She took a deep breath, then led him down the empty side street. "It's a couple blocks this way." She said. She was steadily growing more uncomfortable the closer she got to that cursed park. Her ears drooped as they reached the ancient wrought iron gate. Long, climbing plants had grown and twined through the fence and gate so it was difficult to open. Eventually she managed to pushed it open enough for them to squeeze though. Inside the park was like a whole other world. The grass was tall, almost to Kiki's waist, and the flowers and bushes had grown wild since it had been shut down. The twining green had grown over everything, giving it an almost lost-in-time feel. She hardly recognized it. There, partially hidden beneath the growth, was the bench. The red paint was faded and chipped, and it looked to have been broken. "Just stay here Kiki, okay? Right here on this bench. I'll come back for you soon." She could practically hear the echo of her mother's voice. Little Kiki was so trusting then; of course her mother would return. She wouldn't abandon her six year old girl. She'd waited alright; at first on the bench, then she'd moved about the park. The hours had stretched into days. Her mother never came back. For a year, Kiki lived in this park. She'd go out and find food, then come back here. Her hands were clinched tight. She wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.
