Hello! I think this story is going to be four chapters, although the first one is just a prologue.
Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 1 – Prologue
Abby looked down on her dirty over-used shoes. She thought she saw something shiny on the ground, hopefully a coin, but it was only in her imagination as usual. Her mind always seemed to trick her when she was hungry. Sighing, she looked up again. The small stores that surrounded the square looked warm and nice and felt like a million lives away. Even when her parents were alive, Abby rarely got to look in those stores. Her parents had not been in any way wealthy. Actually, they barley got by. Now, as an orphan living on the streets, Abby hadn't been inside for what felt like ages. She was cold, hungry and covered in a layer of dirt. Her dress reached down over her knees but she had no socks. Her long cardigan, with the red patches on the elbows, was old and battered. Thankfully the weather was getting warmer by the day.
If you walked around the nice-smelling bakery and turned left, you'd find a grocery store. A small, dingy place that the richest people never went to. Sometimes, in the night right before it closed, the homeless could be lucky enough to receive a piece of bread that had gone bad. Not so bad that it was dangerous to eat, just too old to be sold in the store. Abby knew it was way too early in the day, but she was really hungry and decided to go see if the owner had anything. Carefully she opened the door. It was pretty much empty inside, save from an older couple by the counter. The owner of the store was watching them decide between meat and sausage, while putting more hard candy in a glass jar.
"I have nothing for you", he called as he noticed Abby.
Abby frowned but stayed inside. Maybe when the couple had paid and gone outside, he'd have time to really look if he had anything. The man sighed but let her be. The couple soon decided for sausage and was out the store a minute later.
"I really don't have anything", the owner said to Abby as the door closed.
"Nothing?" Abby asked as her stomach growled.
"Sorry, kid", the man said. "Too many have too little."
Abby's eyes flickered from the shelves of food to the door. She really didn't want to leave.
"I can't give you something from the shelves", the man said. "I'll go bankrupt in no time."
Abby still didn't leave. It was nice in here.
"You should go", the man said.
Abby hesitated but still didn't move. The owner was silent for a moment while he arranged some of the boxes. Then he sighed. He stepped out from behind the counter.
"Let me tell you something, kid", the man bent forward slightly.
Abby looked at him a little suspiciously but took a step closer to him.
"Leave the city", the man continued as he saw Abby's frown. "Go out to the countryside. The farmers are often more generous than the city-folks. With a little luck they'll give you a job in exchange for food."
"Really?" Abby looked up at him hopefully. She could work! She'd done it before.
"Really", the man confirmed and straightened up. "Now get out of here", he said louder.
Abby nodded. She turned around and was out the door in no time. The countryside. Farmers. It shouldn't be hard to get there. Would it? She knew from experience that the long city-road led right out of town. If she followed that, she'll most definitely find the farmers on the countryside like the man had said. Filled with determination, she started to walk. The city-road travelled right past the square so she found her way quickly.
Walking turned out to be boring and her feet hurt, but she continued. The houses became smaller and fewer, the road slimmed down and more trees and bushes graced the ground. Soon she could see fields of what looked like tall, light brown-ish grass straws, but also other interesting plants. It interested her and made her smile. Once in a while she had to stop and take a closer look at the beautiful flowers that grew in the ditch. They were in all kinds of colors, from the cleanest white to the strongest red. Abby had never seen anything like it in the city. Sure, there was the fabric store that she'd seen from the street, but these flowers were something else entirely. They were alive. They seemed to be breathing. The colors were real and natural.
As the night's darkness fell over the world, Abby sat down under a tree. She was tired and hungry, but she didn't dare to eat the small blue berries from the bush she'd passed by. Her mother had once told her not to eat if she didn't know what it was. Especially berries. There were so many poisonous ones that could kill a little girl like her.
Abby looked around to see if she could find anything else to eat. But now it was too dark to see the colors and even the shapes. She wouldn't be able to tell if anything was edible. So she curled up under the tree and watched as the leaves over her head disappeared slowly in the blackness.
Abby wasn't scared. She didn't think the dark was scary. In fact, she liked it. Silently, she let her eyelids fall close and a minute later, she was asleep.