Ruth did not know how and when she was brought back to her home. Thea was constantly by her side. She sat resting her back on the wall with her legs folded in knees. Her hands rested in her lap, not knowing what to do.
She saw Mrs Payne crying hysterically and mumbling incoherently. Mrs Green and Mrs Welby were by her side along with her neighbours. They were trying their best to console the old lady, but her pain was too acute to get consoled by mere words.
People were talking, crying and moving around Ruth, but her mind was too numb to care about any of that. Her tears had dried like a river shrinks during the draught. Her throat felt itchy and swollen after her ear-piercing scream in the woods. She did not know how many people she scared.
But her fear and anxiety before knowing the truth were changed by the numbness. Her mind had stopped working, refusing to pay heed to her surroundings.
