The three limped back to their hideout, beaten and flour-white like ghosts crawling home from battle. Their ribs ached, their backs burned red, and their stomachs still cried for food.
They collapsed on the dirt floor, groaning like dying men. The night air was cool, the stars dull behind drifting smoke from cooking fires in the distance.
Arjun broke the silence, spitting dust. "Today we worked. Today we failed. Tomorrow we steal."
Kiro raised his hand lazily. "Steal? With what strength? I can't even scratch my ass without crying."
Just then Ravi burst in through the door. He was late, cheeks glowing with pride. His arms hugged a bundle. "Brothers… look what I got."
Arjun and Kiro sat up, suspicious. "If it's food, you're a god. If not… we'll kill you."
Ravi threw the bundle onto the floor. It spilled open. Dresses, shirts, colorful cloth, and delicate undergarments none of them had ever seen before.
The boys stared.
Kiro blinked. "What… is this? Why are these clothes so… tiny? And soft? Who wears this?"
Ravi puffed his chest. "Rich people! Strange people! I saw them hanging on a line. I thought—these are treasures. We sell them tomorrow and build our dream house!"
Arjun picked up a pink bra, holding it like a relic. He turned it upside down, confused. "Is this… a mask? Or two tiny hats for babies?"
Kiro slapped his hand away. "No no, it's… some sort of fruit basket." He put it on his head. "Look! Perfect fit."
They all laughed until their ribs hurt. But morning came with trouble.
At the market, they tried to sell the clothes. Ravi waved a silk undergarment at a man. "Sir! Best headband in town! Only five coins."
The man looked once, realized what it was, and slapped Ravi so hard his teeth rattled. "Idiot! That's a woman's—" He stormed away before finishing the sentence.
The boys gathered in an alley, holding their red cheeks. Arjun groaned, "What just happened? Why did he slap you?"
Kiro scratched his head. "Maybe… maybe we're selling it wrong. We don't know the right way."
Ravi brightened. "Then we wear them! Show how good they look! People will buy!"
Minutes later, the three stumbled into the street wearing the stolen women's clothes. Dresses hung awkwardly, straps snapped under their arms, skirts too tight around their hips. They strutted like clowns, confident and clueless.
The market erupted. People screamed, laughed, pointed fingers. A group of women chased them with sandals raised high. "Perverts! Dogs!"
Arjun, his face burning, shouted while running, "They don't understand style! We're ahead of our time!"
Ravi tripped on his own dress, crashing into a fruit cart. Bananas and apples rained on him. Kiro tried to help but got smacked by a sandal across his ear.
The three ran half-naked through the streets, the stolen clothes ripped, market chaos exploding behind them.
By the time they reached their hideout again, their bodies were covered in new bruises, their pride smaller than ever. They lay on the floor, gasping, eyes wide at the ceiling.
Ravi whispered, "So… maybe not clothes."
Kiro groaned, "Not food either… not jobs…"
Arjun sighed, his voice trembling but stubborn. "Then what's left? We keep trying. Dogs never give up."
The others nodded. And in the silence, for a moment, it felt like even the stars above were laughing at their stupidity.