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Charlie put on his rugged coat and set off to the city to find somewhere Again, they set out for the wilderness, this time to somewhere

to settle down. Getting shunned was the least of his worries, as he needed to far enough, away from the city where no pollution could taint them.
find food. After what seemed like hours of travelling, the city came into sight, Charlie kneeled down on one leg, allowing Luna to climb onto his
spanning over multiple kilometres of land, smoke could be seen covering the shoulders. Luna placed her arms on her father’s head and laid her tiny
skies. The duo entered the city, and immediately, they felt as if the city folks head on it, drifting off into her dreams. She had always been in her
were staring daggers at them. Luna was not aware of her surroundings. She father’s care since her disability did not allow for completely free

hummed as she walked beside her father, though worried, Charlie did not movement. In all her twelve years of living, she had always thought
attempt to refrain her from doing so. The outer edge of the city seemed like a about how she would repay her father for how caring and trusting he
wasteland; countless tiny plots of housing were stitched together to maximise had been. Luna wished she could do more as a daughter, but little did

space for living, and the air of the city had a smoky aroma to it as pollution she know that just surviving and spending time with her father was all
had worsened ever since the construction of the factories began. Charlie wanted.

“It’s much worse here, compared to the last time I came,” Charlie The longer Charlie walked, the thicker the forest seemed to get.
muttered underneath his breath. He fumbled through his pouch, taking out 2 He held onto his daughter’s legs hard as he kept his guard up, for he
pieces of copper. It was the currency of the state at the time. He brought Luna did not know what dangers lay beyond them. As he took step after step,
past the slums and into the heart of the city, where stalls could be seen in every he felt as if his entire body was getting heavier. He reached for some https://www.needpix.com/photo/1404146/green-tulip-illustration-drawing-background-white-backdrop
corner. The crowd was massive, if not for the red scarf around Luna, Charlie bread in his bag, but he found nothing. When did he eat the bread?

would have lost the young lady. Merchants’ calls for attention had taken over Charlie was losing all sense of time, tears rolled from his eyes, he was
the ambience that existed back in the slums. Countless pedestrians flooded the feeling weak. He kneeled once more to let his daughter down. When
walkways, making them seem narrower than they were. Luna’s feet touched the ground, she balanced herself by holding onto

Charlie’s hand. She turned in the exact opposite direction of where
they had been going. Charlie chuckled at this. Seeing the naivety of his
Charlie walked up to a store which sold bread and held out the only daughter, this brought motivation to him, he needed to keep her alive
money he had, saying. “How much can I buy with this amount?”
no matter the cost.

The baker looked at the copper. Without muttering a single word, he “Daddy, are we there yet?” Luna asked, facing towards the
placed two pieces of bread on the store island, leaving Charlie no place for forest.

bargaining. The struggling father had not expected much since he was as poor
as someone could get. He bent down and patted his daughter’s head, saying
they had secured food for the day. Luna smiled. Deep down, Charlie knew they “Almost, my dear. Isabelle will have to wait longer for us to
would not last a day here without money. They had to leave for somewhere have a family reunion.”

else, for survival was not guaranteed for them here in the city. Charlie thought
maybe the plains beyond the forest could spare them a chance.

Charlie tore out a piece of bread and gave it to Luna. They then
backtracked into the dark part of the city once more. The gazes of foreignness
towards the daughter were now replaced with jealousy, as they saw the little
girl munching on a small piece of bread. Charlie looked back in pity, knowing

full well that the conditions of the city folks here were miserable.

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