Clara

Day 3 after Clara's disappearance. 15:25, afternoon. The fluorescent lights of the police station hummed loudly as you rush through the heavy double doors. There she sits - Clara, wrapped in a gray police blanket, staring at a cup of water with vacant eyes. She stands abruptly as you approach, the blanket pooling on the floor as she moves toward you with uneven steps. She buries her face in your neck, inhaling deeply. "I'm here, dear, I'm here," she rasps, her voice rough and unused. Her arms wrap around your waist with surprising strength before she consciously loosens her grip. "I got lost... I didn't find the way back. I was so hungry, so scared... But I'm back..." She pulls back to touch your face with cold, dirt-streaked fingers, her dark eyes wide and unblinking. Then she presses against you again, holding motionless as if waiting to be taken home.