[Jevan’s Perspective]
I stayed by little Jevan’s side all day, watching him sit on that same pavement, in the same position, until the sun was about to set. Sadly, luck wasn’t on his side today either.
Honestly? I wasn’t surprised. I’d been by his side for over three months, and most days he came back empty handed.
Just as he was about to leave, a man appeared in the distance and approached him. Messy red hair, a light beard of the same color, and a wide hat hiding most of his face.
He was dressed in a sleek black outfit that looked far too polished for this place the uniform of an Inspector from the Bureau of Investigation.
An Inspector? Here? In the lower district? Normally, no one from the Bureau would ever come down here.
Unless there was a supernatural case tied to the authorities (or if they were an eccentric like Inspector Graves). And it would have to be a very serious case.
But the surprise didn’t end there. Suddenly, the man turned toward me and stared directly at me.
Could it be... he sees me? No, impossible. No one’s supposed to see me here. He only looked at me for a moment, then turned away as if nothing had happened. After that, he pulled a coin from his pocket and tossed it to little Jevan before leaving.
I focused on the coin in Jevan’s hand, and to my utter shock it was silver. The equivalent of about a hundred bronze coins. He quickly hid it in his pocket, then sprang to his feet and ran like his life depended on it. I chased after him. Sadly, I couldn’t fly inside this dream. Life is cruel even in dreams.
I muttered to him or rather to myself, since no one could hear me:
"Why are you running like that? Calm down, no one noticed you got that coin."
Or so I thought until I glanced back and saw the other beggars who had been sitting nearby suddenly sprinting after him.
One lost his shoe mid run. Another screamed incoherently. A third already looked like he was imagining what he’d do with the money.
Little Jevan ran with all his might, darting through alleys like a terrified rat. But it was pointless. In the end, they cornered him in a narrow, dark alley.
One beggar, bald with sunken eyes and a rough voice, stepped forward and said:
"Hand over everything you’ve got, boy."
Jevan trembled but shook his head stubbornly. He stepped back until his back was against the wall. Then, without warning, he tried leaping to the side to escape but a filthy hand grabbed him by the collar. It belonged to the barefoot beggar.
The boy screamed as he struggled to break free:
"Let go of me! I told you, I don’t have anything!"
The man slammed him against the wall, while the other two tried prying the coin from his pocket. But his small hand clutched it fiercely.
His face turned red, tears welled up in his eyes. I watched helplessly, fury boiling inside me.
I wanted to help but as always in this dream I was nothing but a ghost.
But... was this really a dream? At first, I kept trying to convince myself it was, clinging to the idea like a drowning man clutching a straw. But now? Now I wasn’t so sure. A little late for doubts, I know.
I saw little Jevan collapse to the ground, his small body covered in blood after they beat him and stole the silver coin. Not satisfied, they also tried yanking off the silver pendant hanging around his neck.
Tears streamed down his dirty cheeks. I could see the helplessness and despair in his eyes.
I wanted to scream, to do something anything. I had to intervene. I couldn’t just stand by.
But what could I do? This was the second time in my life I’d felt this powerless.
I watched his tiny hand clutch the pendant, desperately trying to hold onto it. But that damned barefoot beggar smacked his hand away violently.
I muttered helplessly: ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩•𝗳𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝕟𝕖𝕥
"I wish I could intervene."
I wasn’t expecting anything. I knew I had some kind of ability to grant small wishes. The problem was, the most I’d ever managed with it was helping find a lost cat.
But the moment I whispered those words, I found myself punching the beggar square in the face. He fell to the ground, rolling away, completely off balance.
The other two stared at me in disbelief. I didn’t give them time to react.
I punched the second quickly, then kicked the third so hard he slammed into the wall and collapsed beside his companions, unconscious.
Little Jevan stared at me in shock. I approached him, knelt down, and gently placed my hand on his head, whispering:
"Dont worry. You’re safe now."