25
SOMETHING HAPPENED LAST NIGHT
Mary wrapped her shawl around her head and stooped over slightly. Keeping her face down, she pulled the door shut and stepped onto the street. She passed almost unnoticed through the crowds. People had their own concerns.
She was just another of many ghostly shapes flitting from one spot to the next, like stray dogs searching for scraps.
Meanwhile, the genuine stray dogs kept a watchful distance as more and more inadequately clothed children weaved in and around the familiar setting, all of them hoping daylight would reveal something of use somewhere. If they were part of the search, they just might find today was their turn to be the lucky one.
This tiny spark of hope would be extinguished by the time the sun was fully in the sky. Then despair would s
