On the doorstep of a townhome in New York City, a basket is placed.
The doorbell rings.
There are footsteps, and then there are not.
The doorbell rings.
There are footsteps, and then there are not.
queensidecastle
A woman answers the door.
She looks in the basket.
She says, "What."
She looks in the basket.
She says, "What."
There is a toddler in the basket. She's about three, based on her size - the face looks a little more mature and she has negligible baby fat, though - and she's fast asleep and wrapped up tight in a blanket. She's pale and pale-haired and sitting right on this here doorstep.
queensidecastle
Yes. Yes, she is all of those.
Well, regardless of wider concerns about who she is and where she came from, the immediate problem is that there is a small child in a basket on Chris's doorstep. And it is really, really easy to solve.
She picks up the basket and carries it inside.
Well, regardless of wider concerns about who she is and where she came from, the immediate problem is that there is a small child in a basket on Chris's doorstep. And it is really, really easy to solve.
She picks up the basket and carries it inside.
queensidecastle
That's convenient.
Chris puts the basket on the couch, and sits down next to it, and contemplates her situation.
Chris puts the basket on the couch, and sits down next to it, and contemplates her situation.
queensidecastle
"Gooood question," says Chris.
She gets up.
"I'm gonna go think about this. If she wakes up, can you ask her where she came from?"
She gets up.
"I'm gonna go think about this. If she wakes up, can you ask her where she came from?"
It doesn't take that long for the small girl to open her eyes and start trying to squirm out of her blankets, looking around with bleary confusion.
Eventually she is disentangled, and sitting in her basket.
"Where'm I?" she wants to know. Her accent is strange - not American. Closer to Scottish than anything else, but not that close.
"Where'm I?" she wants to know. Her accent is strange - not American. Closer to Scottish than anything else, but not that close.
"I -" The girl blinks, and looks down at herself. "I - I don't know."
The girl shakes her head slowly. "I'm not... just... new?" she asks haltingly.