I went back up the hallway, searching for the woman who had
discovered the baby. When I found her, she was clad in a simple
sari, holding the tiniest infant I have ever seen. The baby's
arms were skeleton-like, and when I reached down and touched
the baby's head of soft black curls, I could easily feel the
bony skull beneath them. The woman was cooing to the baby,
who was looking back at her with large, beautiful, brown eyes—smiling,
which is unusual for babies so young.
As I watched the woman talk to the tiny
infant, I was overcome with the love that was pouring from
the woman to the baby. I knelt down and let the infant grab
my finger. Although weak and extremely malnourished, she had
a strong grip. Then the infant turned her head and smiled
at me. Soon I was lost in the depths of her big brown eyes
and the sweet smile on her tiny lips.
The woman told me that she had been taking
care of the infant and planned to continue doing so even though
she had other children. Without being found, cared for, and
accepted by this kind woman, the helpless infant would never
have had a chance to live.
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