Survival - PART ONE

A woman’s scream pealed out of the wooden shack into the dark alley.  It mingled with the howling wind that descended from the roof of the world.  Two innocent pairs of eyes glared from a corner inside the shack, their mouths agape.  A tiny hand gripped a young arm as they stood frozen to witness the scene unfold in front of them.  They watched a soft candle cast a warm glow on their mother’s distressed face in the center of the room.  Beads of sweat dotted her creased forehead as she turned her head full of disheveled hair from side to side.  A baby’s cry sliced into the cold night, twirled around the shack in a whirlwind and finally escaped through the open window into the empty night.  Just as the new life took hold, the mother screamed her last scream.  The candle next to her blew away by a sudden gust leaving her face in darkness.  The two pairs of innocent, round eyes widened in their corner and their bodies moved closer to each other.  Tiny hands gripped tighter.  A delicate bundle nestled in her arms, their grandmother walked towards them.  She offered her free hand and the oldest child grabbed it into a strong grip.  An old woman and three granddaughters stepped out of the dismal shack into a new life.

To Be Continued....