Found

The scent of sweat and blood filled the stale air. The small ten year old girl grunted as she strained to move a fifty pound feed bag into place. Sweat poured off of her small body, and she was bleeding in several places where cruel nails from the crates had gouged into her. She finished arranging them how she wanted and collapsed into her hideout, moving the last bag into place behind her. She lay in the small, dark place panting with exhaustion. Small splinters from the wood floor of the train car dug into her and she shifted to try to find a more comfortable position. There was none to be found, but eventually she dropped off into a light sleep. The sound of a door sliding brought her back to the real world and she hardly dared breathe as footsteps sounded on the floor. She could barely hear them over the noise of the train, but they were definitely there. The guard poked at her hideout and one of the bags shifted and slid to the floor. He yelled in surprise, but then investigated the small hole it had left behind. She cringed as the beam of light pierced through her dark surroundings and a gust of cool air sailed in and gave great relief. He began to move the bags and crates, slowly undoing her hard work that took her hours and she squashed herself back into the corner as far as possible. When he came to move the next bag, his cold, blue eyes met her and she whimpered in fear. He grabbed her arm and lifted her out. “Please no!!” She screamed. She began to fight and scream. “Please! Let me go! I need to find my dad!” He ignored all her protests and dragged her over to the door. “Shut up girl,” he growled, “I’m taking you to the conductor and he’ll turn you over to the police.” “Please no,” she sobbed. Then she quieted and began to sob the same word over and over again. “No, no, no, no.” He dumped her unceremoniously onto a chair and left to go fetch the conductor. She rocked back and forth still crying. She needed to find her dad. She had run away from her abusive aunt to find her dad. He had left her in her aunt’s care and never come back. A tall man walked into the car behind the guard and stared at her. She lifted her tear stained face and met his. “Please sir I need to find my dad. I was told this train would take me to him.” He looked at her then said, “I believe they were right.” She looked at him in the eye this time and blinked. Her own eyes it seemed were staring back from his face. “Dad?” She said unbelievingly. He crouched down and she flew into his arms. He picked her up and rocked her back and forth as she cried, releasing all her pent up emotion. “I love you to the moon and back,” he said. “I love you to the moon and back a thousand times,” she replied.