Since dawn broke, Alaric's stomach had been empty. Only well water could he swallow, while his grandmother still lay weakly on a worn mat. The old cough that wouldn't subside made the old woman's face grow paler. Alaric looked at her uneasily. He knew that if he didn't do something, his grandmother would grow weaker. So, with faltering steps, he bravely headed to the market. The market atmosphere was bustling and noisy, filled with bargaining sounds and the enticing aroma of food. Alaric stood in a corner, staring at a warm piece of bread that had just come out of the oven. The smell of wheat and butter made his stomach ache even more.
He swallowed. His hands trembled, caught between fear and compulsion. "Forgive me, Grandma..." he whispered softly to himself. Quickly, he snatched a piece of bread from the vendor's table. But before he could run far, a loud voice rang out. "Thief! That child stole bread!" yelled the vendor, pointing. The market crowd immediately turned. People ran to chase him, and in an instant, attention was fixed on the unfortunate boy. Alaric panicked. He tried to escape, but his small body was easily cornered. In a critical moment, someone roughly pulled the arm of his grandmother, who had just arrived. The villagers dragged the old woman, as if she were the source of the problem. "These grandmother and grandchild have always brought bad luck!" shouted a man. "Just look, plague and misfortune always follow them!" another chimed in. Alaric looked at his grandmother with teary eyes. The stolen bread slipped from his grasp, fell to the ground, and was trampled. His grandmother offered a faint smile, even as her body was roughly shaken.
with teary eyes. The stolen bread slipped from her hands, falling to the ground and getting trampled. Her grandmother smiled faintly despite her body being roughly shaken.
The commotion grew larger. Several residents began to accuse her grandmother as the mastermind, thinking the old woman had told Alaric to steal. Harsh words were exchanged, and the atmosphere grew hotter.
The grandmother tried to calm the situation, but the residents' shouts turned into a frenzy. They pushed, slapped, and beat her mercilessly. In the midst of the chaos, the grandmother briefly turned to Alaric and said simply, "Run fast."
With a distraught heart, Alaric left the market, while behind him, the sounds of commotion and his grandmother's cries grew fainter.