I awoke at dawn. It took me a minute to come to focus but I soon realized I heard a tapping sound . I followed the sound down the stairs. Through the kitchen I looked out the window toward the grey morning , in the window's corner I saw a child's hand crusted in dirt that looked as if it was born from coffee grounds. It slowly tapped a rusty coin leaving a scratch in the glass. It occurred to me the hand could not see me and soon it would tire. I could return to bed but I didn't. I opened the window and I looked down,I saw about 8 children both boys and girls all under 10 years old look up at me. They were beautiful, dressed well but covered in the elements, beautiful blue eyes, natty hair reaching in all directions,they smelled of hell but stood with a sense of grace. It was as if they got lost months ago walking home from Sunday school. Little boys still wearing their ties and jackets with the elbows worn threw and the girls with their hair still held in ribbons. None said a word they just looked towards me with those soar, hungry eyes. I found half a loaf of bread that I handed to the boy with the coin, he accepted but did not look away from me. I closed the window and turned away to return to bed . I awoke a few hours later,I found my little friend had left his rusty coin on the window seal. I walked out to the yard. The girls had tied their ribbons around arms of one of the trees and wrapped it as if it was a gift to me. On another tree the boys had tied their ties intricately as if they were cryptic birds. I found the bread torn to bits but uneaten,some pieces had even been chewed. Each child had left their shoes in a line as if they had stood waiting at attention. I turned away, I found myself crying. I returned to bed and hid beneath the covers. I wondered what would become of my children?
