Moments Before She Shattered

The streets in the early morning lacked the typical traffic as the baker opened his doors. A detail that the girl would later be grateful for. Within the walls of the bakery, the delectable scent of baking bread wafted to her nose. The smell was irresistible even to the most disciplined of adults, though the malnourished girl had no money to purchase it. For the past few months she had relied on the woods for food, though her skills were far from capable of supporting her dietary needs. It had been two days since she had eaten, the edible berries were now scarce and the squirrels difficult to catch. If it weren’t for the nearby stream and the supply of fish, she certainly would have starved long ago. The smell was tempting. Her fingers shook. She never wanted to be a thief. She never wanted to be beaten again. But her wishes proved to rarely come true.