Mariana is the most beautiful girl in the town. No she’s not blonde like the rest of the Aryan beauties of the town, and her nose wasn’t thin, and her eyesight was quite poor, but to me her black hair, her button nose, and her oversized glasses were beautiful to me. Mariana wore red, and the others wore blue and pink, Mariana had grey eyes, while the others were blue and brown, Mariana had high cheekbones rather that a pure soft look. Marian looked fierce and smart, while the others looked pure and Christian.

I am a man who could steal anything I want. As I walk past the bakery, and take all that I needed, and the next morning he’d greet me as if I was his pal. You see, nobody grudges me here because of my charm. I admit it’s almost manipulative, but I mean no harm, and I never take more than needed. I help the children, I talk to the mothers, I never make love to a taken woman, I’ve never disrespected a good man or father, never have I burned a bible, or complained about a dry meal. There’s only one thing I cannot possibly steal.

There’s a boy named Dante, blonde, tall. Very shy, pale, with big brown eyes, freckles, and money. He’s king though, and artistic, the woman usually don’t go for someone like unless they want money, no offense to our starving woman. And he feeds them, he has no filter, he’ll tell them he knows what they want, not out of rudeness, just mistrust. And he gives them it too. If he sees a sickly pale or thin woman, who’d like to clean for him or give him favors, he’d say “no need”, and give them food or shelter. He’s a good man, but I can never like him.

Because Mariana looks to him like he’s golden. She craves him just as I her. Every time he walks into town, and I see that look on her face when she eyes him, a part of me shatters. You see, I am nothing but good to Mariana. I love her, and she doesn’t know. Mariana comes to me one day, one terribly humid morning.

“Clyde, help me Clyde!” She says excitedly. Her smile is huge and her eyes are wide, I almost can’t tell if she’s in shock or overly joyous.

“Yes Mariana? What’s the matter?”

“I’d like to make a confession to Dante,” she replies.

I look away so my heart shattering doesn’t reflect in her glossy eyes. I turn back to say “well of course I’ll help you,”. I sound soft and raw, I almost don’t know it’s my own voice.

“Could you buy a flower for me? And I do mean buy, Clyde,” she tells me sternly, although I see her holding back a giggle.

“Of course” I reply. I go straight to the towns circle, where theirs carts selling anything from painted pebbles to shoe laces, anything to make a quick penny. I swoosh past the flower cart with a few peony’s that fit into my tattered jacket, and spin to act like I’m looking at the assorted buttons on the cart right next to it.

“Now don’t take anything Clyde!” Warns Mrs.Weary.

“Oh Mrs.Weary, my love, don’t you worry about me, you see, today is a good day, now may God bless you and your buttons” I say to her, I watch her eyes soften and walk away with six buttons and the peonies.

I come back to Mariana and place the flowers next to her, writing viciously on a yellowed parchment.

I decide to leave the town for a while, to think about if there’s anything I could steal that would replace and fill the hole that fell out of my heart. I realized this day I couldn’t steal her heart, instead she stole mine. A thief rubs off their skills on people they like, I suppose..

(Me trying not to recreate les misérables)