Chapter 1: The Bread Behind the Bakery
Chapter 1: The Bread Behind the Bakery
Behind the small neighborhood bakery, Ethan found it.
A paper bag.
His hands trembled as he pulled it from beneath a stack of cardboard boxes.
Inside were three bread rolls.
Slightly stale.
A little hard around the edges.
But to Ethan, they looked like treasure.
His eyes filled with tears.
For a moment, he simply stared at them, afraid they might disappear.
Then he grabbed one and took a desperate bite.
The bread scratched his dry throat, but he didn't care.
It was food.
Real food.
The first decent meal he had seen in days.
"Hey!"
A voice suddenly echoed behind him.
Ethan froze.
An elderly woman stood in the bakery doorway.
Her silver hair was tucked beneath a flour-covered scarf.
She crossed her arms and stared at him.
Ethan immediately lowered his head.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"I wasn't stealing."
The woman looked at the half-eaten roll in his hands.
Then at his thin frame.
Then at the bruises visible beneath his sleeves.
Something softened in her eyes.
"What’s your name, son?"
"Ethan."
"Do you have somewhere to go?"
Ethan shook his head.
"No."
The woman remained silent for several seconds.
Finally, she stepped aside.
"Come inside."
Ethan hesitated.
"Why?"
The woman smiled gently.
"Because nobody should be eating from a dumpster."
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For the first time in months, Ethan stepped through a door that welcomed him.
And he had no idea that his life was about to change forever.
