THE BROKEN BOND

PROLOGUE

Prologue

    “Hurry, they’ll find us if we stop running,” The man stated as he and his wife escaped into the forest.

      “I-I’m too tired to run anymore,” She said as she fell onto the cold hard ground, trying to catch her breath.  “Take the baby, she can’t die.  Promise me you’ll protect her.”

      The woman entrusted their daughter to her husband.  The baby was carefully wrapped in a blanket to keep her warm and hidden.  You see, where they were from, conditions were harsh.  For an infant to be bare naked in the cold of the night would be quite fatal.  She needed a form of covering to warm her.  As tears rolled down his eyes he exclaimed:

     “No way, I can’t!  I’m not just going to leave you here to die!  I love you too much to see you get hurt!”

     “And I love our daughter too much to see her get hurt,” She retorted, insisting that he go.

      The man knelt down and embraced his wife.  As tears began to roll down the mother’s eyes they both whispered into each other’s ears: I will always love you.

       Voices could be heard in the distance as they said their goodbyes.  Realizing they had been found the man ran off into the distance to get the baby to safety.

     When the men reached the point where the mother had stayed back they looked down upon her with cold, murderous looks upon their faces.  As the woman stood upon her own two feet, she spread her arms apart as if she was a barrier built around the most sacred of treasures.

     “If you want her, you’ll have to get through me.  If I die, I’ll die protecting my daughter with everything I’ve got!”

     As the man kept running he could hear a blood curdling scream come from where he had left his wife.  As the tears overflowed he continued to run.  After a while it was quite apparent the men had the better of him and were gaining ground.  The man eventually reached a wide open sea.  Though he thought it was over he realized he still had the basket used to put the baby to rest when she was first born.

     The men were a good distance away but could still be heard talking amongst themselves.  Taking this opportunity the man took the basket from his back, and placed the baby upon the pillow he had placed in it prior to these events.  As he laid a kiss upon her head he covered her face and the rest of her body with a blanket before leaving her adrift.

      “I only pray I live to see your face, once again. Whether you live or die, remember this one simple truth.  No matter what becomes of you, I will love you always,” He whispered to himself as the tears rolled down his dirty cheeks.