‘’ Opportunity makes a thief.’’- Francis Bacon

Today was his lucky day he thought silently as he smartly picked the wallet from the back pocket of the unsuspecting old traveler. It was one of the smoothest thefts he had performed of recent. The crowded hotel elevator had provided him the cover and the act had been quick and successful and it was time he quickly get away from the vicinity before the old man raise the alarm that was bound to come, he reasoned with a happy hidden grin on his oily face. Flagging down a commercial motor cycle, he jumped on the back seat and a few minutes later he disembarked, paid off the young Okada guy happily and walked casually into the large crowded market and then easily disappeared among the busy traders and customers with nobody paying him any attention.
Getting into his one room apartment, he fetched out the old man’s skin wallet and eagerly went through the content. He could not believe his luck when he saw among other notes a one hundred dollar American note. He quickly tried to estimate the value, but he was too excited to think properly, so he wisely folded the dollar bill, wrapped it in a black polythene bag and hide it in his secret hideout, inside the ceiling. This one is for the rainy days, he thought happily. He counted the remaining notes and smiles when he realized he was some thousands Naira richer all of a sudden. He folded the naira notes and safely tucked them away into his inner pocket. He locked his door and casually strolled out, whistling away as he returned to the streets.
He woke up the next day around midday, he was still nursing the hangover of the previous night and cursed silently as he realized he had lost almost all the money he went out with last night to some cheap prostitutes he had met at the bar. But thank God, he was wise to have kept his precious American Dollar in his safe place. He thought with a grin, then jumped out of bed and went straight for his treasure, but to his horror the polythene bag was nowhere to be found. He suddenly went berserk, scattering everywhere in his room and cursing slowly as he searched desperately for the hundred dollar bill. Luck finally came his way about an hour later after some extensive search. He found the money somewhere inside his ceiling, but half of it was now torn off and the other half eaten away. He cursed out loudly, and suddenly sobs greedily.
He sat dejected inside his room, his eyes never leaving the half eaten note and his ripped off ceiling. He was still nursing his loss, when his eyes suddenly caught the sight of a big rat starring silently at him from the ceiling, and he went berserk again. He quickly locked up all the escape routes inside his room and went after the rat. His effort was rewarded some minutes later as he won his one man battle against the helpless rat and angrily killed it, and ripped open it belly in search of his hundred dollar bill. He stared miserably at the pieces of dollar note among other undigested materials inside the dead rat.

End
Random Voices
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