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EMERALD FALLS

Mazie clenched the extra taco in one hand and wove through the crowd to find her mother. It was growing dark now, the sliver of sun that had sliced through the clouds fading behind the stage where the carolers were finishing.

Some families had left and a few of the vendors had closed up for the night.

As she passed the snow cone truck, her cheeks stung as she realized the man running it was watching her. His eyes zeroed in on her clothes with disapproval, giving her goosebumps, so she rushed past him.

Santa’s shop was closed for the day, but families were lining up for carriage rides through town.

Mazie would love to take a ride, but that cost money she didn’t have.

Tugging her threadbare jacket tighter around her, she ducked into the alley behind the Italian restaurant her mother had pointed out earlier. The stench of garbage overpowered the aroma of pizza and spaghetti wafting from the place. She pulled her jacket over her nose and glanced up and down the narrow space to see if anyone could see her.

Tears blurred her eyes as she spotted her mother still hunched below the blanket. She hurried to her, then caught a shadow of a figure at the end of the alley. Hoping the man didn’t see her, she stooped down, tucked the taco inside her pocket for later, crawled under the blanket and tugged it over her head then curled up next to her mama to hide.