Unseen Prayer |SLOW UPDATES|

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"I told you for the last time to stay the hell away from my store!" 

A man's voice could be heard shouting from the entrance to a small alleyway. His burly form cast a large shadow over a small pale-haired girl. 

"I-I didn't mean to cause any trouble..! I just wanted to get some food.." 

Her tiny voice was barely heard, but the shopkeeper could careless. She was stealing and he wasn't going to have it.

"This is the last time I let you get by with it! I'm calling the police so they can deal with you." He stormed back into his store, leaving the wide-eyed bystanders to stare in disgust at the girl.

Anna was her name. Short blonde hair framed her face which was smudged with dirt. It was clear she had no home and had taken refuge on the streets. Her simple brown dress hung loosely on her thin figure, threatening to fall off if she let her shoulders sag too much.

Everyone in this small town had their own to take care of. They wouldn't bother with a street rat even if they could help. Most turned up their nose and kept walking by if she happened to be nearby.

Upon hearing that the police would be called, Anna pushed herself onto her feet and looked up at the townspeople for help. She wasn't surprised when most of them walked away. They had better things to do than watch gangly child be arrested.

The girl started speed walking in a random direction away from the small market store. She wasn't eager to find out what would happen to a homeless child like her. The people here weren't exactly nice and she doubted that would change if she was placed in some sort of foster home. 

When she was sure nobody was looking, she ducked down into an alleyway and successfully hid herself behind some trashcans. Being so thin and small did have its perks sometimes. 

As she waited for the voices of the policemen looking for her, she telling stories to herself. 

Obviously, she hadn't been schooled, but she did know some things. Reading and writing were a bit slow along with a very limited vocabulary, but she did know how to carry a conversation. However, she wasn't as good with numbers. Maybe basic adding and subtraction was okay, but anything above that was a big question mark.

When she was living close to the local library, she would sneak inside and read books from time to time. Stories were an escape from her life of poverty to one of a princess surrounded in jewels and lavish clothes. Or maybe an adventure in the jungles of the Amazon. 

Loud voices broke Anna out of her thoughts. They sounded angry. 

"I'm tired of hearing about this little rat taking food. Why is it taking so long to bring her in?"

She didn't dare peek out from behind her hiding spot. If the officers happened to see her, they'd drag her out into the daylight in front of the whole town. She couldn't have that. The people here hated her enough already. 

The beam of a flashlight shined down the dark alley, causing Anna to scoot further back behind the fetid trash cans. She gently tapped her fingers against her bony arms and repeated familiar tales of Rapunzel or Cinderella in the back of her head. Maybe it would help speed up time. 

'Please, let them leave soon..'

After a few minutes of light searching, the officers left and continued their hunt elsewhere. 

"That was close.. I can't go back to his store anymore or I'll get caught for sure.." A small sigh escaped her lips as she crawled out of her hiding spot and dusted off her already dirty dress. 

She'd have to move to another spot in town now. A place where she hadn't been a problem yet. That would be hard. 

Anna has been in this place for awhile now and she was running out of places to go. She used to have a house, but after running out of food, she had no choice but to travel to the nearest town and stay there. 

Trudging out of the black alley, she glanced both ways and started walking. Where, she wasn't sure yet. It was going to be getting dark soon, which would give her an advantage. She had to find a new place tonight.

Why would a child be in a situation like this? Not many things can happen, but she was a special case. 

Anna didn't know her parents. She must have them though because everyone does, right? All she knew was that when she was a small baby, she was left in the woods. She was picked up by some elderly woman that lived in a secluded cabin nearby and raised up until several months ago. The woman could only go on so long. She taught Anna all she could in the years they had together, about 9. 

After she passed, little Anna buried her under the weeping willow at the creek behind their cabin. She would visit and talk to the odd shaped stone placed at the top of the grave. This went on for a couple weeks before she ran out of food and had to leave her perfect life in the woods. 

And here she was, living in the alleys taking would food she could get. Oh, how the old woman would shake her head if she saw Anna now. Shoes falling apart, dress covered in filth, and her hair all matted and greasy. 

Her feet came to a stop in front of the small library she had fallen in love with. Maybe she could take a break here for a bit. She crept round to the back and crawled back behind some bushes against the wall. 

Life might be hard now, but Anna was happy. Things could be worse. She could be starving, or wounded, or even dead. But she wasn't, and that was something to be thankful for. 

Her scrawny form curled up on the ground as she smiled. She wondered what it would be like to have an actual family. She would pray again tonight.

The ambience of the locals walking down the sidewalk together and the cars cruising down the road lulled her into a light sleep. Normally she wouldn't allow herself to be so defenseless when it was still daylight, but she was hidden well. 

"I'll just nap for a bit. But then I have to find a new place for sure. Just until it's dark.."

As she drifted into sleep, she couldn't help but smile to herself. 

'It's really peaceful here.'