Challenge #04156-K138: Scarab, Elevated

in #fiction6 months ago

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You claim that I have everything and you have nothing. No, my friend, that is far from the truth.
You have close friends, you have loved ones you can truly trust, you have people who you know for a fact would be there for you no matter what.
All I have is money, and people constantly seeking it. My dearest dream is to just have one true friend who wants to be at my side as yours are. You can take all the money you want, I don't mind. But I've learned, it does not buy true happiness. -- Anon Guest

It's like a fairytale. A story they tell to give hope to the hopeless, and a warmed heart-like area to the people who made them hopeless in the first place. The benevolent rich person changes a poor person's life in one way or another and they live happily ever after.

Often, the rich person learns to appreciate the social simplicity of the poor and gives up their rich person ways to enjoy a simpler life. This has never happened before.

I still don't believe it's happened now.

My name is Mung, and I work with dung. Well. I used to.

It was the end of a long day when I literally tripped over some other wretched soul. They'd been rolled and worked over big time. I saw more than a few impacts from Citiguard nightsticks. They immediately yelped and curled themself up.

"Don't hurt me! I don't have anything left!"

I could see that. They were lucky to have their underpants, honestly. My choices were walk on by and let the Citiguard abuse them again, or help them out.

I might have been constantly exhausted, but I'm not an asshole.

I scooped them up and loaned them my coat for the long stagger to my little apartment. I gave them half of my food and I slept on the floor so they could have the debatable comfort of my mattress.

He gave his name as Lyiam, and I didn't connect the dots until much later. He complained about the dirt, I told him he could clean if he liked. He complained about the food. I told him to get a job and buy something better. He complained about the pay, and I said what our overlord always told us.

"Just work harder until you lift yourself up by your bootstraps." I laughed and said, "That's what the big boss tells us. Never seen anyone do that. Usually the reward for working hard is harder work."

He said, "I'm sorry," and I didn't understand why. Not until he had been there for a couple of months and finally gained contact with his friends. Well. His staff.

I had no idea he was Lyiam Murraine, CEO of the entire planet. Okay. Most of the entire planet. The people he used to count as friends didn't even recognise him after he'd been rolled by a bunch of street robbers. Those 'friends' called the Citiguard on him. Drove him out.

According to the news, they were busy fighting over Mr Murraine's fortune.

They were very surprised to see him return from "Missing, Presumed Very Dead."

They were even more surprised when Mr Murraine named me as his heir.

My name is Mung. I used to work in dung. Now, I don't take crap from anybody.

Between me and Mr Murraine, we're cleaning up this miserable world.

[Photo by Yassine Khalfalli on Unsplash]

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