"Stop! Thief!" 

          Mira giggled, didn't stop running. 

          "You'll be hung for this!" 

          They always said that but how come it hadn't happened yet? Not that Mira was entirely sure what a 'hanging' meant anyways but it didn't concern her much. Oh well. So long as it wasn't a whipping then she decided it couldn't possibly be [i]that[/i] bad. The merchant stopped running and angrily threw his hat onto the cobblestone-paved ground. He had speed and she had her stamina. But the winning factor? She'd done this a hundred times already (ah yes, practice makes perfect) and she'd do it hundred times more. Just for the thrill of it. The little girl didn't bother looking over her shoulder anymore and ducked straight under the flapping cover of a nearby clothing stand. Thankfully the woman in charge of this particular tent and its contents hadn't noticed, so Mira was able to relax. She bit into the juicy flesh of her stolen prize: a yellow apple. Who'd have thought such a little thing could cause so much trouble? Plus it's not like she [i]really[/i] stole it; more like a long-term I Owe You. Mira intended on paying back for this and all her other 'borrowed' goodies once she grew up and had her own garden of trees whose fruits she could sell.

          In just a few minutes she'd chewed it down to the core and stuffed the seeds into her pocket to save for later. Not that Mira had the patience or knowledge on how to properly trade them but the old lady with the chickens, who lived in the area, seemed to like collecting them. In exchange she'd tell the girl old wives' tales or fables. Peeking her head out to make absolutely sure that the old ugly man hadn't followed her, Mira looked around before crawling out of her hiding spot. Well that was fun. 'Time to go back now,' she decided. Mira skipped to the end of the bazaar and turned to head towards a smaller path branching off the main road. She began humming to herself as she followed the familiar brown-stained stones to home. It was still fairly light out but she never liked walking around at night. Not that she was afraid of the dark but everything was just so hard to see! Mira reached the fork in the road and turned, still humming as she kicked a couple of loose pebbles around. There was a sudden whine from behind and the girl paused to turn around. Hey, a doggy! But the animal looked... Weird. Aside from the bald patches in its fur. The eyes? Maybe that was it. They looked pretty wide. And it was drooling a lot too. Mira found that oddly enough, she didn't want to pet it and actually hoped it wouldn't come any closer either. But the canine did indeed step closer and the girl reacted in the first way she could think of. Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed her small handful of apple seeds and chucked them before turning to run.

          Mira squealed as she darted, neglecting to check if the animal was even behind her or not. She only realized afterwards that it wasn't, which made sense considering otherwise it probably would have outrun her. Moving as quickly as her short legs could carry her, the girl made a beeline towards the nearest house she could see and banged on the door. When wasn't opened immediately she decided she'd rather risk a scolding for trespassing than having to face that mutt again. Running around to the side, Mira spotted an open window and hopped up to haul herself in through the frame. She flopped over it and fell to the floor with a grunt and an "ow" of complaint. Mira sat up and rubbed her head.