As far as the young girl could remember, the village was constantly ravaged by hunger and poverty. In the back of her mind, she remembered walking along the stone-paved road, occasionally twirling around as she walked down the path to meet her father who had finished the day's work. Her smooth midnight blue dress followed her motions as she danced to her heart's content, briefly touching her ankles once more as she continued walking down the road. In her eagerness to see her father again, she ever so slightly pranced along the road, letting her wavy caramel brown hair swing gently from side to side.
However, back then, she had already taken notice of those orphans huddling in groups to scavenge for food, or sitting on the side of the road begging for a few coins, hoping to have a meal before sundown. Nevertheless, no matter how many times her fellow villagers sought help, it was always met with inaction. Over time, it would be swept under the rug, much like every other desperate outcry of those less fortunate individuals. In her distant memory, she recalled pulling her father's sleeve gently, gazing at her father with her bright iridescent eyes as she asked, "Why aren't people answering their calls for help, Father?" Hearing that, her father chuckled as he gently patted her head and replied, "That's just the way it is. Not all people are going to help the less fortunate.. not when they have what they need in life." The young girl lowered her head for a moment, before looking back at her father, her iridescent eyes seemingly shone like a jewel as she muttered. "But how can they be so selfish? Looking down on people who are below them won't solve anything... It isn't fair to those who weren't born into the same circumstances as they were..." Once again, her father smiled warmly at her and answered, "My jewel, life is not always smooth sailing, but we can learn to ride the waves"
Yet, despite all the hardships, her father would manage to provide for her and her younger brother in some way by working on the nearby farm. Occasionally, if the fates were being merciful, perhaps they might be famished for once and avoid that wretched feeling of starvation. After all, the three of them rarely get the opportunity to spend time together ever since her mother passed away. Having lost their mother at a young age, her father would work day and night to provide for them, whereas she would take it upon herself as the elder sister to care for her younger brother. It was not uncommon for the young girl to take her younger brother's hand and walk him towards the back of the house, where the gardens were. Her younger brother would sit beside her, often laughing and smiling at her as she would draw with the stick she had picked up from the ground. Like a fading memory seemingly out of her grasp, she vaguely recalled how her younger brother used to gaze at her in awe as the wooden stick she was holding seemed to transform into a quill, bringing the illustrations to life. Upon seeing him smile, it dawned on her that she would do anything to ensure that he was happy. Though every day would be very exhausting, there was something else she had looked forward to... the time when her father would return home. Unfortunately, those simple days are long gone; times are harder now than ever before.
Ultimately, they were just mere mortals living in a village trying to make ends meet. However, the people still seek an answer and, try as she might wish to maintain the peace, the efforts proved futile. On that day... her worst fear came true, and along with it, her world came crashing down right before her very eyes.
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