Theme Situation Involving or Against

Sexual

Assault

A child

Aia stumbles upon Graybeard on the verge of assaulting twelve-​year-​old Githa in her own home.

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Aia has been watching Githa and her siblings from afar for the last several months, but Llen has forbidden her to go near them.

Today she is passing by when she chances to hear a man in the house, doing something to Githa that is apparently frightening and repugnant to the girl.

Aia rushes in, startling Graybeard in the act of pulling up Githa’s skirt. Graybeard attempts to flee, but Aia grabs Graybeard by the throat.

While Graybeard chokes, Aia recognizes him as a man who came to her cottage earlier in the winter and who had wanted her to do disgusting things even then. In her anger and revulsion, she chokes Graybeard to death and falls on top of his body.

When she looks up, she sees that Githa is still in the house, apparently too paralyzed with fear to have fled. Aia attempts to find words to reassure her, but her English is so limited that she only manages to say, “Good day. My name is Aia.”

At this, Githa panics and flees.

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