Promise

“Friday Fictioneers” is a weekly challenge by Rochelle Wisoff Fields.  The challenge is to write a story, using only 100 words, in response to a photo prompt.  This week’s photo was provided by Bjorn Rudberg.  Other stories can be found here.

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She entered the main hall, still feeling uncomfortable in open spaces.  Living on the streets, she had hardened herself to survive.  She and her brother hid in the sewers at night to stay warm.  However, that became increasingly dangerous.  Hungry and cold, they climbed the steps to the orphanage.

When the visitors arrived, they made her brother laugh.  They promised to send clothing for Christmas.

But who keeps their promises?

Entering the hall that morning, she was surprised to see stacks of hats, scarves, and coats.  She felt a flutter in her heart, the beginnings of a long winter’s thaw.

This post is written in remembrance of the vulnerable street children of Mongolia.  They seek out ways to survive the freezing cold and the dangerous environment on the streets.

In 2009, lovely ladies, including my daughter, and a few men too, in Hong Kong knitted nearly 800 scarves.  They were sent to the children living in an orphanage and the poor living in a slum area of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.  It’s often the simple acts of kindness that mean the most to someone who has so little.

The holiday season is a good time to remember what we have and to reach out to those in need.  To show them that we care.

Happy holidays!