Chapter 4 (That scratch)

Little Richard woke up fresh in the morning. He couldn’t feel the presence of green stares and sleep disturbance last night. But he felt irritated as he didn’t see the warrior boy in his dream. The bravery and courage of the boy motivated him. But by looking at his immovable legs, he felt ashamed again. That morning gave Richard a mix of emotions.

Mr. Gratville left the house early to catch the first ship to Bengal. He said goodbye neither to his son nor to everyone at the mansion. Richard didn’t mind it at all. Unlike other kids, he asked for no gifts from his father before the trip. After doing regular chores, Richard attended Mrs. Irene’s boring class. He tried to concentrate on the lessons despite being bored. Richard tried not to look apart the study. It was because he inspired Bak Joan. Even though Bak Joan was a servant at the mansion, he had a great aim. He wanted to study Latin and go to law school. Richard was impressed with his passion and thought he should try as much as Bak Joan.

Speaking of Bak Joan, Richard hadn’t found him that morning.

“Where had he been? Did he feel bad because of my words?” Richard’s thoughts distracted him from his studies again.

After the lessons, Richard began to go around the mansion in his wheelchair, hoping to find Bak Joan. After observing for half an hour, he still couldn’t find Bak Joan.

When he got to the dining hall, he heard noises from the chimney. Pieces of smoke came down through it. Richard was shocked, thinking if a thief was coming down from the chimney. He quickly grabbed a rod nearby and determined to protect his home from the intruder. The warrior boy inspired his courage. Richard rang the bell to call the butler and yelled,

“Come out, ye sneaky thief!”

More smoke and ashes rolled down from the chimney. Finally, Richard could hear something hitting the ground. Richard aimed his rod at that dark thing. The black mass wiped its ashes. Upon seeing what it was, Richard was flabbergasted.

“Bak Joan!”

Bak Joan was shirtless, wearing only short pants, holding a broom, and his body covered in ashes. In Richard’s eye, Bak Joan looked like a monkey.

“Oh, Master. I was clearing the ashes in the chimney,” he said calmly.

“Are you cleaning them alone without any companions? Are you not afraid of falling?” Richard said worriedly.

“Master, I am the only one in this house who can climb this chimney,” Bak Joan said. His words were logical because his body was slim but fibrous. His arms and legs were as strong as hard workers, and his belly had small chunks of muscle. Bak Joan reminded Richard of Greek god statues. “Perhaps, his hard work made him muscular,” Richard thought. Seeing this gave him a weird feeling that he couldn’t speak out.

Just then, the butler came because of the bell Richard rang. “Any problems, Master Richard?” he asked.

“Why is he doing this cleaning job alone? Isn’t it too dangerous?”

“But Master, only his body could fit inside the chimney. Also, Bak Joan said that he had done this before at the orphanage,”

“Mr. Butler, I’ve finished cleaning all of them,” Bak Joan interrupted.

“Oh, Alright. You may take a bath and rest now,” The Butler said.

The butler took Bak Joan to the bathroom. Richard suddenly noticed a scratch on Bak Joan’s back.

“Hey, your back!” he yelled. Bak Joan patted his back and said, “Oh, I got that scratch while falling!” “I’ll treat him with some medicine, Master,” the butler said too.

Richard was still looking at his back from far.