Merely Us

Ariana was (and still is) the smallest of the group. She has long, straw colored hair that she braids - rather skillfully - every morning. The reason she braids so skillfully is because she is a rope maker. To make her ropes, she takes long, thin plants (such as extremely long grass and willow tree branches) and weaves it - and there you go! A rope.
You might be saying, "How could anybody make a rope out of those silly materials?" And not just anybody could, but Ariana and her mother and Sara, her sister, had talented hands and they managed to do so. Every other week, two of them would walk across the field that their tiny house was in, through the woods, and into a small town where they would sell their ropes.
I don't know if you realize this, but ropes are used for all kinds of things the whole year. Even in winter, they can be used for dragging sleds and for other important duties. That's why, one cold January evening, Ariana's mother and Sara set out for town to deliver ropes. They didn't come back that night. Or the next, or the next. Ariana's family had simply disappeared, leaving her behind.
Ariana, of course asked everyone in town and anyone who happened to pass her by if they had seen her mother and sister. After about a month, she finally had to accept the fact that she was alone. She couldn't stand it.
One day, after her morning routine of braiding her hair, delivering ropes, and picking berries, Ariana remembered something. It was when Ariana was younger (probably seven or eight) and Sara was just a baby. Their mother had said, "Ari, do you see those big bluffs in the distance?" She was pointing the direction away from town. "Just past those is the Big City. Someday I hope to take you there."
Ariana sighed. Just another one of her mother's wishes never going to happen. And then Ariana had a crazy idea. She had been having a lot of those lately. Usually she simply pondered it until she found a problem, then gave up on it. With this one, she found multiple problems, but still viewed it as a good idea. Yes, it was extremely risky, but still possible. And it wasn't like she had anything to lose. Ariana Parks was going to run away to the Big City. She wasn't exactly sure how to get there, but she figured if she walked far enough in the right direction, she would have to end up there sometime.
The next day, Ariana made a quick trip into town to drop off what was to be her last rope delivery before the journey to the Big City. When she arrived back at her house, she grabbed the biggest basket she could find and started filling it with things she might need. Apples, a loaf of bread, almonds, raspberries, some ropes, and three blankets. In a smaller pouch, she carried all her money (which was quite a bit for someone her age), a softball medal she had won years before, her favorite book (Wind in the Willows), and her sock monkey, Dude.
Ariana had named Dude when she was little, and had never wanted to change it to something "sensible", like Stripes or Henry. With her mother and sister gone after being home schooled her whole life, Dude was Ariana's only friend.
After she was all packed up, Ariana had the most filling breakfast she had had in a long time, hoping she'd be able to skip lunch. Eating when she didn't need to would leave her without food in the middle of the forest. Ariana shuddered at the thought.
At mid-morning, Aiana finally stepped out of the little white cottage and locked the door. "Someday, maybe I'll come back to you," she whispered. Then, the girl with the long blonde braid and moccasins walked away from the only home she had ever known.