I Found Someone’s Daughters Hiding Inside My Empty Trash Can – Then One Whispered, ‘Please Don’t Send Us Back’
“Please don’t let him know that we are here.”
A chill went through me.
I lowered the lid slightly, not enough to close it, but enough to shield them from view if someone looked out a window.
“Who are you hiding from?” I asked quietly.
The girl in yellow pressed one finger to her lips.
Her sister began to cry without making a sound.
I looked toward the neighboring house.
Every curtain was closed.
“Okay,” I murmured. “You don’t have to tell me yet. But you can’t stay in here.”
The girl in pink shook her head frantically.
“No house.”
“Not your house,” I promised. “Mine.”
That got their attention.
I opened the lid fully and held out my arms. “Come on. I’ll help you.”
The girls exchanged a look that seemed far too serious for children their age.
Finally, the one in yellow reached for me.
She was lighter than I expected.
I lifted her out first, then her sister.
Both immediately grabbed my legs.
Their hands clutched the fabric of my jeans so tightly that I could feel their fingers shaking.
“My name is Carla,” I said. “What’s yours?”
The girl in yellow whispered, “Lily.”
Her sister answered, “Lucy.”
“Lily and Lucy,” I repeated. “All right. Let’s go inside.”
I tried not to look toward the house again as I guided them up my driveway.
Once inside, I locked the front door.
The click of the deadbolt made both girls flinch.
That frightened me more than anything they had said.
I brought them into the kitchen, gave them water, and put a plate of crackers and sliced strawberries on the table.
They stared at the food but did not touch it until I sat down several feet away.
“You can eat,” I assured them.
