It is winter. The baby has grown to a pretty, 6-year-old girl with exceptionally beautiful, green eyes. People of Earth call her Starlet.
Starlet is running in a dark, dusty corridor inside the brothel, chasing a colorful butterfly. The butterfly has large, cyan eyespots on its hindwings. Her hands are extended trying to catch it. She runs by many doors, behind each there is a prostitute serving a customer. Starlet, however, unaware of the world surrounding her, is laser-focused on pursuing the butterfly.
The butterfly is approaching the exit door, from which the sunlight is pouring in. The butterfly exits the door, up to the sky, and Starlet goes to follow it. Suddenly, she finds Lady blocking the entire door with her fat body. She is carrying the puppy who is now older, but not much larger. Lady angrily looks down at Starlet. “Lady’s House is not a playground Starlet. We have a business to run. Did you finish your job?”
“But grandma, my hands hurt. The water is too cold,” Starlet says beggingly while showing her cute, little hands.
Lady leans forward and takes a friendlier tone. Her dark shadow casts on Starlet. “I know, I know, sugar, but the days of hard work are not gonna last forever. Soon your body grows to a full woman, and you don’t have to work anymore. You’ll make a comfortable living by just being loved. Don’t you like that, sugar?”
Starlet smiles out of excitement, and nods. “Like my mom?”
“Way better than your mom. Your mom was the best love queen here. Many men in this city loved her. But with this beautiful, green eyes, you are going to be a star.”
Starlet’s eyes widen when she hears the word star.
“I am gonna make all the men in this city to line up at this door to meet Starlet, the star,” Lady continues.
“Hurrah! Grandpa, I’m gonna be a star,” Starlet screams out of excitement.
Lady turns and finds Plumber standing outside in the snow, with a shovel in his hand. It looks like that he might hit Lady with the shovel any second. Lady does not seem concerned though, as if she cannot imagine that possibility. Lady frowns. Plumber’s teeth start chattering right away. “Did you finish shoveling the snow off the driveway?” Lady asks angrily.
“Yes, darling,” Plumber responds reluctantly through chattering teeth. He has lowered the shovel a bit.
“Then don’t just stand there, staring at me with those suicidal eyes. Go, go unclog a toilet. That is what you are good for. Your depressing, Indian face brings misfortune to the business. Go, get off my face.” The puppy accompanies Lady and barks at Plumber.
“Yes, darling,” Plumber obliges with the same reluctant tone, but cannot take his worried eyes off Starlet.
“And why the dog is left unleashed outside? Why is it walking barefoot on the snow? What if something happens to it? What if it gets sick?” Lady sounds genuinely concerned about the puppy.
“Yes, darling,” Plumber responds reluctantly through still-chattering teeth.
Lady turns back and guides Starlet to inside with a gentle push on her back. “Come, Starlet, the floor is not going to wash by itself.”
Starlet, her hand held by Lady, walks with her towards the dark corridor. As she is walking, she turns back, and with her eyes that are full of questions takes a long look at Plumber. She wonders why grandpa is always depressed. She offers a smile to Plumber.
Plumber also cannot take his eyes off Starlet. But he is too depressed to smile. He tries very hard until a forced, slight smile finally cracks on his face. Tears, however, start flowing down his face too.
Starlet disappears in the darkness of Lady’s House.
The shovel drops on the ground. Plumber falls to his knees. “I’m sorry, Missy,” he says while holding his head between his hands.
The night is hopelessly dark. A few stars here and there are flickering. Starlet is watching the stars while she is eating a cookie. She is sitting on Plumber’s shoulder, taking a night tour in the small yard behind the house. Plumber is walking the puppy, holding its leash. The leash’s pink color stands out. It looks fancy and expensive as if it is a leash for royal dogs. “The cookie is yummy, isn’t it?” Plumber asks. “Yeah, I like it. It’s crunchy.” “I bought them from Little Mama Bakery. I should take you there sometime. The girl who cooks them is very nice.” “Okay.”
“Do you like to become a baker when you grow up?”
“No. I wanna be a star.”
“Yeah, but you could make all kinds of delicious cookies if you become a baker.”
“No,” Starlet says stubbornly. “I wanna be a star, like Grandma says.”
“My dear, that kind of star only sounds nice but has nothing to do with real stars.”
“No,” Starlet starts crying. “I wanna be a real star.”
