Florence. The village that they call a mini city or Littletown is located in the southwest of Glasgow. Geographically, Florence is surrounded by two bays, making it similar to a remote island. The seaside village in Folk sore is located at the end of Route eleven and is only visited by a train once a week, making Florence the westernmost and most remote place in Scotland.
The small town is like a hidden gem, full of beautiful scenery, but untouched since capitalism made people focus on big cities. Florence is bordered by cliffs to the north, pine forests to the south, and many green pastures that are a refreshing sight for the eyes. Authentic wooden houses are scattered and emerge like mushrooms among green fields and mountain slopes. Oatmeal International owns most of the wheat fields there. If they climb Bubble Peak in the afternoon, they can see the expanse of tens of hectares of fields shining beautifully like a golden carpet.
The atmosphere in Florence is peaceful and calm. Children play hide-and-seek and kites among the wheat fields. The cows make noise every time they see a motorcycle pass by. People sit leisurely in front of cafes, watching a series of birds return to the side of the ship moored in the sun-drenched ocean. There, in Florence, happiness and tranquility are easily found. Just walking in the pine forest, lying on the grass, or sitting by the window with a cup of coffee makes time feel slow and comfortable. Moments pass meaningfully, far contrasting with the tired and busy city. However, the small village is a scary thing for the local police. The zero-crime rate for the past twenty years has made all officers bored. They are forced to spend their time playing chess in the office or looking for missing neighbors' livestock.
Although Florance became the model village of the year, there is one blot of disgrace emerging in that perfect village, which is a single child called Nico. He is super poor, dirty, no parents and basically a human trash walking around. Everyone stayed away from him as if he had a "contagious" disease. No one dare to help him and if the city inspector came for model village competition, they try to hide him in every possible way. Shove him to warehouse, drown him in a nearby closed well, or maybe toss him at the nearby pine forest.
That day, Nico walked on the streets of the big city in shabby and worn-out clothes. A second-hand bag hung from his shoulder, and he carried a basket of mineral water bottles. He had never experienced having caring parents in his life. He grew up on the streets, living on whatever he could earn from begging. Strangely, Nico couldn't remember where he came from, who his parents were and where, and how he ended up in that Littletown.
He walked to a shopping center in the middle of the village. Although the sun was almost setting, Nico tried hard to sell all his bottles of mineral water. He knew that if he couldn't sell them all, he wouldn't have dinner tonight. However, when he tried to offer his bottles of mineral water to a woman who was shopping, he felt her hand hit the basket of bottles he was holding.
"You again? You've been bothering us since earlier! Go away!" said the woman, who seemed to be annoyed.
Nico felt hurt by the woman's rough treatment. He walked away with a sigh and disappointment in his heart. As he walked along the dark street, he saw a group of kids playing soccer in a small field. He wanted to join them, but he knew there was no place for him there.
"Hey, street kid! Get out of here!" shouted one of the kids from the crowd. Nico didn't know that all the children in there had been warned not to befriend him, or else their families would be cursed and suffer the same fate.
Nico felt even more disappointed. He felt unwanted wherever he went. He walked towards a darker alley, trying to get away from the crowd. Suddenly, he saw a group of young people smoking around the corner of the alley. They started using foul language and looked down on him.
"You looking for trouble, kid? We can teach you a lesson," one of them said threateningly, waving his hand to motion Nico to come closer.
Nico felt scared and wanted to cry. He knew he wouldn't be able to fight them off. With trembling legs, he ran as fast as he could. Unknowingly, the young men were left far behind and couldn't catch up with him. It was strange, considering Nico's small body and short steps. But Nico didn't think twice. Maybe they weren't interested in chasing him.
After catching his breath, hunger once again gnawed at his stomach. He shouldn't have run so fast. He got hungry now. He didn't have any money to buy food at the shop behind the school. He then tried to sell something at the edge of the field, but just like before, he was chased away by the guards and not allowed to sell in the public area. It seemed like he would have to fast again today.
