here..." he said. Altroo shrugged and shook his head.

"The houses are small, yes, but the home ... The home lives in here." Altroo tapped on his chest. Carro's eyebrows furrowed.

"You don't ever wish more for yourself?"

"Why would I? I already have love. What more could I need?" And with that, Altroo took a bite of the fish. As he was chewing, Carro stared at him. He pondered if it was possible to ever love someone who would even think of killing a person as an option. As Altroo swallowed, the floodgates within Carro opened up and the heavy guilt poured into his heart. Tears welled up in his eyes as he watched Altroo choke. They made eye contact; Altroo's eyes were wide and bright green, not unlike the colour his sister's eyes once were.

Carro closed his eyes during the last moments of Altroo's life. He couldn't bear to watch.

Once the sound of struggle had subsided, Carro finally looked upon what he had done. Altroo's head was on the table, and his arm was outstretched with a tightly closed fist, as if he had been reaching towards Carro to give him something. With a heavy heart, Carro lifted Altroo's limp arm and pryed his fingers open. A golden, heart-shaped locket clattered onto the table. It looked expensive. That's the first thought Carro had about it. The second thought was to chastise the first thought. What kind of monster had Carro become?

When Carro finally brought himself to open the locket, he gazed upon the small photo on the inside. It was a young girl who also beared Altroo's green eyes. Carro knew this must have been his daughter, or his sister, or his mother. This was Altroo's family, just like Von had been Carro's family.

The next decision Carro made was the easiest one he ever had to make. He took a bite of the poisoned fish, and he prayed to everything and anything for forgiveness as the poison took hold of him.