"Corinna?" He called my name, but he still couldn't move. My father looked worn, perhaps a few years older, even though we hadn't seen each other for weeks. His shirt and trousers were dirty with soil, and the wind carried his sweaty odour to me. I stepped closer and lowered my head, sensing him move nearer.
"Where have you been?" he asked. My heart began to race inside my chest. My father didn't sound like a worried parent broken by the loss of a daughter; he was genuinely curious about where I had been for these past few weeks. I knew how much they needed me at home to cook and keep the house clean.
I kept my head lowered while I answered, "Father, please forgive me. A strange man in the forest took me. I had no choice; he was stronger than I was. He chained me and delivered me to the
