Watercolor painting by K. Harsham 2013

Gabriel sat down on some rocks by the Ganges River with a pita and kabob sandwich. He was on a holiday with his parents touring India.

As he took his first bite, he heard sobbing. At first he thought it was the wind. He looked around at the trees, but they were still. He could not feel any breeze. The sobbing came again. It was not the water, and it was not his parents, sitting up the slope behind him on a blanket with some friends. He got up and explored among the rocks.

A small boy with black hair and eyes was hiding behind a boulder wailing. When he saw Gabriel, he dashed away his tears and turned his back.

“What’s wrong?” Gabriel asked the boy.

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