The moon hung over the peaceful waters of an island in the Volta Region, casting silver lines over the foamy waves. But to six-year-old Daniel, loveliness filled the evening had been submerged in the magnitude of his situation. At this age, he was no child of laughter, playfulness, or text. He was a boy of the waters—he was bullied by his stepfather into toiling in the pitiless depths of the river, his small hands dragging heavy fish nets through icy currents. He was eaten up through his nights by the endless drudgery, his days by exhaustion. There was no school, there were no companions, there was no future—only the constant cycle of drudgery and humiliation.
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Daniel was forced to endure this way for years, his sole sanctuary being in the brief moments of daydreaming—daydreams of life where he would be permitted to sit within a classroom, where he could possibly read and write like the children whom he saw at far-off times. But when he was twelve years old, a glimmer of hope emerged. His mother, believing she was doing him a favor by giving him a better life, sent him to live with an uncle in another town where he was promised an education.
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Promises can be deceiving, though.
The terror did not stop—it merely changed locations. Instead of a school, Daniel was again bound in servitude through labor. His stepfather, having pledged to his mother that he was in good shape, was as much a bad guy as his stepfather. Rather than books, nets were presented to Daniel. Instead of a pen for writing, a paddle was offered to him. During the day, he fished, and cared for the family's elder blind uncle in the evenings, his wiry body burdened with adult responsibilities. His mother, unaware that she was being lied to, believed that her son was finally leading the life she had envisioned for him.
Years passed by, and Daniel's childhood slipped away from him like the fish he caught every day. But fate had other plans.
It was when his situation attracted notice—albeit not from kin, but from outsiders—that his predicament grew serious. His landlord, some renters, and a group of sympathetic radio news anchors began piecing together his life. Rumors of his situation reached the ears of an NGO dedicated to freeing children in child labor bondage. And that was a time when Daniel's life was altered forever.
But was it a rescue, then? Did he at last break free, or another mirage?
Stay tuned for Part 2, when Daniel faces his most crucial moment yet—a battle between fate, liberty, and past scars.