A terrible stench hung in the air amid the wailing and shouting. Her tiny bare feet walked slowly across the dirt road, carefully over the broken pots and around the people that lay around. She just wanted to leave the town. She hated seeing everyone so sad.
The girl’s mother wouldn’t wake, no matter how hard she shook her, and she hadn’t seen her father in months. She was certain that they wouldn’t be cross with her if she left for only a little bit. So, she wandered just beyond the town and to the tall stone wall.
“Hello little one!”
She turned to find a large stone removed from the bottom of the wall and a dirty, but friendly face looking into the hole. She stepped back, cautiously. The man sounded nice enough, but he had a thick accent; her language was almost unrecognizable.
“Don’t be scared,” he encouraged. “Look here!” He stuck his hand in. Bread! She couldn’t remember the last time she had bread. He gently stroked her hair as she ate. “Remind me of my daughter, you do. Hey. One side.”
The girl leaned back as several of the men squeezed through the open hole. She trembled, but they weren’t interested in her and ran towards the town. “Hey!”
She turned back to the friendly face still behind the wall. “Why don’t you come here then, Love?” she gave one more look towards her town. “Trust me. It will be much better for you on this side.”
