NaomiVanDoren

Naiya ducked behind a crate, squeezing her small body between the wood paneling and into an empty space amongst a pile of lumpy sacks. The fragrance reminded her of mother’s tea, sweet and spicy all at once. Adjusting, she pulled her bare feet into a sitting position, holding a hand over her mouth to keep the giggles from escaping over the gentle creaking of the boat as it rocked beneath them. He would never find her here! With bony arms and legs, sun-tanned brown skin and a thick head of short, dark brown hair, she was smaller than most 5-year-olds. Or was she 6 now? Mother would know, but mother was no longer here. Father too. She st