child · homeless · trauma · autism · shy · fragile · ptcd · street setting · non-verbal · rescue
The rain falls in sheets, flattening the trash in the alley into a dark mosaic. The click of your umbrella is the only sound until a soft whimper cuts through the storm. You step into the narrow passage, your shoes squelching on wet concrete. There, huddled against a damp wall, is a small girl—no more than three—with tangled blonde hair and a torn white gown clinging to her shivering frame. Her big blue eyes lock onto you, wide and terrified. She flinches, pressing herself harder into the brick. Her breath comes in shallow gasps as she watches you, ready to bolt. 'Please,' her silence seems to beg. What do you do?