I Wish

Chapter Two

Ginger brought the lush fruit into the little building that stood adjacent of the dining hall. This building was the girl's dorms. Her footsteps lightly pattered on the ground. She knew that all the other orphans would too; scramble to steal the food from her, as fruit as nice as this was never able to be served as a daily meal. She knew that the food would not be taken off of the tree by anyone besides her due to the possibility of being caught, but she was sneaky. She had no real reason to be worried about the orphans, as most of them were out doing chores. She smuggled the apples into her pillowcase, telling herself that she mustn't eat more than one every few days or so, lest they run out and she become hungry yet again.

Ginger knew that she would have nothing to worry about once the apples had been hidden in her pillowcase. The other orphans expressed several cases of dislike towards her, especially because she tended to steal a small scrap of food from their plates when they didn't pay attention. A lot of the orphans had begun to keep close guard on their plates, always keeping a weary eye on Ginger, while slowly eating up the tiny scraps of food on their own plates.

However, to the newer orphans, Ginger's tactics were unknown, although they eventually caught on. The other orphans did not tell the newcomers, as it was all the better for Ginger to try and steal from them rather than to let her get to their own precious plates. One boy, who the rest of the orphan's nicknamed "Fat Pete", as he was rather chubby, never realized what was going on around him, and never realized that his food was missing. Ginger used him as a common target, as he was such a gullible person. Orphans disliked Ginger none the less, as every once in a while they would look down at their plates and find their peach or oatmeal stolen, only to turn around and find Ginger munching on the stuff instead.

The cafeteria ladies and orphan managers were unable to stop Ginger's behavior because they never caught her in the act of doing so. The orphans and their constant complaints were taken into account though, as in Ginger's adoption description, she was described as a "sneaky girl who has some stealing issues". That was probably part of the reason that few people ever came to try Ginger out for adoption. She had only been on a week long trial with a family twice, both times which ended up failing, although she had a good meal or two while she was there. The other orphans usually celebrated the week without food stealing, and most of them went to bed feeling great every night rather than starving. When Ginger usually returned from these trials, the house was filled with an air of sadness and gloom, as at least some of them were sure that they would not see their bellies full for a while again.

Ginger often longed for a family that would want her and keep her, although the chances of such things happening were rare. The other orphans seemed to come and go, many of them did not stay for more than a few months. Ginger was the one orphan that had been there for over two years; the other old timers had not been there for more than a year. Sunset was still a time of hopes and dreams for Ginger, and although the other orphans questioned why she would stare out the window, she was just making the same wishes as she was when she was a seven year old girl, for food and for a family again. As the first star came up from the distance, Ginger muttered her wish on her lips, and then headed back to her bed. Every night was the same routine.

There had been that one girl that had been adopted only yesterday. Her name was Jacey. She had only been at the orphanage for a few weeks, and now the bottom bunk of the bunk bed that Ginger had shared with her was empty.

In the middle of the night, Ginger smuggled an apple into her pajamas, tucking it in the cuff of her rolled up pants, and excused herself into the restroom, where she proceeded to eat the apple until it was down to the core again, just as she had done those few years before. She wrapped the core up into a napkin, and she tossed it into the trashcan. No one would see it if it didn't show in the bin, and she headed back into the bed. This occurrence happened around once every two days at around midnight. The other orphans, sound asleep, never were suspicious of anything. The few who stirred while Ginger walked past them only fell asleep right after she had tiptoed past their beds.

Ginger still visited the tree throughout the summer, picking its fruit and constantly sneaking it. The other orphan's also saw the fruit, but they could not pick them for the risk of being caught. That left all the fruit on the tree for Ginger, who snuck the fruit everywhere in her articles of clothing. Once out of desperation, she tied an apple up into a bun and had her hair cover it just as an orphan manager walked by her.

Autumn came and the tree began shedding its fruit and its leaves. Birds came by flock into the courtyard to feast on the rotting fruit, and for once, the orphans were restricted from entering the courtyard until the pests had all been shooed out. This became a time of sadness and boredom for Ginger, as she had never spent a day without the courtyard. She considered it her home.

This season was always a season filled with new orphans and new homes.Most people adopted during the fall and most children, new or old, found theirhomes in this time. One crisp autumn day, a strange man entered the orphanage.He had his eyes on Ginger's from the start. He grasped a cane in his hand. Heheld onto the cane with so much force that his knuckles were turning white. On his head perched a tall black hat, and he ran his fingers through his rather long brown beard. After removing his overcoat, Ginger and the other orphan's could tell that this man was rich, and that he was definitely a well-respected person. His suit was made out of a fine black silk, and his tie was made from soft, velvet like material. On his hand sat a ring that seemed to be made of diamond. The sunlight reflected throughout the window and the light bounced off the ring, giving it a sudden flare.

He slowly shuffled towards the lady up front and muttered a few words towards her. Ginger sat surrounded by other orphans. The words 'would like to' and 'adopt' were heard from his five-minute talk.

"I wonder which one of us the guy might take, I sure hope it's me," a boy named Timothy whispered. The others nodded in agreement.

Ginger just sat in the corner observing the man, surely, he would not want to adopt? He seemed too well off to not have any children. Even if he did adopt, it wouldn't be from one of the worst orphanages in town.

The lady at the desk rose with the man and they headed over to the office. As she unlocked the door, she noticed the crowd of children.

"Shoo," she said while gritting her teeth.

The orphans all ran off to work, all but Ginger. She just sat there and watched the door open and close. With a sigh, she too left the room.    

End of Part Two