1 Shi Ai

The wail of the small children could be heard all the way outside the building.A little girl of about 8 years was sitting near the door clutching her elder sister's blanket to her.Her elder sister had brought her here.As the day turned dark,the girl was shivering in fright.She was not as much scared for her than she was for her sister.Because her sister had brought her here after hiding her from their parents. Shi Ai had hidden Shi Xiao in her closet and when her parents had gone to look for her,she had escaped and brought her here.All she knew was that her sister had told her that she needed to think of a new name and hide here. .Never to tell anyone from where she had come.She was scared to go in and she knew if her parents found out what they had done they would definitely give her a good beating.

Shi Ai told her that she was to tell anyone who asked that her age was 5 years.She did not understand why.She was going to turn 8 years soon. Shi Ai was 3 years older than her and had turned 11 years last week.Both of them had been so happy and they had even found a small rice cake and cut it together.They had both wished that they would get new parents.

And maybe their wish was going to come true because she heard that Shi Ai had been sold to someone.She had been so happy and skipped to tell Shi Ai what she had heard but instead of being happy,Shi Ai had told her pretend as if she knew nothing and then today brought her here.Had Shi Ai gone to meet her new parents to convince her to buy me also the girl wondered..

Just then,a thin woman came to the entrance. Shi Xiao was mesmerized with her beauty.But her eyes were just like her elder sister's..

The lady felt her gaze and turned to look at her.Afraid of being shouted at for staring,Shi Xiao immediately shut her eyes tightly.The lady smiled at her behavior and smilingly sat next to her.

Gently,she held her hand and in a soft voice asked her o look up.Shi Xiao was sure the lady was an angel.Because only angels were so beautiful.She wanted to snatch her hand away lest she soil the angel's hand but she was scared of angering the angel.

Peeping from the gap between her fingers she saw that the angel was smiling.So she took off her hands from eyes to see her better.

Seeing her face the angel exclaimed,"What a prettty girl you are!My name is Alicia and what is your name?"

Lost in trying to capture the features of the angel,Shi Xiao blurted the first name that came in her mind,"Shi Ai."

The angel smiled once more and exclaimed,"Love!Did you know your name means love?Where have you come from?"

"From far away."the girl answered sagely.

Shi Xiao shook her head.Her name did not mean love.Her sister's did.But she thought it was a good thing that she had blurted out her sister's name.Now her sister would be with her forever.Seeing the girl sitting quietly clutching her blanket,Alicia's heart ached.She too had just come out of an abusive marriage after losing her child and was relatively new to this city.

"How old are you?"She asked the girl.The fact that she was sitting outside an orphanage made it clear that the little girl had been abandoned.But looking into her sad eyes,Alicia hoped that fates would be kind to the little girl and maybe just maybe her hardships would reduce here.

The little girl clutched her blanket tighter and trembling said,"I am five years old.."

Alicia was shocked.Though the girl's body had looked younger,her eyes had seemed older.But hiding her shock,she sensed her nervousness.Holding out her hand,she asked,"Would you like to hold my hand and to go inside?"

Shi Ai nodded her head and agrees.And so Alicia and Shi Ai went inside the orphanage hand in hand.A girl who had lost her baby and a girl who had no parents..