Angel of Fionas

fe!" Edith hurriedly lifted the girl up and shook her shoulders.

The little girl barely responded. Edith noticed that her lips were blue, and her small, red hands tried to huddle inside thin sleeves.

She quickly removed her cashmere shawl and wrapped the little girl in it, holding her close and sharing her warmth. She rubbed the kid''s face with both her hands and breathed hot air on her fingers.

After a while, the kid''s breathing finally evened out, her chest rising and falling steadily. Her long lashes trembled, and then opened her large, bright eyes, the sight of which was breathtaking. The first words she uttered were:

"Bread."

Edith retrieved a pack of biscuits from her inner pocket and fed them to the girl bit by bit. After eating some food, the girl''s mind seemed to begin to clear.

Edith asked her, "What''s your name?"

"Fiona," the little girl timidly replied.

"Where are your family?"

"Papa became a bandit, mama and I have nothing to eat. Mama got ill. We had no medicine. She died the day before yesterday."

"A bandit?" Edith questioned in confusion.

"They say papa is a republican bandit."

"He''s not a bandit," Edith sighed. She hesitated, then looked towards the direction of the military camp.

"Listen, Fiona, I cannot take you back to the camp," she grasped the girl''s shoulders, "but you cannot stay outside. You will freeze to death. Walk in that direction and knock from door to door. There will be someone willing to take you in."

The little girl nodded, seemingly not fully understanding. As she turned to leave, the maiden called out to her once more before she had gone far:

"If you really cannot find a place to stay, come to the camp over there to find me! My name is Edith Travis."

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On her way back, Edith''s light-hearted joy dissipated, and her steps grew heavy. At the corner, she ran into Andre,