For Alistair

Gypsy Run Away

I've been running my whole life. It doesn't feel like running because there are people surrounding you in a gypsy camp. I was so little when Nala found me. Scared, dirty, young, and alone. Starving too.

I remember sitting by a lake trying to decide whether I should drink the water or not. I was so thirsty, hungry too. Making a fire wasn't an option because I had no idea how. So I sat there covered in mud and grime waiting to die. At least they wouldn't be able to take me for their own, the people I had fled from. They tried to turn me into something I didn't like. I was thrown in a room with a man coming to attack me, and I had no choice but to stab him. Every day was brutal and horrifying.

I heard rustling but was too weak to care or try to run. Let them kill me, I thought. I could care less. Then I heard it. Someone thinking. I was born with the gift of telepathy, the one gift that kept me alive. The thoughts were from a woman, wondering what I was. It was dark and cloudy, so there was hardly any light. At first I believed she was angel coming to take me to heaven. I would see my parents at least.

"Please take me angel." I whispered.

"Are you alright?" The woman asked. I heard her footsteps right next to me. I was huddled in a ball, shivering. Soon my eyes started to close. I was happy. My suffering would be over, I would see my family. When my eyes opened however, there was no white light. No pearly golden gates. Instead I was in an old trailer lying in bed with a wet cloth on my forehead. My stomach growled making my belly hurt, and causing me to curl up again.

"Here," I heard the same voice. "You should eat something." When I looked up I saw the woman sitting beside me holding a boil of stew. I could smell it making my mouth a waterfall of saliva. "Just a little bit, don't want to make your stomach hurt more. I've been giving you soup lately, I was hoping this would give your stomach something to digest more." She helped me sit up, resting me back against the wall of the trailer. I was spoon fed but I was willing to be patient for food. My body had been cleaned while I was unconscious, and my clothes were changed as well. After she finished feeding me, the woman introduced herself as, Nala.

"I...I don't have a name...", for the life of me I couldn't remember my own name. She started asking about what happened before I passed out, where my family was, and if there was anyone she could contact. I told her everything, including my abilities and the horrible things I did. The killings, the poisoning of the other children's food, everything. I got so caught up I hadn't even realized how much I was sobbing.

Nala simply held tight and stroked my hair. "You have nowhere to go, and people are after you...many come here seeking safety. I can grant you that wish."

"Really?" I asked looking up.

"This is a gypsy camp...we never stop travelling, there's always food and water, you'll always be safe, and all you need to do is give something."

"Give something?"

"Your telepathy is a very good gift. You can understand a person's true feelings." She thought, I assumed to keep everything secret. "If you can use that to help people, then you can give many great things. I can help you."

"Thank you." I had no idea what else to say. I had been given everything I could've asked for. So I used my gifts for fortune telling. Understanding one's mind as I sorted through the cards that best suited them. Everything was perfect.