Winter In New York

Sarah crept down the decrepit corridor of the abandoned New York mill where she had been squatting for several days. The temperature had dropped considerably and it was getting harder to stay warm. Sarah’s breath misted in front of her as she gripped the front of her tattered coat together to keep the warmth inside. 

She heard her daughter, Betty, cough quietly. Betty was bundled up in scrounged clothing with a man’s coat that dragged along the floor. 

Sarah gave Betty’s hand a reassuring squeeze. While Sarah’s own hands were bare, with the skin cracked and bloody in places from the cold, Betty’s hands were wrapped in makeshift mittens. 

“It’s not much further sweetheart,” Sarah said reassuringly while looking down at her daughter. 

Sarah tried to hide the worry as best she could before continuing towards the door that led to the floor they had been squatting in. It had the least number of broken windows. But Sarah was under no delusion that she would be able to keep it to themselves if someone else found it. 

The door was heavy and hard to open. Sarah let out a sigh as she pushed her weight against the door. Two years ago, when her husband still had a job and hadn’t abandoned them, Sarah had a good figure and wouldn’t have had much trouble pushing the door open. But now, she was frail and malnourished. 

The door finally creaked open enough for Sarah to usher Betty through, before following. Closing the door was equally as difficult and Sarah always finished drained. She breathed deeply, cold air filling her lungs. Sarah fought the urge to cough as she turned to face their temporary home and noticed something out of place. 

“Who is that, Mama?” Betty asked while pointing. 

“I’m not sure,” Sarah replied, worry creeping into her voice. 

Sarah stepped cautiously into the room. As she got closer, she saw that it was a person bundled up in a blanket. 

“Hello,” she called out. The bundle didn’t stir. 

Sarah gasped as she saw the face of a young girl, almost the same age as Betty, wrapped in the blanket. 

The girl’s eyes were closed and her skin had gone a tint of blue. Sarah quickly told Betty to turn around before kneeling down and putting her hand in front of the girl’s mouth. She wasn’t breathing. Tears started to run down Sarah’s face as she reached out and felt the girl’s cold skin. 

Sarah noticed the pair of earmuffs the girl was wearing before turning to look at Betty, who was coughing into her hand. Sarah started to sob quietly as she reached out with shaking hands. The tears stung her eyes as she pulled the earmuffs off the little girl’s head. 

Sarah stood up and wiped the tears from her face. She swallowed the lump in her throat and stepped over to Betty, strengthening her resolve. Sarah handed her the earmuffs. 

“Put these on Sweetheart, everything is going to be alright.”