11 Years Ago
The sun shone brightly over the playground. The seesaws were still, their metal frames covered in rust, gears stiff and squeaking from years of neglect. What once might have been a joyful place for children now looked like a forgotten ruin, swallowed by silence and time.
Except for one faint sound, the creaking of an old swing swaying slowly near the back gate. A little girl sat on it, her frail body moving only because of the wind that pushed her forward and back. Her face carried no smile, only a hollow look of hunger and despair. Anyone could tell she hadn't eaten in days. Her clothes were filthy, torn in several places, and smelled of the streets. No child should have been in such a state.
"Get down from there, you little bitch!" a voice shouted.
The girl barely had time to react before she was shoved off the swing, crashing face first onto the ground. Her thin body trembled as dust clung to her bruised cheek.
