From Hands to Hands

"Please take that thing away from me!"

A baby girl just came out into the world, but she was not welcomed. Not that much. She was though a beautiful baby. Her eyes are hazel brown just like her mother's and she is beautifully brunette. But not like most of the babies born into this world, she was rather unwelcome... unwanted...unloved.

But could the world perhaps blame her mother who was beautiful, talented, top of her class, but then ran away from her parents because she knew she conceived a baby by act of rape by a random stranger? It was that night she could never forget. The night that changed her life forever. The night that she never thought she would be a mother. She was just 16.

Or her father-whom her mother never mentioned and who ran away from responsibilities and from the authorities, and was never seen again?

It is raining and cold, and the baby was just kept warm under the cotton sheets wrapped around her. Her mother, after giving birth to her, dressed up and fled into the raining streets of London leaving her baby into some stranger. She was then nowhere to be found.

The stranger who helped her mother was rather old and poor. She couldn't raise a baby and so she was given to a relative. The relative who unfortunately got bankrupted and blamed the baby for it who they thought brought misfortune, sold the baby to a rich merchant for a penny or two who had a family of five. As time passed the rich merchant realized he couldn't possibly raise another child, so he gave her to a friend who was young and unmarried. The young man eventually died- poisoned of a young age and the poor baby was given to her sister. His sister was named Mary. She was married and had three children. Her life was all good until the baby came. Her life was so unfortunate that she blamed the baby for it, but she was rather vengeful and did not gave the baby away. She raised her but treated her very poorly.

The baby was left hungry for many times. When she cried in the middle of the night, and if her parents got disturbed and annoyed, she was always placed into the dark attic to cry to be kept away from them. The attic eventually became her room. Poor fragile she. She was still innocent, and unmindful of the cruel world. She was not breastfed like her step siblings. She was rather bottled with some cheap milk from a sale store. Yet the worst was that she was never given any name, or celebrated any birthdays. When she grew up into a petite young lady, her step mother got surprised when she started to read and write in her very young age. And this gave a way for her cruel step mother to let her do the house hold chores since she thought, she was advanced and could mean matured enough to do things.

At a very young age, the poor child was good at using words, yet she would never complain about the abuses she received, rather stayed quiet and obedient even though there were times it was all too much to bear.

"What are you doing?!" the cruel step mother madly exclaimed as she opened the door of the attic finding her reading an old book.

"I told you to go down and do the dishes!"

She immediately closed the book and kept it inside a box.

"Faster you little brat!"

She was then pinched at her side dragging all the way down the stairs. She shed no tear because she was trying to remember what she read and had no time to go emotional, and besides, she understood that her step mother was acting such that way because her husband left her for a young and rich woman. She was acting mature understanding things in her young age and a very strong child. She of course already knew she was not her mother's real child, and that she was adopted.

She spent her night washing all the dishes after the family's Thanksgiving that she was never get invited to. She was treated more of a slave rather than a normal four-year old. She was never part of any celebration, may it be birthdays or even Christmas Eve celebration. She had never been given any gift during Christmas nor anything. She was settled up with used up clothes and garments. Yet she never complained!

It was a very long night for her as her little hands carefully dried off the plates and putting them into the storage.

After she had done her work, she went to her room-in the attic and continued reading the old book she started reading a day ago. She finished reading two books before and had planned to read them again. She spent the night reading the book that filled her heart with excitement and mind with knowledge... The book was entitled-"The Apple that Fell Down"

"Little brat! Wake up! Let's play!" her step brother called out knocking the door of the attic.

There was no response-she just chose not to.

"Come on! You can't stay there forever! I'm gonna tell on you if you won't!" the other one threatened her and giggled.

She already knew that her step siblings would just make fun of her. The last time she was invited to a playtime, she got stuffed with chocolates all over her face. She enjoyed the chocolates though but the blame, she did not, after her step siblings decided to use chocolates from the cake prepared by their mother for a tea party. She ended up eating scraps of their food for a whole week.

She finds her step siblings annoying and predictable. But she must play with them or must be played by them for them to leave her alone. The last time she ignored them, they kept on banging on the door that made her out of focus of what she was reading. It would only take a few minutes, and she can then go back to what she was doing.

"Little brat! Come play!"

She sighed, opened the door and went down. Before she took the last step, she noticed some oil spills. She sighed and thought to herself, "Predictable!" She then stepped on the clear surface and safely stood still.

Her step siblings were very disappointed. They all thought they can get her again this time but they were wrong.

"Little brat! Go to that room! Let's play there! After you!" the eldest of the three commanded.

But she grew more clever, she knew a trap is waiting for her. She knew a bucket of something will be spilled all over her at the moment she opened the door.

Again, she thought to herself, "Predictable!"

She turned the knob and immediately took a step out of the target spot. A bucket filled of water spilled all over the floor but leaving her dry and untouched.

"What?! How could she possibly missed that?! That's so unfair!"

Her step siblings started crying and asking for their mom.

She sighed and said, "Waste of time!"

She smiled and went back up to her attic to continue reading of her old book to another chapter.

"Little brat! Little brat! Come down right now!"

There was no answer.

"Little brat! Ah! So you're deaf now huh?!"

She took a short deep breath as she woke up. She realized she slept as she was reading her book. She also realized her step mother is raging in madness downstairs. She immediately went down trembling.

