Free Lost Girl: Part 1 by Elodie Short Page A

bigger than a spat with kids in the park. A little shocked by what she said, I just sit here for a moment to collect my thoughts.
    “So what are you going to do now? You can't stay here forever.”
    She shrugs, “don't know.. I just had to run away.”
    “Do you know anyone else that could help you?”
    “I have a big brother.”
    “That’s good, is he much bigger? Does he live somewhere else?” I ask, hoping she can go to him, “or is he just a little bigger than you?”
    “He is a lot bigger,” she smiles proudly as she talks about him, “he’s even bigger than you. He lives with Mama and me.”
    And just like that she took all the hope away again. I can't bring her back home now, what if these men are still there? I know a child's imagination can go crazy, but what if this happened for real. She wouldn't be here for no reason and the fear in her eyes is definitely real. What if these threats aren't just threats?
    “But he is not there now, he is working,” she says, pulling me out of my thoughts, back to the conversation.
    “Sorry, who isn't where now?”
    “My brother, you asked me where he lives, but he’s not there now.”
    I sit back for a minute and stare ahead of me while I let everything sink in.
     
    “You know Anna, you sound very mature, how old are you?”
    “I am five and a half,” she replies proudly, “how old are you?”
    “Twenty-one.”
    “Oh! Almost as old as Rick!” she exclaims.
    “Who is Rick?” I ask, a little confused again.
    “My big brother,” she grins.
    “How old is Rick?”
    “He’s twenty-two.”
    “Okay, and where is Rick now?”
    She shrugs, “what time is it?”
    I roll up my sleeve to look at my watch, “it’s just after two.”
    “That means he is still at the market.”
    “Does he work there?”
    “Yes, he works at the market during the day, and he works at the bar in the evening.”
    “He works day and night?” I ask with a gasp.
    “Mhm,” she nods. “He leaves really early. I always try to be awake before he leaves, but sometimes he is already gone I wake up, and he comes home very, very late, when I’m asleep.”
     
    I sit back again and think for a while, I can’t really dump her on her brother while he’s working and she seems okay now. I wonder if maybe I could bring her back home.
    “Do you think it would be okay if I come home with you? Meet your mama and make sure you are safe?”
    She smiles up at me, “yes please.”
    “Where do you live, Anna?”
    “I don’t know what it’s called, but Rick always calls it ‘this dump’,” she lets out a little giggle while she says it, as if it’s something she’s not meant to say. “It’s where all the trailers are.”
    “That is on the other side of town!” I gasp again. “How did you get all the way over here?”
    “I've been to the park a few times with Rick. All the kids are always happy here and I wanted to be happy and not scared, so I came here,” she replies in a matter-of-fact tone.
    That really tugs on my heart strings, a little girl should feel safe at home. I reach down to pick my bag back up from the ground and fling it over my shoulder again. “Come on, I’ll bring you home.”
    “What's your name?” she asks as she jumps off the bench.
    “Summer.”
    “Summer,” she mulls this over for a second, “I like the summer. I like the sunshine. People are always happier when the sun shines.”
     
    “Why weren’t you in the park with the other children?” I ask her as we start on our way.
    “I was,” she says looking at her feet, “I was on the swings, but all the other children were looking at me all weird ‘cause I was crying. So I sat on the bench instead and watched them play.”

Chapter 2
     
     
    It’s taken us almost an hour and a half to walk to the trailer park. On the way Anna kept stopping to pick flowers, to look at the buildings and she had to stroke every cat and dog that crossed our path.
    At the first home, on the edge of the park, I