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Those coins are for him. You can give them to him at the end of the day. But the note I just gave you? That’s for you. Put it somewhere safe. Somewhere he won’t see it.

Oh, I know what it’s like doing what you’re doing, little one. Did you know I was a beggar too? I know exactly what it’s like. It’s not just begging, it’s an industry – with training, techniques, gangs, rivals. I know that you have a boss.

I gave everything I earned to my boss and he kept me safe from bad people. I was given food and a blanket in return for all of the money I made. I didn’t get to keep any of it myself. That’s the same for you, isn’t it? Mm.

Let me tell you a story, little one. I grew close to another beggar who worked for my boss – Jamie was his name. Jamie was a very funny and charismatic boy, but he was also very troubled and he could have mood swings and violent outbursts. We sparked up a friendship when I saw that he loved Cherry Ripes and stole one for him. He was my only friend, really, so I loved him very much.

But like I said, he was troubled. Some days he would scream at people who didn’t leave him any money, or scream at those who did. He would scream at the boss and the boss did not like that.

The outbursts became more and more frequent until one day the boss grabbed Jamie and hauled him into his car. He came back hours later, a huge grin on his face. Even gave a few of us money that day. No one saw Jamie again and we never found out where the boss took him. In fact, I am quite certain that the boss… well, I’m just going to say it, little one. I am certain that he murdered Jamie.

Oh, there’s no need to cry, little one. Things turned out okay for me and I think they might turn out okay for you too. See, at one point, the boss gave one of the older beggars a promotion and he became a bodyguard. Some of us were older and bigger and the boss was scared that we might try to do something to him. He kept Jamal around to keep himself safe.

I made friends with Jamal and convinced him that we should all go to the police. If we all went at the same time they would have to believe us, so that’s exactly what we did. My boss was doing lots of things that the police don’t allow people to do and he ended up going to prison for a very long time.

Some of us were old enough to survive on our own after this and we were given a place to stay and some money to buy food. But some of us were a bit too young still, like yourself, and those little ones were taken to an orphanage. That’s a place for children who don’t have their parents with them anymore....

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