The summer heat burned everything it touched. Clutching onto an ice pop a wide eyed child stood in the summer sun. As the ice pop began melt you could see the disappointment in her cobalt blue eyes. She wiped away the tears with the palms of her hands. She began to get antsy as the sweltering heat continually beat down on her. Tucking her blonde locks behind her ears she begins to wipe away the sweat. With no place of her own she began listlessly searching for some place to cool down. Eventually, she hunkers down in a public park restroom. Fumbling through her knapsack to count out her daily change she is overcome by a sense of pure dread. There is a jangle of keys off in the distance. She proceeds to hide in a stall. Clenching her knapsack and holding her breath. The door begins the creek slowly. She can hear muffled footsteps coming closer. Her knees buckle and her heart starts to race. Fearing she'd be taken back to the place of despair that she dare once called home. The footsteps stop abruptly. The janitor notices a small tattered pair of child's shoes. He knew he'd seen a child enter this facility, but didn't want to pry. He placed the shoes down gently then proceeded to walk away. Breathing a sigh of relief the girl slumps off the commode slowly. She hastily makes her way to retrieve her shoes. 

   Upon leaving the stall something in the corner catches her eye. There was a small folded paper sack placed neatly on the sink counter. Biting her bottom lip she she and squinting her eyes cautiously proceeds to open the bags contents. Her eyes fling openly widely. Excitedly she begins to pull out it's contents. There is a small, yet bulky carton of milk that she places careful on the counter. Next she reaches and pulls out a slightly ripened banana. Continuing to mettle through the contents she notices a plastic bag. It contained two halves of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The child was grinning graciously. Already pleased by the contents she pushes the rest of the bag away. She began devouring the sandwich ravenously. Chugging the milk. Then she began to peel the banana. Chomping on big bites she began to bob her head happily. Her eyes fixated on the bag again. She reaches inside. There is a bottle of water, a bag of chips, and a candy bar. The candy is something she hadn't eaten before. Pawing confusingly at the wrapper she begins to unwrap the chocolate bar. Taking in a deep breath she begins to examine it. She flicks it with her tiny tongue. The chocolate had been slightly bitter causing her to scrunch up her face. The contents made her begin to ponder, "Was this the man's lunch?" 

   She could hear the jangle of his keys coming closer and began to throw everything away hastily. He fumbles the nob. As he enters he is taken aback. He sees the small girl. She's barefoot and her clothes a ragged mess. Her hair hadn't been brushed in weeks. Dirt and chocolate stained her cheeks. She begins to plead. Unknowingly, he'd left that for her all along. The man questions why she isn't with her parents. She can't help but become despondent. Her eyes darting across to the corner of the room. Should she dare tell. Tell that her father was violent and that her mother was not respondent. The man began to examine the girl and then he could clearly see. There were bruises and scars that littered her entire body. The man began to fumble in his pocket pulling out an electronic device. His chubby fingers began to dial numbers. The girls face went pail. Drained of all the blood. She knew that he was calling her father. She darted past the janitor forcefully. The man pleaded that she at least come stay with him. Stopping in her tracks she begins to look at him untrustingly. She put up a pinky as to agree to a promise. To which he graciously accepted. They walk slowly to his work truck. 

  He then asks her her name. She raised her eyebrows and squinted her lips trying to think. Her mother only ever called her baby. Her father would bolster that she was a brat. Upon telling the man he cannot believe what he hears. Prodding, he asks if her mother is okay. To which the child shook her head and muttered one word, "hurt." Concerned he pried that she needed to get her mother some help. The girl shook her head no. Insisting that her mother would only refuse like she had once before. With that there wasn't much more said. He takes the small child to cottage like building. Upon entering she was fascinated. There was so much furniture. She raced to the kitchen and with utter delight pulled open the fridge. There was food as far as her little eye could see. He then showed her the bathroom. She looked around before fixating her gaze on the mirror. Her reflection looking back horridly. Gasping in disbelief she couldn't even fathom the person starting back at her. The janitor begin to draw her a bathe.

   Confused and fumbling through an old drawer of things he pulled out one of his daughter's old dresses. John had raised his own two daughters, but this felt entirely new to the janitor. The girl began looking at the dresses. They were only of something that she dreamed. Something only a princess would wear, or to her it seemed. Out of all the dresses she chooses the green one. John's favorite color was green. It was a color his girls detested. With a look of surprise upon his face John places the dress on the sink counter and leaves. Leaving her to the privacy of the bathroom the young girl slips into the bath water. The warmth overwhelmed her entire body like a loving embrace. After she had bathed she continued to get dressed. Mesmerized by the shimmer of the emerald green silk fabric the girl began to twirl. The man returned with great delight to see that the dress had fit perfectly. He then muttered his name, "John." The small child smiled politely. She still couldn't think of her name. Nor, recall ever having a real one. The man began naming off multiple names, "Molly, Mary, Rebecca, Beth, Anna." All to which was a definite no. Then he looked at the dress. How it almost matched her eyes and said, "Hazel." 

   She smiled as if to agree. He gently tucks the small child into his daughters old bed. He pets her head reassuringly as Hazel drifts off to sleep slowly. John clutches his phone then begins to dial shakily. The operator on the other end questioned his matter of importance, but insisted that she'd send police. It was in this moment he couldn't help but feel that he betrayed her. That she was going to hate him. With tears running down his face he knew it must be done. With a firm knock at the door the janitor swung open the door. The police begin to question about his eldest daughter, whom he'd not seen in many years. He insisted he knew nothing. Panicked, his voice quivered, "Is she alright?" To which the men replied, "No. Her husband is a being held under the suspicion of murder." They also implied that were actively looking for his granddaughter. His eyes whelped with tears. He couldn't help but think of the lost little girl that lay sleeping in the next room. The men proceeded to show him a photo of the missing child. He hadn't even laid eyes on his granddaughter, let alone knew she existed. With complete disbelief he brought his hands up to his face. John dropped to his knees. He couldn't believe that this poor little girl whom he rescued was his granddaughter. John explained the events that lead up to the call about the missing child who wasn't actually lost. 

  That she was safely sleeping in the same bed as her mother had before her. With bewilderment in their eyes there is a tense moment of pause. Bright blue lights began to flash as the ambulance pulled up. The police insisted that she be checked out. Reluctantly the man agreed. Walking back towards the far right John picked up his granddaughter and kissed her head reassuringly. John whispered to the little girl, " I'm your grandpa. I'm going to take care of you now. Your mommy is in heaven." Sleepily Hazel replied, " You're silly grandpa John. Mommy's standing right behind you."