Franticly searching, Rebecca finally reached the town. Where was it – where was it? She was growing more and more frenzied as time went on. She had to find it – where was it? She ran from person to person - did they know where it was? She searched their eyes as if searching their souls, but saw nothing, found nothing. No one could tell her where it was. WHERE WAS IT? Her eyes wide, she ran, or staggered, rather, through the streets, her hands tightening convulsively on her skirts. She talked to herself, a never-ending stream of furious – and furiously paced – jabber.

A small crowd of children followed her about – those whose mothers were too busy to pull them away like the other mothers had – and they laughed and mocked her as she went. At first, it seemed as though they may as well have laughed and mocked a stone. She seemed deaf, heeding the cruel words of the children as much as the autumn breeze that swept her hair into her face. Slowly, though, the tauntings seemed to push through. Her mutterings grew louder and more aggravated. They didn’t understand. She had lost it! It was her fault! What would they know? What could they know? They were wrong, WRONG! Stupid, selfish children, they couldn’t understand. It was her responsibility! Hers, only hers, and she had lost it! She had to find it - she had to!

By this time, people were stopping in the streets to watch her. Some were laughing, most just watched with faces that revealed their fear, their worry, their hatred. Rebecca barely noticed, so intent was she on her search.

She ran, on and on, through town, over the hill, beyond the farthest corners of her world. To those in the town, it was as if she had dropped off the edges of the earth. They went on with their lives, never pausing to think, "What was she looking for? Why was it so important? Could I have helped her?" Not even when her body was brought back into town months later. They just shook their heads and said, "Poor Rebecca, she was a good girl. And her son never knew her."

Others, less graciously, said, "Fool! She went crazy in the end anyway. Selfish of her, to die and leave behind her husband and son. Best he never knew her, she'd have corrupted him in the end."

And they went about their business, oblivious to each other, and to poor Rebecca, who ran herself to death beyond the sky, searching for the thing that they all could have given her.