"Yes what is it?!"

As her step mother saw her, she immediately grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into her children's room.

"Apologize now!" she exclaimed.

There was no response. Her step siblings began making faces to her acting such real brats.

"I said apologize now!"

"Of what? Crime I did not commit?!" she responded.

Her step mother got more upset and grabbed her by the hair again and exclaimed, "Where did you learn to talk back like that?! You're not my real child. You're just a child of some homeless woman!"

She cried a loud begging her to let go of her hair.

"Oh I see! Those stupid books!" She let go of her and headed to the attic.

"No! Stop! Wait! Stop! Don't throw my books!" she begged out of mercy.

But her step mother persisted and there was nothing stopping her. She followed her into the attic and begged to her. Her step mother started picking up all the books and papers she could find and placed them into a box. She then slapped away the child who was in her way. But the poor child did not mind the pain on her cheeks and persistently begged her. But she played deaf and went down into the front yard.

"Stop! What are you doing?! Stop!" begged she, as she still followed her step mother down the stairs.

Her face was full of frustration as her tears continued to shed from her eyes.

"Stop please wait!" she cried.

Her step mother threw everything in the box into the bin, there were some pages of the books that flew out into the streets. She did not stop crying and slowly picked everything up-one by one. The night was quiet and there were no stars shinning.

Her step mother continued cursing her and then she left and went back into the house. She bolted the door leaving her outside and cold.

When she realized she was locked outside, she swiftly picked few more pages of the books and ran into the door. She knocked hard, crying.

"Please open the door! It's cold out here! Please!" she cried out loud.

There was no response, and the sky grew darker trying to imitate her emotions. It was cold and she had bare feet.

Nevertheless, she continued knocking and begging for someone to open the door.

She stood still and leaned her head on the door. Her hands were getting cold as well as her feet.

After a minute or so of waiting, someone finally came into the door and opened it. It was her cruel step mother.

Her heart was then filled with hope until her step mother spoke. "Since you're acting such so mature you little brat, I want you to decide now- us or your books?!"

There was no response- not because she refused to but because her mind couldn't possibly utter a word. Then the sky lighted and thunders roared. There were few drops of rain, and some fell on her cheeks. She didn't mind them though because she was worried of her books that might get wet. She couldn't go and leave where she stood and picked them up because she knew the door will finally be bolted for the last time and there will be no way of getting in. But the drops of rain were getting bigger and heavier, and it was getting colder and colder. She knew that if she will save her books, she will be homeless. So she must choose the biggest decision of her life.

"Choose!" her step mother shouted.

Her heart started pumping loud and fast. It was a feeling she never encountered before...but she decided.

She took a step. And a tear shed from her eye. But it was not a step in, but rather a step backward. That's right! She chose to save her books.

She ran immediately hoping to save her valuable pages. She though looked back and noticed her step mother locked the door. She was heart broken either way. She continued picking them up and putting them inside her ragged old chemise dress. She had no nice dresses rather than her ragged chemise and old boots which she left back inside the house.

She wandered the streets looking for shade. Her heart had regrets, she had regrets but little though for at the same time, she knew she's free from abuse. But she was also afraid of what the world might do to her. She spent four years locked up in a house cleaning and making fun off. What does she know about the outside world other than stories and places in her books?

She was running and was getting soaked up in the rain. And she knew she must find something over her head to completely save her books, and she must find it quickly. Who could thought a four- year old can survive such incidents?

Finally she found a dumpster nearby. It was empty and perfect for her to hide and be warmth. She went inside and she could smell rotten and spoiled scents left from the garbage that was disposed. She did not mind it that much because her intentions were different. She stayed silent for minutes and eventually started sniffing due to colds. She placed her arms unto her chests for warmth, and she hid her legs beneath her chemise.

Both her hands and feet were frigid, and yet the night did not change. The rain did not stop from pouring heavy droplets, and roaring thunders. She was pale as sheet but she did not loose the one thing she had all the time- hope.

She peeked through a rusty hole and saw how the water that were once droplets that hit the cover of her dumpster now pouring unto the ground and then unto the drainage of the streets.

There were cars too that passed by, and making splashes of water unto the sidewalk. And she wondered how lucky their children might be- full and warmth, loved and blessed. Unlike she- starving and cold, unwanted and abandoned!

It became colder and so she started biting her pale lips. She thought it could make her feel better.

Amidst of all the things that had happened to this poor child, she still was a little joyful because her precious books were save. She had no mother to teach her to read nor father to teach her about the outside world. She though never asked for her real parents to get her because she knew better. She knew they wouldn't come! She was even abandoned by her own, now what chance she would see them again? It was all provided to her by her books- which she couldn't possibly let go off. Though they were old books, found in some corner in the attic, and some pages were missing and some were torn, she loved them so much because they are her only companions that keep her company and smiling. And now nothing matters but the safety of her beloved ones.

As the night grew long and as time passed, she felt drowsy. Well, who wouldn't be after being worn out from all the things that happened? She was so exhausted and couldn't hold on to her eyes to stay open much longer. She eventually fell asleep- cold and hungry.

And so there she was, sleeping with the rats somewhere in a random dumpster and somewhere in London Streets.

Poor! Four year-old she!