8 Stopping for a while

Each morning, Cong would open the door and on the doorstep would be something; a rabbit, some fish wrapped in leaves and tied with vine, a bunch of flowers. She gave back as much as she received and it brought a tear to his eye.
"Is she there?" Hua asked, hopeful that the girl had come to her to be looked after.
"No love, just some gifts to say thank you for the food." Cong hugged his wife, "sorry love, I don't think this one will be coming to stay with us, she's too wary and too wild to want to be tamed," and with that he lifted his apron off the back of the door and went out to the forge.
The girl wasn't there today. 
She wouldn't be there again. 
She had left, her itchy feet getting the better of her. "Where's the girl?" Bai Ji asked. "Gone, lad. It'll break Hua's heart when I tell her, so for now, say nought, you hear?"
 
I had decided to get moving again. I wasn't where I needed to be, wherever that was, and I wanted to get going. I had easily fallen into the habit of relying on others. I didn't like it. I wanted to be free once more, so taking the two pairs of trousers and two men's tops, I packed my bundle and set out toward the village.
It was already late and I knew the streets would be empty; the best time to move.
Quietly, so as to not disturb the dogs, I silently went through the village and out the other side. It was only when I got up the road I realised the noises behind me were still following.
Fear filled me and grasping my knife, ready for attack, I spun round.
I growled with animal aggression and stood my ground.
In front of me were three young people, probably of similar age to me, looking very scared. I could see they were like me but survived in towns. How? What was there to kill? How did it work?
My mind was not in the business of dealing with people, I wasn't that sure what to do next so I stood my ground.
One of the three, a young man, pushed the two girls behind him and bowed to me.
"Please, we mean no harm," he said, "we have nothing, we just want to leave this place and go somewhere where we wont be bullied. Please!" he stood up and reached forward, I instinctively shrunk back. "Please, let us travel with you. These are my sisters, Min and Xin yi. My name is Haiyang. We have no family and have lived on the streets most of our lives. We accept scraps from those who will give us anything and steal when we get the chance. I hate this life. I want more and they deserve more too. Please," he held out his hands in a respectful gesture, "please let us travel with you."
My head screamed "NO!NO!NO!" I didn't want or need others, I had myself and Nature, that's all I needed. I shook my head. "Go own way," I said, "I travel on own."
"Please! Please! If we cannot travel with you can we at least follow you? We have seen you at the forge and we have watched you going for food. You live well by comparison with us. Honestly, its this that makes me think I would feel safer travelling with you and so would my sisters. Please! I am begging you, help us."
It was that last few words that sealed the deal, 'help us'. Yes, I would help but I wanted them to leave as soon as possible.
"Help you to next village that is all. No trust people. Need no-one," and with that I turned and carried on walking.


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