The Most Famous Restaurant Chef and Owner In the World Is a Middle Schooler?!
Bread and Muddy Water
Wan Yark. Early morning. A tiny, cold house. The roof leaks. A loaf of bread sits on the table. A bucket of muddy water stands near the door.
She rubs her eyes and stands barefoot on the cold floor.
Savanna Greensky
Hey, mom… what can I eat today? I’m hungry… 😕
Her stomach hurts, but she tries to sound calm.
Mother
Good morning, dear…
Today we have… this bread. It’s a bit hard.
And… one liter of cold water from the well.
Savanna Greensky
Again…?
Mom… why is it always bread?
Savanna looks at the loaf like it’s a rock.
Savanna Greensky
Why can’t we buy some rice from the wandering merchant?
Even if we spend a little, we’d still have a few coins left.
We could repair the roof… even just a small part.
I’m not asking for chicken… I know it’s too expensive.
Just a bit of rice… something warm…
Mother avoids Savanna’s eyes while reaching for the loaf.
Mother
I’m sorry, dear…
As your mother… I’m ashamed. 😔
Your father left us when you were two…
From then on… I couldn’t provide you with a decent life.
I’m such a bad parent… 😢
I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…
Savanna Greensky
No! Mom, stop… please!
You’re not a bad parent.
Savanna steps closer quickly, almost afraid her mother will break.
Savanna Greensky
I’m sorry for complaining.
I know you work so hard… I know you do.
And here I am whining about food…
That’s insensitive of me.
I just… I just got tired…
Mother kneels and holds Savanna’s cheeks. Her hands are rough from work.
Mother
I know.
You just want a better life.
You want to eat better and more delicious food…
And not worry about money and housing every day.
Savanna Greensky
Yes…
I don’t want to see you suffer anymore.
Mother
Don’t worry. One day, I’m sure your dream will come true.
Goddess Laitefia will surely hear our prayers.
She protects her children… even the poorest of the poor.
Savanna Greensky
Do you really believe that?
Sometimes I feel like we’re too small for anyone to notice.
Mother
I believe it, because belief is the last thing we own.
If I stop believing… I won’t have strength tomorrow.
And I need strength… for you.
Mother breaks the bread carefully into two pieces.
Mother
Here. Eat slowly so it doesn’t hurt your mouth.
Drink water after.
It’s cold, but it will help.
Savanna Greensky
The bread is hard… it scratches my mouth…
But I’ll eat it.
Savanna chews slowly, trying to make the bread softer. It doesn’t work.
Savanna Greensky
Mom… are you going to work again today?
Savanna Greensky
How many jobs…?
Savanna’s eyes widen. Even if she already knows, hearing it said out loud feels heavier.
Savanna Greensky
Five…?
That’s too much…
You don’t sleep.
She smiles, but the smile looks forced.
Savanna Greensky
You’re lying…
Your eyes are tired.
Mother
I’m fine.
I just need to keep going.
Savanna Greensky
I hate father.
I hate him for leaving.
Mother
Don’t waste your heart on him.
Your heart is precious.
Save it for your future.
Savanna Greensky
I don’t even remember his face…
But I remember you crying at night.
Savanna Greensky
Yes.
I heard you praying when you thought I was asleep.
Mother
Then hear this too:
I’m proud of you.
You’re still kind… even when life is cruel.
Savanna Greensky
I don’t feel kind.
I feel angry.
And hungry.
Mother
It’s okay to be angry.
Just don’t become cruel.
Cruelty is the easiest poison to drink.
Mother ties a worn scarf around her hair and adjusts her clothes for work.
Savanna Greensky
Mom… one day… I want to cook.
I want to make food that tastes warm…
Like a home.
Mother
You will.
You’ll become someone big.
Not because you want fame…
But because you want freedom.
Savanna Greensky
If I become big…
I’ll buy rice.
And soft bread.
And meat sometimes.
And I’ll fix the roof.
And you will sleep.
Mother
If that day comes…
I’ll be the happiest mother in Arlondia.
Savanna Greensky
Promise you’ll stay alive until then.
Mother walks to the door. Cold air slips in through the cracks.
Savanna Greensky
Be careful on the road, mom. Please.
Mother
I will.
I’ll come back. Always.
Savanna Greensky
I’ll pray too…
Goddess Laitefia… please… don’t ignore us…
Mother
Study well today.
And don’t be ashamed of being poor.
Shame belongs to people who abandon.
Mother kisses Savanna’s forehead and leaves. The door closes. Silence returns.
Savanna Greensky
…Bread again…
But one day… it won’t be like this.
Savanna eats slowly, staring at the broken roof as if she’s already planning how to fix it.
