Crowe’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Rieko, are part of the president’s top advisors and so they can afford the luxury of maids and fancy lifestyles. Their home is a paradise in prestigious suburbs with servants and all the good things to modern standards. Crowe, their only child, is as kind as a dove and humble gentleman who is sensitive about people and love to help.

Lucy, one of the Rieko’s maids, conceived Beth while in high school and her parents threw her to the streets, and she was forced to live in the streets with the child. Unfortunately, due to the poor conditions, Beth spent her life as a baby she had developed a hearing problem and became deaf. When Lucy sought employment at the Rieko’s years ago through a friend she had made on the streets, she hid the fact that she had a child. She hid Beth in her room and locked her in so she would not leave.  Lucy to a great extent blamed Beth for the misery of her life and considered her more of bad luck and a shame.

Beth was a phenomenal artist and would draw some of the best arts with her hands and hang them on the windows in her house. Lucy made a point to buy her pencils, paints and drawing boards only so the drawing would keep her in the room. Crowe noticed the drawings on the windows and thought they were awesome. He had tried to ask the maids whose work it was, and Lucy had claimed it was her work.

One day Crowe was looking through the windows from the main house when he noticed some movements in the house and saw a face as Beth was placing her art on the window. He found it odd since Lucy was in the main house. Crowe observed the house for a while, and when he was confident something was off, he decided to sneak there sometime to find out what was happening. Crowe managed to find Beth and tried to talk to her through the window, but she never responded but just stared. He wrote it down on paper in big letters, and Beth began to communicate by doing the same.

“Who are you?”

“Beth”

“ I like your drawings.”

(Beth drew a happy face)

“Come out of the house we take a walk.”

“I Can’t. Don’t be seen here.”

Crowe learned he had to stay hidden and keep it a secret that he knew about Beth. Crowe decided to help Beth sneak out sometimes. He stole a spare key for the maid’s rooms from their house and used it to sneak Beth out for an hour every day when Lucy was busy in the main house.

One day, Lucy was feeling unwell and went back to the house to rest only to find Beth was not there. Beth and Crowe showed up later laughing and chatting to find Lucy in the house. They were both scared, and Beth was particularly scared that she would be scolded and they would have to go back to the streets. Lucy pulled Beth into the house and shut the door on Crowe’s face.

”You stupid fool you ruined everything,” Lucy shouted

“I am sorry mother,” Beth muttered in fear.

“Pack your clothes we get out here before the boss knows,” Lucy screamed at Beth.

Amid tears, Beth began collecting her paintings. They were done in minutes, and when they opened the door to leave, Crowe was standing there with his security guards, and they would not let them leave. Crowe explained the situation to his parents and Lucy was reprimanded, but she got to keep her job. Beth was enrolled in a deaf school with art classes, and her arts became some of the best selling arts making her enough money to pay her fees and make a life for herself and her mother.

Word count: 655