A MAZE OF GREED

The dawn was approaching fast. It was quiet and peaceful around as the people who had worked hard in the daylight to have a plate of food on their table were resting leisurely in the arms of deep sleep. At such a silent time, a dim light peaked through the window of an old apartment in the eastern part of the town of Vincardine.

This town was situated in Northern England, surrounded by both great mountains, covered with large and numerous trees on the one side and an unfathomable ocean on the other side. Some decades ago this town was a very prosperous port as it was an important stop for the ships which travelled the large distances for trade. Though small in size it attracted pretty much wealth and attention towards it. As a result, many rich families came to settle down here and tried their luck in gaining profits from the prospering trades and businesses.

The town was a centre of artisans, traders, wealthy business families, craftsmen, etc. It was a well-known example of town planning in the neighbouring region with the features such as a grid pattern of housing, large squares which witnessed grand carnivals and celebrations along with marches and riots on occasions, large multi-storeyed brick houses with beautifully groomed backyards, large public gardens and common assembly halls.

But the main centre of attraction was a sculptural marvel placed exactly in the heart of the town. It was a grand statue of George O'Dell Sr. who was known as the founder of this comparatively smaller yet important town.

His well-sculpted statue was shown riding his favourite horse whose front legs rose in the air while his and his master's weight was balanced on the beast's hind legs. George O'Dell Sr.'s one hand grasped the ropes of his horse while the other hand was held high in the air with a long sword thrusting upwards as if it was piercing through the limitless sky. The aura of the statue was still very alive and powerful, and over the years it was a symbol of unity and power for the people residing in Vincardine.

They say that nothing is constant, especially, good things. True to this the town witnessed its downfall after some decades of prosperity. The availability of more convenient ways of transport reduced the traffic of trade ships in the port, eventually draining its glory. Many influential families decided to look for a new abode, where they could bring their lives back on the track of richness.

But the most influential out of them, the originators, the O'Dell family, decided to stay back and conserve the historical legacy of their brave ancestors.

This event of decreasing trade which led to the decline in prosperity hit hard the middle-income groups, as well as, lower-income groups. Though the O'Dell family managed to look for other means of livelihood for themselves as well as their people, these particular groups couldn't cope with the drastically changing situations.

The majority of them decided to move to the eastern part of the town, which was cheap enough to provide them with a roof over their head and little means of survival. The income divide created a rift between the western, wealthy part of the town and the eastern, poor part which led to conflicts, occasionally violent ones, between the people from both sides.

The O'Dell family mediated to resolve these frequent issues and pushed all the poor people to the eastern side of the town with a promise of providing them employment opportunities on the western side. Initially, not everyone was happy with this settlement, but gradually they became used to it. They had to. That reduced the tensions by a considerable level.

The eastern part was crowded, filthy and unsafe as per the assumptions of the people sitting on the pile of money on the western side. Many people from the East worked as servants, carpenters, tailors, etc. for the people who were able to pay them for their work.

While some seduced the wealthy ones with their half-naked bodies adorned with flashy jewellery and cunning tactics. The so-called sophisticated riches forgot their social status when lust took over their pride and spontaneously their feet took them to this dirty part of Vincardine.

The said dim light was coming from one of the old four-storeyed buildings, which consisted of small rooms, large enough to accommodate a person and his belongings and was located on the third floor. On the contrary, to the surroundings, this particular room was neatly kept and clean. It was filled with a small bed on one wall, a table and a chair on the other and a concise cooking area with minimum utensils.

A silhouette sitting on the chair was moving in a constant rhythm. The loosely kept toffee brown-coloured long hair swayed the cool breeze coming from the half-closed window. This poor young woman was strikingly beautiful not giving away the truth of her miserable life. Her exquisite beauty was pure, gentle like that one eye-catching lotus that blooms in the mud. As soon as the viewer's eyes fell on the red beauty, he forgets everything around looking at the captivating sight.

She was nothing like those rich brats whose faces were covered under a thick layer of makeup. She was more like the first ray of the sun… pleasant and warm, and still, she could easily overshadow all the beauties in the town.

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On the other side of Vincardine at its outskirts, two men stood looking at the woods that spread for miles ahead of them. One of them looked up at the dark sky that was illuminated by the soft white light of a full moon.

He gulped audibly, clenching his fists.

"We should hurry up." The other man said.

Without more words, the two of them entered the woods, not worrying that somebody might see them. They didn't need to worry about it because no one dared to come to that place at that odd hour of the night.

Why?

Because of fear. Fear for life!