Darling Legacy · Chapter One — The Beginning
They were only children when they huddled outside, hugging each other, trying to keep warm.
Christopher held his siblings in his arms, pulling them closer, as close as he could. They sat on the ground, in some park, in an unknown neighborhood.
They once had beds, a warm and happy home. But for reasons none of them wished to discuss, they had to leave it all behind. Now there was only each other, and a little bit of hope. Mostly, there was coldness, hunger, and discomfort.
As an older teenager, Christopher felt the need to provide and protect his siblings. He made plans all day long in his head, trying to come up with ideas to get them out of their situation. The streets were no place for children, and that needed to change quickly. But what can you do when you’ve had to run miles, hours away from home? What can you do when all you’ve got is an empty belly and toddlers to care for and protect?
Well, he could paint. So he did. Every day he sat on the sidewalk with his battered easel and painted portraits for a few dollars. A few of them a day could sustain them. He earned pennies, but he saved them diligently and used the money only for necessities. He never thought an old, thrifted, broken easel would manage to sustain them. And it would, he hoped. Every day, he dreamt of what they would become, if only he could work a little more, a little harder.
He ran around town a lot, doing odd jobs for odd people. He painted fences, repaired door hinges, carried groceries. This boy seemed to be everywhere, but inside, he was nowhere.
Cathy held on to Chris’s arm around her. Much younger, she didn’t have the skills her brother had. But she was good with the little ones. She took care of the twins—toddlers. She loved them very much, but wished they didn’t exist at all. They made everything so much harder. Because of them, she had to find twice as much food. When she picked fruit off trees along roads and in parks, she had to constantly make sure they were safe and entertained. One of them running into traffic would have been the end of her.
She loved them, but she wasn’t a dreamer like Christopher. She was angry and bitter: at the world, at life, even at herself for not enjoying what she once had when she had the chance. But there was no time for complaints or wishful thinking. Every day was the same: waking up in some park, or by a river, or anywhere they had found a place to rest. They shared food scraps found in the trash, donated by kind strangers, or greens harvested from their surroundings. They were most definitely malnourished, but nourished nonetheless, and they were thankful. Even her.
Then they moved, a little farther each day. A new park, a new alley, a new beach. They would settle for the day where they thought it would be safest, not too close to people, but not too far from businesses and homes where they could find some work. Chris hustled, Cathy picked and dug up roots and vegetables. The twins crawled and played, cried and napped. Then they settled for the night, and it would all start over the next day.
Who knew a public bathroom sink could do so much? Rinse their produce, wash stinky bums, freshen faces, fill baby bottles. And a piece of cardboard lined with crispy leaves? A perfect bed for a tired toddler. And a good old bush? The perfect toilet when no gyms or convenience stores were around. They had become quite resourceful.
Their goal was to go as far as they could from their old home. They didn’t know where exactly, but they were confident that, at some point, somewhere would feel right, and they would call that somewhere home. Or at least Chris was.
For now, they focused on surviving the day and making sure their little twins were clean enough and their little bellies full. And they did a pretty damn good job, given the circumstances.
That is where the story of the Darling children starts—the new chapter, at least.
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Chapter 1 - The beginning
If you’re new, or in case you missed it, here’s where the Darlings’ story starts!
