In the beginning, the old woman of the village lived all alone.
The ancestors had not given her a child when she was of childbearing age.
t was a constant pain for her. The first generation respected her and would often come to keep her company. She was often invited to share meals, invited to family and village celebrations.
But as time passed, she grew older and older.
People became scarcer around her.
The younger ones would run away at her approach, shouting.
The more time went on, the longer her days seemed.
Loneliness ate away at her life and her good spirits.
Hunger began to complicate her life.
Above all, the lack of children brought constant reminders.
In short, she suffered from a death-like solitude.
Even when she asked for her old life to be ended,
Death too, so stubborn, no longer came near her.
From being alone and unwell for so long,
Strange ideas began to rise in her heart and in her mind.
No one paid attention to her anymore.
The young people always fled in her presence.
They greeted her without looking at her.
That morning, she went to the river to wash her rags.
Arriving at the water’s edge, she found a group of girls—
A group that didn’t even notice her presence.
She sat on a stone to wash her scraps of cloth,
Crying as she did.
But even her tears drew no attention.
To her great surprise, the group of girls began to attack one among them.
And yes:
Poverty without debt surpasses wealth.
The girl they attacked was an orphan.
The cruelty of this group of girls knew no limits.
The suffering felt by that girl echoed in the heart of the old woman ignored by all.
The proverb says:
A child cannot see standing what an elder sees sitting.
Life is a succession of joyful moments, and unhappy ones.