The Pockets That Everyone Wished For

Jaimie was a lost boy.

The sixth child in a family that could only eat once a day, sometimes not even one.

All 14 children of their household scour the vast garbage field daily, situated in front of their home and hoped to find something that they can sell off.

For the past 12 years, Jaimie has done this and thought that this was enough. He was not going to get anywhere in this kind of lifestyle. He wanted so badly for his life to change.

One cloudy afternoon, he met an old friend of his that he has not seen for years.

He was wearing some nice looking clothing and the goodness of the past years can be seen through his bulging belly and wide, pearly white smile.

Jaimie almost did not recognize him, he was so different. He was a lanky, unsophisticated guy before, but now, he was proud and ready to conquer the world.

Money can really do a number on people.

"Wanna know my secret?" The old friend asked Jaimie. "I can see my old self in you and I want you to experience what I am experiencing now."

Jaimie, being a 12 year old, naive boy, eager to escape the awful and smelly life he was enduring, immediately grabbed the hand his old friend was offering.

And everything was history.

Twenty four years now.

Just like what his old friend promised, he is experiencing the life he wanted.

He became the best in his field. He even surpassed his mentor, his old friend and became widely known in their community.

He is not just an ordinary pickpocket, settling for scraps and change.

He is now the leader of one of the biggest pickpocket groups in the world.

How he did it, he cannot quite simply recall.

It was his destiny, he thought.

One thing led to another and here he was, looking at the vast, now empty garbage field, he once called home.

An old man walked too close to him, slightly brushing his sleeve. His hand automatically reached for the man's pockets, searching for treasure eventhough he knew that he will find nothing there.

A habit he acquired through the years. Something he could not turn off even if he wanted to. But he never wanted to.

Life as the best pickpocket in town was lonely. But it made him rich, powerful and full.

That is all he ever wanted.

But at some point, it was getting boring.

Through the years a lot of law enforcement agencies tried to capture him. From the smallest to the biggest, he outran them all.

He had been to almost half of all the countries in the world, stealing from the poorest to the richest inhabitants of those countries. His hands getting faster and faster everytime.

He stole from the royalties, gang leaders, law enforcement officers, high ranking government and military officials, powerful businessmen and ordinary people.

Through those pockets, he learned quite a few of their valuable secrets that he later used as another source of income.

All those years it was the same routine. Jaimie wanted more. Tried every variation, tried different tactics, to no avail.

Yes, he loved making money by using his special skills, but when you do someting for a long time, there will come a time that you start to lose excitement, the challenge; you start to not appreciate it.

But Jaimie valued his hands so much, he made sure to get an insurance for them. He was getting bored alright, but he was not about to stop.

Looking back, he was glad he did that.

As he stood and watched the empty garbage field, which he now owns, he saw a large, burly man, wearing an all white outfit. From his shoes to his suit and hat, he donned the most perfect white colored clothing Jaimie has ever seen.

By instinct, he hurriedly went to the man, readying his precious hands, excited to acquire whatever the man's pockets has to offer.

He did not speak, he did not make a sound. The noise of the construction around them helped his cause and he worked his magic the moment he was within reach.

One moment, he felt so much valuable things when he reached inside the pocket, he could not even decide what to get.

The next moment, he felt pain and when he pulled his hand from the man's pocket, he saw something red in the man's suit, and realized it was his blood that tainted the pearly white suit.

Jaimie was dumbfounded by what happened, but was more awestrucked by what he had in his hand.

A car key.

Not just any car key though. It was his dream car. He knew it was the one because there was only one car in the world. A regret that has been bubbling inside him for a year now.

So this was the man that made him so jealous again after a very long time. The faceless man that stole his dream car and gave him sleepless nights.

The car key was embedded with diamonds, the chain made of pure gold.

Pain and blood forgotten, Jaimie wanted more. He wanted everything those pockets had to offer, no matter what it costs him. That sudden urge to devour everything in the pockets did not even baffled Jaimie, no matter how very sudden and unrealistic they were.

No matter how supernatural it was.

He grabbed and grabbed, increasing the pain with each valuable item he got.

He could not stop, eventhough his own pockets cannot fit anymore.

"Oh, Jaimie." A rough voice said. Jaimie did not even realized he was being called. He continued the pickpocketing, eager to have it all.

"I have not told you my secret, have I?" The man in the white suit faced him and Jaimie, still in the trance tried to reach for the man's pockets.

"Jaimie!" The man shouted and Jaimie finally looked at him.

"Hello there old friend. Finally we meet again."

Jaimie, recognizing it was his old friend and mentor, now realized what he had done.

He was about to apologize, force of habit, he would say and give back his old friend's things when he saw what happened to his hands.

They were all mauled beyond recognition. Muscles, veins, blood and bones everywhere.

"The problem with you Jaimie is that, you settled just for the hands that everyone wished for. Those golden hands that gave you the world." He heard his old friend say as the pain from his hands started to make his eyes water.

"Have you ever considered having the pockets that everyone wished for? Or at least the ones that your victims wished for?"

Jaimie started screaming and knelt down on the muddy, garbage field.

My hands! He thought. His precious hands that is the reason for him living a good life, experiencing only the best things!

He did not realize his valuable his hands were until this moment. How can he live his life now? But the thought of reaching out and getting everything from those pockets are very strong for Jaimie.

"You were so confident that you could conquer every pocket, weren't you? I hated you, a once lanky boy, that smelled and covered with filth, pushing me to the sides after you used me. I made you who you are today and you abandoned me. Now, taste the pain of losing something precious. Feel how it is to see your life crashing down in front of you."

The old friend patted his pockets and smiled maniacally to the wide-eyed, crying Jaimie.

"See this? These are the pockets that everyone wishes for. You will never know everything that is in here, you will never have them. You will always, and forever be just curious. Not knowing what I have in here." He eyed Jaimie with a malicious grin.

 "I love your reactions, Jaimie. It makes all my hardwork and sacrifices worth it." He added as Jaimie wailed in agony and frustration.

He once again laughed and started to walk away.

Jaimie, even with the excruciating pain he felt, grabbed his pockets and felt that nothing was in there.

No.

It was full before. I remember thinking about other places to put them.

He checked his surroundings, praying that they just fell in the mud.

There was nothing.

"Oopsies." Jaimie felt a whisper in his ear.

"Did you forget what I just said? You will never have anything! Not from these pockets!" Jaimie fell in the mud, trying to get away from his crazy, laughing, old friend.

For a while there, he thought a light was shining above his old friend.

Not just the ray of sunlight but a spotlight, only focused on him.

He blamed it on the pain. He was hallucinating of course.

How could his old friend fly to the sky all of a sudden?

How can he destroy his hands without him noticing?

What were in those pockets that seemed to be endless?

How can he have the pockets that everyone wished for?

Lying in his hospital bed, eyeing his new mechanical hand, Jaimie looked back and recalled his experience with his old friend.

He wanted those pockets.

More than anything in this world.

That stupid old friend forgot again to tell him his secret.

Never mind.

He will find oit for himself.

He now have a mission.

A new driving force in his life.

He will have the pockets that everyone wished for.

And he will be the only one that could have it.