Go straight for the underground

As the evening nears, the building has become increasingly quiet. I peel off the blankets that were holding me down and quietly begin looking for some clothing. I put on a pair of stiff pants and an oversized hoodie, slip my feet into sneakers, and head out the door. I am immediately hit with the humid and pungent smell of the streets. It is very dark, and I am only able to navigate thanks to the occasional fire from a makeshift house. Suddenly, something scurries across my feet! Startled, I begin walking faster with the fear of the other dangers of this unknown land. Similar to my nightmares, spine-chilling sounds pop out on occasion. At times heard from a distance, and at other times too close for my own comfort.

Suddenly, something tugs at my pocket. It’s a hand. I swiftly got a hold of the thief, only the pickpocket was a lot smaller than I was expecting. It was a young girl, about eight years of age. I hear a little gasp behind one of the boulders as well. There was another child.

“Come out from there. What do you think you’re doing?”

The child in my grasp gets increasingly nervous and the child from behind the boulder is followed by six others, all younger than the pickpocket. They were all dressed in frail, muddy garments. I try to handle the situation as calmly as possible. With little effort, the eldest child reveals to me the truth behind their actions. She tells me that the other little children are her siblings, although it is evident that they may not be biologically related. I tell her to take me to their parents.

After a long walk through numerous dark, narrow tunnels, we reach what looks like a cave. There is a small light coming out of the entrance. The children scurry inside, leading me inside. The state of this cave is horrendous. It smells of waste. The ceiling was hardly tall enough to stand upright. Despite the limited space, it was evident that all these children, and possibly more, must be living in this damp cave. I see an older woman sitting in the corner, the closer I get, the clearer it is that she is unable to walk. Her grey eyes peer at me, quickly becoming filled with caution. However, she is too weak to physically react. The eldest girl whispers in the woman’s ear, likely explaining the circumstances of my arrival. The woman’s face fills with disappointment and penitence. She begs for forgiveness, but I tell her it is not necessary. It is obvious to see the desolate situation that has caused the children’s actions. They need whatever they can get. Despite all the hardship, the woman continued to take in abandoned and orphaned children, raising them however she could. How could they be in so much desperation that they have to live in such an impoverished state in this diminished cave?

A) Brush it off, understand that people are struggling
B) Become increasingly frustrated, and determined to leave the underground