Little Girl Saved

It was a dark and lonely night, as waves of sand rushed over me. My mouth was filled with silence, and my eyes had shut out the light. In my ears I could hear only ringing and rushing, ringing and rushing - the sounds of swirling winds and dehydration taking up space in my mind. The grit, oh the grit on my fingers!

Tears had stained my face with stripes of nothing amid the layers of salty soil. My bones would not move. Joints stiff. Muscles atrophied. How long had I been like this? To me it felt like years, though it couldn’t have been more than two or three days.

My lungs were heavy, my nostrils clogged with the weight of the sandstorm I’d been trying to breathe. The ropes around my ankles and wrists had chafed me and parts of the raw flesh were beginning to weep. Red and sticky-yellow fluids caked around them now, offering at least a bit of comfort against the knotted cord.

Why had they left me? Why not just kill me? Perhaps that would have been too merciful.

And then I heard a noise. I felt a touch! Two arms lifted me up - one behind my back and one supporting my knees. Was I saved?

I almost began to hope, but fear squelched that thought right away. No, probably I was just being moved to the next station to be sold again. Not that I could be worth anything now. The last doctor had made sure of that when he refused to sew me up again.

I was placed in a wagon, hands and feet still tied, and the wagon began to move. I wondered where they'd take me, and then I blacked out again.

Awake! I gasped, and air - real air - filled my lungs. I could breathe again! The sand had disappeared somehow, so I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. My eyes could not see clearly, but through the blur I made out a room around me. I was on a bed, and there were large blobs along the edges of my vision that I decided must be a dresser and an armchair. My hands were no longer tied, but my feet wouldn't move. I didn't have the strength to sit up or roll over, so I closed my eyes again and slept.

A hand was on my forehead, then a damp cloth. Light poured in from what must be a window, and a figure made of shadow stood nearby. I blinked, hoping to see something - anything, but it was all just light and shadows still. Then a voice spoke in a language I'd never heard. She sounded friendly, though, and he sounded concerned. Two voices - a man and a woman - were in this room. Was one of them a doctor, the other a nurse? Was this a hospital?

I tried to speak, but no words came out. The shadow by the window came closer, and a hand touched my shoulder from the other side. I tried to sit up, and the hand supported me. The shadowy figure did, too. They spoke their strange language with urgency, but I didn't understand, so I just shook my head and laid back down.

A cup of water touched my lips, and I drank. I drank and spilled all over myself. The water burned my throat, but it felt so good on my tongue! How long had it been? I couldn't remember, but I could drink!

Three times the hand filled the cup and offered it up to my lips again. Three times I emptied it, gasping for breath after drinking it down. After the third, a whooping noise leapt out of my mouth, and I began to laugh. Who knew water could taste so good! The woman laughed, too, and then heavy footsteps approached the room. I quickly flopped back and pretended to sleep. The man and woman spoke again. This time relief was in her voice and the concern was still in his.

I must be a good pretender, because the next thing I knew I was waking up again. It was dark, and the room was quiet. I sat up on my own this time. I was thirsty, so I called out. No answer. I called out louder, and the sound of shuffling came from somewhere down the hall. Then the doorknob squeaked, and the latch clicked.

She spoke so kindly that I almost felt guilty for waking her. I motioned to my mouth and neck and said the word for thirsty that the mean one had taught me. I couldn't understand what she said as she left the room, but a moment later I was drinking again. Glorious water trickled down my chin and all over my chest as I struggled to take in every drop. She giggled a little and refilled my cup.

When I was finished drinking, she fluffed my pillow and tucked me in. As she did, something cold like metal brushed against my cheek. Startled, I swatted it away. She spoke reassuringly and guided my hand to feel a heart-shaped locket. It had an intricate design engraved on the front, and I could feel that there was a picture inside. I wondered who was in the picture.

She spoke again, and I listened as her footsteps faded. I wondered if tomorrow my eyes might let me see this kind woman. For the first time I could remember, I drifted off to sleep peacefully.