Was that all you needed? You didn’t lose anything else?” “Just a shoe once, but that was when I was smaller, and it wouldn’t fit me now,” said the girl brightly. “I’m ready to go home.” Antsy, whose own answer would have been much longer and much more painful, felt a pang of jealousy. This girl could go home. This girl hadn’t lost anything worth looking for; nothing larger than a kitten, anyway. This girl didn’t know what it was to be lost herself, to feel like the world was set against her, to be hurt. This girl was innocent. And just like that, Antsy’s anger burst. This girl was innocent.
...more