I continued walking through the long stone corridor until I reached the house with Mrs. Nimal. Evening had already begun to settle over the place. When we stopped in front of the door, she turned to me with a warm smile and said before leaving, still tugging the boy by his ear,
"Send my regards to your mother, little one."
I nodded and watched her walk away, then opened the door and stepped inside. The smell of warm food filled the house, but my mind wasn't there. I was still lost in that scene I had witnessed beyond the wall in that abandoned district so different from anything I'd ever known. I couldn't erase the image from my mind, the faces of the people there.
I washed my face in the small sink, wiped off the dirt, then changed my clothes, trying to look normal. My mother was in the kitchen chopping vegetables. I tried to smile, but my mind was still stuck outside.
