Little One by Sarah A. Denzil

Author:Sarah A. Denzil [Denzil, Sarah A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-01-13T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifty-Two

THEN

It was before sunrise and Esther was standing in her bedroom fully dressed. Her heart was beating rapidly against her ribs, and, despite the chill, she felt a little sweat beginning to form in the small of her back. She held herself still. Had she heard something?

After waiting another beat, Esther decided that no one would notice if she tip-toed out of her bedroom. She carried her patent leather Mary-Jane shoes as she made her way down the stairs, feet up on their toes, fingers lightly tracing the bannister. The scent of fresh spring air drifted in from the hallway. Esther froze at the bottom of the stairs. Why was the front door open?

Esther held her breath and didn’t move. She waited until she heard the sound of the plastic against plastic. It was the outdoor bin lid being opened and closed. Mary was taking out the trash, probably because she forgot to do it last night. She let out a slow breath and her muscles began to relax. All she needed to do was be quick and quiet.

She pulled on her shoes at the door, not bothering to latch them, and ran out of the house. She ran straight, not knowing where she was going, but knowing that she didn’t want to be in that house anymore. She hated it there. She hated Elijah and the way he bossed them both around. She hated Mary and the stupid book she made her read, the one with the pictures about Jesus and Moses. She hated the words because they were all wrong. They weren’t Father’s words.

She was going to find Father now. He told her that he would always find her, no matter what. All she needed to do was look at the night sky. There he was, twinkling down at her, his spirit a bright star. He knew what was right and what was good in this world. He would make all the funny feelings in her tummy go away. All those niggles telling her Mary and Elijah were going about everything wrong.

But Esther also didn’t know where she was going, and she was a little afraid. When she reached the village green she stopped by the swings and latched her shoes. Everywhere was dark, but not as dark as Arizona. Not as open and empty as her home. This place smelled like daffodils and dewdrops hanging from the blades of green grass. It was different here. She hated it.

When she heard thudding footsteps and a rhythmical panting breath, Esther clenched her fists tightly. She thought about hiding somewhere but she couldn’t seem to make her legs move. A woman came into view. She was dressed in tight clothing and her hair was scraped back by a headband. When the woman saw her, she let out a gasp and clutched her throat, stopping dead in her tracks. Esther felt like a ghost. The woman was scared of her.

“Hello,” said the woman, inching closer. “What are you doing out here all alone?”

Esther did not speak.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.