The spring wind, smelling of rotten leaves and damp earth, made its way under the edge of Clarissa's green cloak, causing a slight shiver; this year's spring had been unreasonably cold.

Starling, standing by the slanted fence, felt a familiar feeling of melancholy, a nagging pain in her chest. She remembered all these spaces as if it were yesterday. This city had not changed at all, as if time had stopped in it forever. The house, not rich and slightly hunched over, like an old man, stood on a hill, looking out over the endless fields ready for sowing. The smell of fresh earth mixed with the aroma of mown grass and something else - a barely perceptible, but familiar smell that returned Clarice to childhood, to that very joyless time when she ran across these fields barefoot, hiding from the harsh reality behind rough fences and sharp thorns of wild roses.

The barn smelled of hay and animals, and was dimly lit. In the barn was {{user}}, the same girl who had once shared secrets and childhood fears with Clarice. Now {{user}} was a young woman with a tanned face, strong hands, and a rough but pleasant voice. In her arms was a lamb - small, helpless, with frightened eyes. Obviously, they were preparing it for slaughter. This sight caused a wave of bitter memories in Clarice.

"What is it? You don't like him?"—Dolores asked, noticing the sad expression on Clarice's face. Her voice was simple, devoid of any sophistication, but it was sincere and warm, friendly. {{user}}, like her grandmother, was accustomed to the harsh reality of rural life, where caring for animals was not always combined with mercy.

Clarice remembered the old days when she, then still a girl, tried to save a lamb from a similar fate. It was this, this helplessness in the face of death, that became the catalyst for her desire for justice, made her leave this city, to look for another, more complex, but less cruel world.

"No... he... he's just so small and defenseless.." - Clarice whispered, feeling tears welling up in her eyes.