Life of a Street Kid ☑️

Chapter 16

We had made it half way to the house when a farmer, of all people, spotted us. He was a kind man with a heavy beard. A cart was with him full of food from the farm. He had been on his way back home after a long day at the market. 

I thought we were done for sure but the man only asked why we were out so late and warned us of bandits and burglars. I had made up a quick lie for our night adventure and thanked him for the advice. We walked quickly away from him. I wasn't planning on that to happen again.

I scolded me self mentally for not hearing the man. I had been too busy trying to keep Will up straight in the darkness. He couldn't see well with out the light and it was becoming a great disadvantage. We were in a spot that Pete advised against the use of light because it was a popular road for merchants to use, so it wasn't helpful. The market stayed opened late on specific days so people traveled at night to make it back home the next morning. We had just been lucky it was a kind man then anyone else. All we needed to do was to get to the next road that we were going to use and we'd be safe for a while. We would be able to use the light too.

Will kept falling in the road over small barley visible things. I was able to avoid them easily but Will couldn't keep up right. Many times I had to stop and back track to help Will get to his feet faster. We had so little time to waste. A new marketer could be coming anytime soon. I tried to encourage him to move faster but he just kept falling. Slowly we made our way to the next check point in our journey.

This time I did hear the soft noise of chatter and saw a faint glow around the corner. I wanted to race to our next street that was feet away but I couldn't count on Will being able stay up straight long enough. There were very few places to hide and when the group came with light very few shadows to hide in. I made a quick decision to use the empty barrels that were a foot away. They were the only things close enough to hide in. They weren't large enough for two people to hide behind but they were large enough to fit in.

I grabbed Will by the arm and pulled him to the barrels. He almost fell but I kept him up. The light was getting bigger and the chatter louder. The group would be around the corner at anytime. I pulled open one of the barrels lids.

"Will, get inside. We need to hide." I whispered hurriedly. I motioned for him to get inside. He hesitated a moment before trying to get inside. The barrel was just big enough for him to fit in. The lid made him have to bend his neck and he had to put is knees to his chest but he fit. "Stay quiet. I'll get you out when they leave so don't move."

I closed the lid and attempted to open the other one. Of course the lid was stuck. I tried to pull it off with all my might. It didn't budge. The light was so close to the corner I could see shadows on the street. There was no time for me to run to the next street. I was trapped in a corner. 

Then I realized I could make my own shadow to hide in. The barrel that Will was in was heavy but I managed to move it, along with the other one, to make a corner for me to hide in. The barrels were positioned so they would cover me from plain sight but also make a big enough shadow so I wouldn't show. Everything was positioned just in time as the group rounded the corner. I ducked as far as I could to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Will asked from the barrel. I was happy his voice was muffled some. The group was nearing.

"Shhh... They're coming." I warned not daring my voice any louder then needed.The group was nearing closer and closer to my spot. I prayed that my plan would work and they wouldn't see me.

Three men, a woman, a teenage girl, and a small child were in the group. They looked like they were heading home after a long day at the market. I stayed as quiet as I could as they neared.