Joy Boy looked at Rhett's detached demeanor.
"Rest! I'll make them understand! I'll bring them smiles!"
He ran out.
Rhett didn't look up. Good luck. He knew how hard this would be.
---
Joy Boy walked through the streets. A giant should cause a stir. But no one paid attention. Their eyes were empty, focused only on the drug.
He tried to talk to a group.
"This is poison! It's not good! It steals your health, your strength, your smile!"
They yelled at him. "Leave! It's our joy!"
They threw stones.
He tried again, with different people.
"Crazy!" "Leave us alone!"
He shrank, crouching in a corner, lost.
Rhett watched. He held a cake, and the girl jumped for it.
"Being a hero isn't easy."
---
Joy Boy returned, defeated. Rhett gave him meat.
He ate, but didn't taste it. "Why won't they change? I wanted to help."
Rhett tore meat for the girl. "People who are hungry think about one thing: surviving."
He saw the siblings choking on food. He pulled it from their mouths.
Joy Boy paused. He looked at the meat, at the starving people spending their money on poison.
His eyes lit up.
"I get it!"
He ran toward the mountains.