I hollered at the top of my lungs, pestering my Mom for a pair of brand-new shoes for the prize-giving function next day at my school to receive my brand-new certificate. All my happiness and hopes evaporated into thin air just like the dew before the sun when, stepping out the store, I set my eyes upon the nameless, legless beggar girl of my age sitting on the sidewalk with a certificate won at a school prize-giving lying by her side, dusty and dog-eared.
Shattered Hopes,