The Exchange Student
Wan Yark. Late morning. A worn-out school building. Cracked walls, old desks, chalk dust in the air. The classroom smells like damp wood and cheap soap.
Students whisper because today is “exchange day.” Foreign students are coming from other countries.
Teacher
Class, we have an exchange student today. Be polite.
The door opens. A boy steps in. His uniform is clean, his shoes are new, his hair is neat. He looks around like the room is beneath him.
Some local students straighten their backs, trying to impress him.
Savanna Greensky
(thinking) If I greet him first… maybe I can make a friend.
Maybe not everyone is cruel.
Savanna stands up. Her uniform is clean but old. Her bag is patched and stitched in several places.
Savanna Greensky
Hello! I’m Savanna Greensky.
You can call me Anna or Sky.
What about you?
The exchange student’s eyes move slowly over her. Shoes. Sleeves. Bag. Hands. He pauses like he’s judging something invisible.
Exchange Student
…Get away from me.
Savanna Greensky
Oh— I just wanted to—
Exchange Student
You stink, b***h.
The word hits the room like a slap. For a second, everything is silent.
Then a few students snicker. Not because it’s funny… but because cruelty gives them a place to stand.
Savanna’s face goes pale. Her eyes sting. She tries to swallow, but her throat feels blocked.
Savanna Greensky
(thinking) I stink…?
But mom washed my uniform last night…
She scrubbed it with her hands…
Savanna forces herself not to cry in front of the class. She turns away quickly.
Savanna Greensky
…Excuse me.
She walks out fast, holding her breath like she can’t let anyone see her shaking.
She reaches the medical office and closes the door behind her.
It’s quiet. No nurse. Just a bed, a cabinet, and a small window.
She sits down, then immediately covers her mouth with both hands so she won’t make a sound.
Savanna Greensky
(thinking)
If I cry loud… someone will hear…
They’ll laugh more…
Tears slip out anyway. She wipes them quickly, but more come.
Savanna Greensky
(thinking)
Why did he say that?
I just wanted to talk…
I just wanted to be normal…
Time passes. The sounds of class continue faintly behind the wall. Savanna stays there until the bell rings.
School ends. The hallway empties. Savanna takes a deep breath and stands up.
Savanna Greensky
(thinking)
Okay… just go to the classroom.
Take my bag.
Go home.
Tell mom nothing.
Savanna walks back. Her steps are slow, like she’s walking toward punishment.
She opens the classroom door.
She freezes.
Her bag is torn. The strap is ripped apart. Her notebooks and papers are scattered on the floor.
Dirty shoe marks cover her pages. Someone stepped on them repeatedly.
Her voice comes out small and broken.
Savanna Greensky
My bag…
My books…
She kneels slowly. Her fingers touch the torn fabric like she’s touching a wound.
Savanna Greensky
(thinking)
Mom worked so hard for this…
She saved coins for a year…
For one bag…
Savanna gathers the papers, but they crumble in her hands.
Savanna Greensky
Why…?
Why do they hate me so much…?
Her breathing becomes shaky. She tries to stand, but her knees give up.
Savanna Greensky
How can I tell mom…?
How can I explain this…?
She’ll blame herself…
She’ll cry again…
Savanna sits on the classroom floor, clutching the torn bag to her chest.
Minutes pass. Then an hour. Then another.
Outside, the sunlight changes. The classroom grows colder.
She cries silently, because even her crying feels like it could cost something.
Savanna Greensky
(thinking)
If I go home like this…
Mom will ask questions…
I need a story…
Savanna wipes her face with her sleeve. She forces herself to breathe slowly.
Savanna Greensky
(thinking)
I’ll say I fell.
I’ll say it got caught on a nail.
I’ll say it was an accident.
She looks at the torn seams again.
Savanna Greensky
…I can sew it.
Her voice is shaky, but determined.
Savanna Greensky
I’ll buy a sewing kit.
I’ll fix it myself.
I won’t waste what mom gave me.
Savanna gathers her papers one by one. She straightens the pages as much as she can.
She puts everything into the torn bag, even though it barely holds.
Savanna Greensky
(thinking)
Don’t cry anymore.
If you cry, you lose time.
Time is food.
Time is survival.
Savanna finally leaves the classroom. The hallway is empty now.
She walks home with her head lowered, not in shame, but because she’s trying to hide her swollen eyes from anyone who might see and laugh.
Savanna Greensky
(thinking)
Mom… please don’t ask too much today.
Please… let me protect you from this.
Her stomach growls again, but she ignores it. She keeps walking.
Savanna Greensky
(thinking)
One day… I’ll leave this school.
One day… I’ll leave this city.
And no one will ever step on my life again.
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