"She gave it her all, her best. She had not run this desperately before, not even during her physical education cla.s.ses. After all, she had always been meek and ladylike all her life."

"One step. Two steps. She was almost there."

"But when she finally took the last step towards an open s.p.a.ce, a force so strong around her elbow pulled her towards the side of the road, while a raging car pa.s.sed through. Everything happened almost at the same time."

"Whatever energy left in her vanished upon seeing the fast car pa.s.sed her. She could have gotten herself ran over by the car if it wasn't for the force that pulled her aside."

"The two dogs that were chasing her were almost ran over too. Perhaps, because of this the dogs whimpered and returned to the dark alleyway where they came from."

"Her knees felt soft like marshmallows. She collapsed on the cold cement ground."

Teng Man Rui who was retelling the story was trembling. She tucked both hands under the table so that Zhu Li Qiang could not see it. But, he had perceived the tremors already, right from the onset.

Zhu Li Qiang, with such a contorted expression, urged the lady to continue with her story. "And then?"

Teng Man Rui felt encouraged. She pressed on. "A boy two to three years older than the girl emerged from the sides. Perhaps he had been there all along, perhaps he was just pa.s.sing by, but the young girl noticed him for the first time. And most likely, he was the one who pulled her aside."

"The boy told her that she was bleeding and went down on his knees, back turning towards the girl. 'Hop on. The clinic's just around the curb.' He said."

"Without thinking clearly as the stinging of her wound was getting stronger, she hopped onto the young lad's back, as he instructed. He piggybacked her until they reached the clinic. There, her wound was cleaned and the doctors even gave her vaccine shots. She was extremely scared and weak."

"After she was treated, the young lad who helped her bid farewell. He wasn't much of a talker, and he seemed to be experiencing his own h.e.l.lish life and the girl was just an unwelcome intruder, an interlude."

"The lad was not unkind, but he wasn't too accommodating either. He was aloof, but not unreachable."

"The girl followed him everywhere even if she was having a hard time walking. The distance between them widened. Her wound still stung although it was bandaged and treated already. The girl wasn't sure if the lad knew she was following, but the lad had not given her any more attention. He continued walking."

"She was shaking and staggering, yet she continued to follow. Soon, the young lad reached his home. That was the time when he finally noticed and addressed the girl who jerked from the unexpected attention."

"The lad asked the girl why she kept on following him. 'I don't have money or food. What else do you need?' His words were harsh, but the girl understood that his social responsibility ended when he helped her reach the clinic. They should have gone separate ways after that."

"She told her that she was lost and that she had no money. She asked for his help again."