She was certain she’d found a rug… but something inside was moving…

“I did. They said I’d need to go through the consulate to replace everything. But that costs money. Fees, paperwork… I had nothing. Pointless.”

Margaret studied the young woman. Through her pain and tears, a flicker of sympathy crossed her eyes.

“No help at all?” she asked.

“Don’t know any services,” Sarah sighed. “Now tell me, how’d you end up in that rug?”

Margaret flinched at the question and started crying again:

“That’s how life turns… Oh, how did it come to this…”

Sarah muttered under her breath:

“Ugh, why’d I ask…”

Margaret wiped her tears, sat up straighter, and looked at Sarah with a mix of aloofness and irritation:

“Why should I help you? Do you even know who I am? Once I get out of here, I’ll raise such a stink he’ll never forget! And you—think about yourself. Can you really live like this?”

Sarah lowered her eyes, feeling guilty for her life, her rags, this cabin that now seemed almost a palace compared to what was inside that rug.

The guest finished her tea, sighed deeply, and, as if addressing someone invisible, said:

“Fine… I’ll get to you…” she added, shaking her fist in the air, as if her attacker was waiting there.

Outside, dawn was breaking. The first rays of sunlight filtered in, illuminating tiny dust motes in the air.

“Sarah, how long have you been here? You know the way to the highway?” Margaret asked, slowly rising from the chair.

“Of course,” Sarah nodded.

“Then walk me there?” The woman’s tone was more a command than a request.

She stepped outside and shrugged—dawn was chilly, and she wore only a thin wool suit.

“Take a sweater or jacket,” Sarah offered, but Margaret wrinkled her nose in disgust: “I won’t freeze. Just get me to the road—that’s all.”

“The highway’s not far,” Sarah said, walking beside her. “But how’ll you manage with that injury?”

“If you want to live, you learn to cope, girl. Lead the way, don’t dawdle,” the woman said, leaning on Sarah’s arm.

On the way, Margaret grumbled:

“What have they done here? Chopped down the forest and left it. No nurseries, no replanting. Used it up and gone! Disgusting!”

They reached the highway quickly. Margaret stopped, gave a curt nod of thanks, and let go of Sarah’s arm:

“That’s it, Sarah. I’ll manage from here. And you… I’ll try to help you.”

Sarah turned and walked back, thinking to herself:..