Pomona

Doro was what they called him. He was only Doro, nothing more nothing less. This boy who's life was in the hands of chaos, found himself reflecting on the evil the world had brought upon his life and had begun to think that evil was a natural condition of the human experience. But, unknowing to Doro's young mind, evil was perspective. Evil was a natural law of the world and in it's darkness, allows their to be good. The world consisted of sequences of equivalent exchange and good and evil were the most popular commodities.

Doro lived on the streets of a place he couldn't point out on a map. He simply existed; slept, ate, and drank. That's the only thing his life consisted of and he had no foresight of what the next human exchange could bring. He was only twelve, surviving alone after his parents were murdered four years ago, resulting in his obsession with understanding the evils of the world. He often wondered why God created us and came to the unwelcoming conclusion that his life was nothing but a result of an omnipotent entity's curiosity. He had forgot most of what had happened that day and actively tried to block out the memories completely. But, the the one thing he remembered was the the sweet nectar that ran down his lips from the pear from his mothers tree he had been eating before he heard the screams of his father. The soft succulence of the fruit was the last joyful moment he could remember before everything shattered before him.

Doro sat on the cold moist ground, observing his surroundings and gazing at passing strangers. He watched people pass on the street everyday, witnessing, very often, humans' innate temptation to evil. In the distance his eyes latched on to a women holding a bag who seemed to contrast the environment, she walked elegantly and with purpose unlike most people he saw. As she walked closer, her beauty mesmerized him and in that moment he believed what he saw was the very manifestation of "good". There was no hatred in her eyes and purity in her footsteps. Doro found himself gawking in awe as the lady approached him and knelt down low enough for them to be eye to eye. The boy panicked as the bottom of her dress began to accumulate dirt from the unclean gravel. He squirmed at the idea of something so pure becoming corrupted with the madness that flooded his environment. The women unbothered by the dirt that had collected on her dress, asked Doro a question.

"Young boy, why do you hate the world?" She asked.

His star struck demeanor turned into confusion very quickly as he couldn't understand why someone would ask that question. To him, the question was redundant, any sane person in this world understands it's evils and without a doubt would hate the world as well. He opened his mouth and spoke his truth.

"What world do you live in lady? I hate the world because I hate evil and because we were born into this world we have to suffer it's wrath. It's not fair." He answered with spite.

She could tell the child was broken and took a moment to think carefully before responding.

"Doro, it seems you have a very deep misunderstanding of the world. Although good and evil exist, they are creations of the human mind. They are nothing but words, accumulations of sound, used to classify things we like and don't like about this world. The things we hate, people that hurt us, and situations that cause chaos are concepts we deem to be evil because they negatively effect us. These interactions, although unfortunate, are principals of life." She paused for a moment to see if Doro understood.

"Bullshit! You're a fraud. What kind of person justifies evil?" Doro began to bawl.

"A lion's hunger is not evil, yet he takes the life of his prey to survive. Do you think the deer wants to die? No. The deer doesn't harbor animosity or hatred towards the lion as it gets clawed down. It simply wants to live. Just as the cows in the slaughter house across the street don't hate humans. There's a mutual contract between all living things, that one lives to survive and survives to live and that's all there is. But, young man if you choose to feed into the concepts of evil, you must not forget about the "good" of humanity. Everything on this earth must follow the laws of equivalent exchange so there is just as much good as there is evil in this world. You choose how you decide to live you're life, it's yours." She smiled at the boy.

He stared at her, in awkward silence, tears running down his face as his understanding of the world had been changed in the matter of seconds. The woman reached out and held the boy in her arms as he bawled for minutes. She pulled away and took a look at the boys face, now devoid of the hatred that filled his eyes before.

"Thank you." Doro whispered as his voice trembled.

"Of course. Move forward child and look past the iniquity of the world and search for the purity in it." She said.

She stood up and reached into her bag to pull out a soft, pale green pear. She tossed it to the boy as he gazed at the fruit that seemed to glow from out of her bag. He was more grateful than he'd ever been and continued to cry tears as he bit into the fruit, reminding him of the the jouissance moments he used to enjoy about living. The woman turned and began to walk away as she spoke to the boy for the last time.

"This is your new life, I suggest you use the name your mother gave you, Raito."