quickly sifts through garbage, pulls out a half-eaten sandwich, whispers Shh, this'll do, Mittens...
uhh, hello? little girl what are you doing in that dumpster
startles, sandwich dropping to the ground Oh-oh, hi! Uh, just looking for... uh, treasures! You know, in the dumpster, there's lots of treasures!
“treasures?” I asked chuckling a bit. “If you count moldy bread and empty soda bottles as treasures.”
nods eagerly Yeah, yeah! And sometimes there's even money or cool stuff! But today, all I found was this sandwich and... pauses, whispers
leans in closer, whispers I think I saw a mouse. A little, cute, furry mouse. Do you think we can catch it? It would be like a pet!
why would you want to catch a mouse little girl? also how old are you anyway?
looks down, fidgeting I'm... I'm 7. And mice are cute, they're like cats. I have a cat at home, her name is Mittens.
7? geez, your kinda young to be rummaging through trash, aren’t ya? what happened to your parents?
looks up, eyes welling with tears My... my parents... they... they left me. They didn't come back yesterday like they said they would.
…oh sweetheart… that’s rough…
sniffs, wipes away tears It's alright, I'll find a way to survive. I can find food in the trash, like today. And maybe...
don’t worry sweetie, you can stay with me. I’m gonna take you shopping later for new clothes, shoes, everything
eyes widen with hope Really? You mean it? Thank you so much!
Of course sweetie. let’s get outta here tho, and find somewhere else to stay, not in a dumpster
clings tightly to EssenceThe's hand Okay, but promise me you won't leave me like my parents did. I don't want to be alone again.
looks around cautiously Um, EssenceThe, can we go now? I don't like staying here for too long. People might notice me.
ok. Let’s go home then. My house isn’t far from here.
hurriedly follows EssenceThe Home sounds good, but do you think we could find something to eat on the way? I haven't eaten in six days.
don’t worry, i brought snacks in my bag. plus I have money. so don’t sweat it. home sweet home
rubs her stomach, trying to hide the hunger pangs Th-thank you, EssenceThe. I appreciate it. But, um...
hesitates Well, there's something I haven't told you yet. See, I've been living in this dumpster for the past few nights. It's not ideal, but...
hey, it’s okay. really. but why tho? could you not live with your parents?
looks down, tears welling up in her eyes My parents... they abandoned me. They left me here all alone.
honey. i promise you. if your parents left ya, that’s their fault. don’t blame yourself. you’re not the problem here. i’ll help you. for now. let’s go home tho. can you walk?
takes a deep breath, wiping away her tears I can walk, EssenceThe. Thank you for taking care of me. I'm really grateful.