Captured (1)

Tentative

I enter the hut. It seems bigger on the inside than on the outside. A rug woven from corn husks is on the floor. Knobby wooden furniture sits in the corners. A fire is going in the center, with a bucket of water at the ready. There is a spit over the fire, and what looks like a chicken is roasting over it.
"Come, sit." the old woman says. "Make yourself at home."
I smile, grateful for the warm welcome. "Thank you, Miss... what's your name?"
The woman removes the chicken from the spit and divides it into two halves. I hungrily devour one half, and she scarfs down the other half. Terra is eating an apple from my backpack. "You can call me Maria." She says.
We eat in silence for a while. Maria polishes off her chicken and carefully scrubs her dirty plate with a clump of moss. She uses sand and water as a replacement for soap. When she's done, I wash my plate. "So, how long have you been living here?" I ask, placing my plate on a rack to dry.
Maria rubs her chin. "It's been a long time, Matilda. I would say that we've been here for thirteen years."
My mouth falls open and I raise my eyebrows. "Thirteen years? That long?" Maria nods. I clear my throat. "Why did they capture you in the first place?"
Sighing, Maria motions for Terra to come over. Petting Terra, Maria looks down. "I saw them shoot Terra's mother. They were about to shoot Terra, but I threw myself in front of the bullet." She lifts a pant leg to show an ugly scar. Shrugging, she continues. "I only had enough time to build a small shelter for Terra before they dragged me off to one of their terrible cells. After a week or two, I managed to distract them long enough for me to escape. When got out, I went straight to Terra's hut. She was still there. I expanded the shelter until it became this space you see now."
I rub Terra's head. "That's really bad. I would have done the same thing, with Terra and all. You did the right thing, Maria."
Maria shakes her head. "No, I didn't. Maybe if I'd tried, I could have saved Terra's mother, too."
I pat the old woman on the back. "You would have gotten more than a scar, Maria. If you'd saved Terra's mom, then you would've died. They'd have been able to easily kill Terra and her mother, without you there to stop them."
Maria seems to think about that. "You could be right..." she trails off. "But you could be wrong."
I sigh. "Listen, Maria - you'll never know what would have happened if you'd saved Terra's mother. Maybe you would have died, maybe you'd have lived. But you can't go back in time. 'Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.' " I say.
Maria smiles. "Ah, yes, Buddha!"