[At a different part of town...]
"Olivia, did I not caution you about playing with older children?" Olivia's mother's gentle eyes bore into her, observing the tear-streaked face of her daughter.
Olivia acknowledged the truth in her mother's words, causing her sobs to intensify. Her small hands clenched into tiny fists, pressing firmly against her eyes in a desperate attempt to halt the flow of tears. Her delicate fingers offered solace, the very same fingers that had been offered as comfort when the older girls had pushed her during their play.
"Come now, hush, Olivia. Your tears hold worth; do not squander them on a single troubling incident," her mother coaxed, extending her arms to cradle the sobbing child. Gently, she lifted Olivia and settled her on her lap.