After enduring a long and exhausting day, Nico walked towards the small abandoned house where he had been living since forever. The house was located on the outskirts of the city, in a very poor area. The house was very old and worn out, with walls that were almost collapsing and a leaky roof everywhere. He got this house because no one seems using it. Probably someone forgot having something like this near the forest.
As Nico entered the house, he felt empty. Everything inside the house looked worn out and dingy. The wooden floor was already rotting, the walls were full of mold and dirt, and there was an unpleasant odor. Only a few things remained inside the house, including an old mattress, some cardboard boxes, and a very old gas stove.
Nico felt extremely lonely and sad inside the house. He had no one, and the place that should have been a comfortable and warm place to come home only made him feel more down.
Nevertheless, Nico did not give up. He wants to improve the condition of his house and make it more habitable. He started cleaning the floors and walls, clearing the trash, and fixing the leaky roof. He even started planting some grass in the front yard to add a little beauty to his shabby home.
However, Nico's efforts to fix his house came to a halt when he had no money. He couldn't buy the building materials and tools needed to repair his house. He felt very desperate and felt that his life was always trapped in a cycle of poverty and despair.
When night fell, Nico slept on the old, worn-out mattress in the dingy and outdated house. With an empty stomach, he felt very sad and lonely. He could only hope that tomorrow his life situation would change. That he wouldn't go hungry again.
The next morning, Nico woke up with high spirits. He felt energized and rejuvenated after a beautiful dream last night. He dreamt of celebrating his birthday with his late parents, even tough he cant remember who they are. Now it's a new day, a new beginning. He would try selling bottled drinks again behind the cinema. Nico hoped no officers would chase him away.
As he was crossing a busy road, suddenly a car came speeding out of the bend towards them. Not far from him, there was a mother with her child beside him. That meant Nico couldn't dodge, or they would be the ones hit by the car. Nico felt extremely scared and shocked, and in a state of panic, he tried to save himself by any means necessary.
In an instant, Nico's adrenaline suddenly kicked in. He felt he had to do something and thrust his hand forward. Although it sounded crazy, it was the only thing he could do. He hoped his right hand wouldn't break or they wouldn't be run over by the speeding car. Although impossible, he tried to hold back the car with all his might.
Then the impossible happened. Like hitting a power pole, Nico's handheld the front of the car until it bent and twisted around his hand. The car screeched loudly. Oil, nuts, engine, and wheels flew everywhere. The car's windshield and side windows instantly shattered. The airbag burst and covered the driver's face. The car's tail flipped over and lifted into the air.
With only his right hand, Nico was able to stop the nearly two-ton car and save them from the collision. The people around Nico who witnessed the incident were shocked and amazed. The woman beside him widened her eyes in indescribable surprise. They couldn't believe what they saw, and they didn't understand how Nico could do such a thing.
"What the ..., how did he do that?" exclaimed one of the spectators, completely stunned by the scene.
"Can this even happen? I can't believe my eyes!" said another person in shock.
Nico himself was surprised by his own hand. He looked at his right hand, dumbfounded. He didn't understand how it was possible. He didn't do anything, but why did the car end up wrecked like that?
"Wait, what just happened?" Nico asked himself in confusion.
The people around him continued to crowd and wonder how it could have happened. There were very few cars in that village and Nico had just destroyed one of them. Some even started taking photos and recording the scene on their phones. "The trashiest kid in village save the life of mother and kid." That should be the headline of tomorrow village local newspaper.
"Hey, kid! What did you do just now?" asked a policeman who came to investigate the incident. Another police officer was bewildered by the bent and damaged car. Some of them tried to extract the driver who was now unconscious, thrown by the airbag.
"I don't know, I was just trying to save myself," Nico replied, puzzled and stuttering.
The policeman looked at the car and then at Nico. He then took out a walkie-talkie from his pocket and reported to some place, ignoring Nico from then on.
As Nico tried to leave the scene, the policemen suddenly intercepted him again. At first, they seemed friendly and offered to help him get out of the crowd that had gathered around the scene.
However, when they brought Nico into a waiting van parked by the side of the road, Nico felt uneasy and began to suspect something fishy.