“OK. OK.” Plumber sighs. “Forget it. Yeah. You’ll be a star.”
“A real star?” Starlet asks excitedly.
“Yeah, a real one. Whatever. Time for Sir Craps-a-lot to go back in before grandma gets mad at us again.”
“His name is Sir Lancelot,” Starlets says with a giggle. “And she only gets mad at you.”
“Yeah. She does. Yeah, she does.”
The puppy is trying to cross the busy street. He has his fancy, pink leash on, and it is being dragged on the ground. The cars are passing by fast, and the puppy has to retract right away each time he attempts to cross. The puppy looks at the other side of the street, where the Lady’s house is. It makes its mind up and bravely runs to cross the street.
A car honks angrily, but it does not stop. We hear the dog’s painful whine. It goes dark.
The puppy opens its eyes with difficulties. He is surrounded by several people from Lady’s house, including Plumber and Starlet. Starlet is tightly hugging Plumber’s leg. She is horrified to see what has happened to the puppy. The puppy is covered in blood, with multiple deep wounds on his body. It had managed to drag his body to the yard but then passed out near the gate.
“Poor Sir Lancelot!” Lucy, a young sex worker, says. “Should we call an ambulance?”
“It is a dog, you idiot,” Crystal, who is a bit older, snaps at her. “We should take it to a veteran, not a hospital.”
“Yeah, isn’t called a ‘veteranirian’?” Lola jumps in.
“Whatever,” Plumber interrupts frustratedly. “It’s too late. Any second we waste, he just feels more pain.”
“What are you saying?” Crystal asks.
“I’m saying… I’m saying we should let him go.”
“Where to?” Lucy asks.
“He means to put him down, you idiot,” Crystal snaps at Lucy again. She turns to Plumber. “What are you waiting for then?”
“Me!” Plumber exclaims. “No, no, no, no. No. I can’t.”
“Whom are you asking?” Lady interrupts. She has been standing around for a few seconds already. The girls move around to let her pass. Lady approaches the puppy and affectionately caresses him around the neck. “He doesn’t have the balls to do the right thing.” She wraps her hands around the puppy’s narrow neck. A drop of tear finds its way out of her eyes. “Lucy, take Starlet inside,” Lady says with an emotional tone. She sounds like her cry might bursts out any second.
Lucy takes Starlet’s hand and walks her away. Starlet, as she is walking away with Lucy, turns back and looks at the people huddling around the puppy. She still can hear the puppy whining. She sees Plumber looking away, and right after that, she hears the dog’s last whimper.
Starlet has grown to a pretty 13-year-old teenager. She is sitting on a bench in the backyard, playing a game with her tablet. She has a giant over-ear headphone on, completely drowned in the game.
“Dear,” Plumber who is sitting beside her on the bench tries to get her attention, “dear, my dear.” Plumber moves one of the earpieces aside so that Starlet could hear him.
“What?!” Starlet shouts frustratedly as her eyes are still on the tablet.
“Dear, I was thinking what if—Can you play with that thing later, my dear? I really want to talk to you.”
“This is my tablet break, Grandpa,” she responds while playing. “I only have five minutes left.”
“OK, dear. I guess we can talk while you are playing. I… I saw a florist today. She was a very nice girl. And… and… she was very happy with her life. And she reminded me of you.”
“Not a chance. Working is just for ugly people. You can ask grandma, and she will tell you. I am too pretty to work when I grew up. I am sick of working already.”
“But, working here ain’t—”
“— Working! Who said I’ll be working? I will be a love queen, something that only pretty women can do. We’re not born to work. We are born to be a star.”
“Star is just a meaningless word that—”
“— Oh, shit. Look what you did. The dragon’s fire hit me.” She turns to Plumber while angrily hits the tablet on her lap. “Now I only have 6 stars. Thanks, Grandpa!”
“I’m sorry, my dear. I’m sorry about your 7th star,” Plumber says sarcastically.
“That’s OK,” she does not seem to have understood the sarcasm. “Look, I gotta get back to work. Besides, Grandma has already planned my future. She wouldn’t be too happy with you if she learns about your meddling.” She stands up to leave. “Sorry that I yelled. Love you.” Starlet kisses Plumber on the forehead and leaves.
“Yep, damn Lady wouldn’t be happy,” Plumber murmurs.