Childless couple finds a baby on a park bench; 17 years later the real parents surface and demand the impossible.

Lisa and Michael slipped out of their friends house, where a birthday celebration had been spilling laughter into the night, and set off toward their flat. Outside, November had already settled its gray veil over the city. In the dim glow of street lamps the snow fell in feathersoft sheets, and a gentle draft nudged the flakes forward as if whispering secrets.

Isnt it beautiful! a woman exclaimed, eyes glazed on the evening tableau.
Indeed, her husband replied, drawing Lisa close.

They walked a short distance when the woman halted.
Do you hear that? she asked Michael.
I do, he said, turning his head. A baby is crying.
Are there babies out wandering at this hour? The wail sounds newborn, Lisa said, her tone edged with worry. It must be right nearby, but I cant tell where.

They stopped and scanned the quiet street.
From there! Michael finally shouted, lunging toward the town park. On a bench already dusted with snow lay a small bundle from which the sobbing drifted.

What a tiny thing Lisa whispered. But where are its parents?
It seems they left her alone, Michael guessed.

Lisa lifted the infant gently, and the childs cries faded like mist under a sunrise.
Little one, who has hurt you? she cooed tenderly. Did cruel parents abandon you in the cold?

Soon they arrived back at their flat. Placing the baby on the sofa, Lisa unwrapped her and gasped: a newborn girl, barely a month old, lay in a threadbare shirt and a bicycleshop blanket torn to ribbons.

She needs feeding straight away, and surely her nappy was last changed hours ago, Lisa said, tears trembling in her voice.
Ill run and buy everything, Michael offered.
Get formula, a bottle, and nappies, Lisa instructed, cradling the shivering infant. It seemed she might burst into tears at any moment.

Fifteen minutes later Michael returned with a sack of supplies.
Here are disposable nappy liners; we dont have any other stock yet, he said, setting the bag down.
Great, lets swaddle and feed her, Lisa chirped, bustling around the child. The babys skin was blotched with tiny red spots. Lisa smoothed a dab of baby cream over her, laid fresh nappy liners, and the infant greedily clutched the bottle, as if she had not been fed for ages.

We should call the police, otherwise it will look as if we stole her, Michael suggested.
I agree, Lisa replied, settling the contented girl into sleep.

At dawn, socialservice officers and police knocked on their door. Lisa watched, heart thudding, as the child was taken away. In that single night she had grown so attached that the separation struck her like a physical blow. Lisa and Michael had been childless for seven years. Once, Lisa had carried a pregnancy to the fourth month before it miscarried, and after that they had given up hope of ever being parents. Perhaps the found baby truly had lost her own parents

Alone now, Lisa and Michael pondered the childs fate.

My love, how I wish I could hold her once more! Shes such a little treasure, Lisa sighed.
You know, I liked the whole whirlwind that surrounded that tiny bundle, Michael mused, looking out the window at a playground where mothers strolled with prams. He imagined Lisa among those smiling mums and smiled to himself.

Three months passed. Their dream of a family finally blossomed. The authorities never traced the babys biological parents, and Lisa and Michael were overjoyed. They bought everything a child could needpram, cot, clothes, toys, and more. They named her Sophie, and she became the centre of their world. Lisa now paraded a pink pram around the courtyard, chatting merrily with other mums about their tots. No one doubted that adoptive parents would move heaven and earth for their child.

Lisa and Michael truly set Sophie on her feet. By seventeen she had graduated from secondary school with a gold medal and planned to study education.

At her graduation banquet the whole family gathered around a table to celebrate. A sudden knock sounded at the door.

Ill answer, you all stay seated, Michael said with a grin, hurrying to the hallway.

Soon a drunken couple burst in, stumbling as they entered the lounge.

Little miss, congratulations on finishing school! declared a disheveled woman in a threadbare grey coat.
Little miss, were so proud of you! her husband added, scratching his head as if searching for something to say.

What are you? Sophie sprang from her seat. Why are you here?
Were your real parents, dear, the woman croaked, introducing herself as the mother. They found you on that park bench seventeen years ago.
Mother, father, explain whats happening! Is this some kind of joke? Sophie stared, half at the intruders, half at Lisa and Michael, who exchanged bewildered glances.

The truth is we are your biological parents, and these two are just drunks who wandered in for a drink, the man said.
Oh, youre handing out drinks for a hangover? Sophie retorted sarcastically. Whats your angle?

Lisa stepped forward, tears welling, and recounted the story of finding the baby in the park.

Sophie, eyes wide with shock, almost wept. Summoning her resolve she declared,
If this is true, both of you are out! she ordered, pointing the unwanted guests toward the door.

Darling, why are you being so harsh? You have younger brothers and sisters now, the ragged woman muttered, pulling at her hair. Her husband shifted nervously, looking as if hed lost his place in time. The pair seemed like people who sometimes forget what season it is, let alone the hour.

Fine then, Ill visit you soon, Sophie promised, hoping the strange visitors would vanish from her flat.

The drunken aunt and her companion bowed exaggeratedly to everyone and finally slipped out.

Michael exhaled with relief as he closed the door.
What a stench they left behind! Lisa exclaimed, throwing open a window to let fresh air in.

Sophie turned to her parents and asked, Is that really so?
Her mother lowered her gaze.
Yes, love, her father admitted.

They told her how they had found her on that snowy bench, wrapped in an old blanket, and how they had scrambled to complete the adoption paperwork.

Then then, Mum, Dad, I love you even more! she said, on the verge of tears, hugging them both. She could not imagine what would have happened had they not appeared that night in the park.

Time moved on. The odd visitors never resurfaced. The family understood their purpose: the drunks had needed money for more drink, and the abandoned girl had become a convenient excuse to beg for cash. Sophie, however, thought differently. She worried how such people could have several children and care so little for them. It seemed those reckless parents only wanted childrens benefits.

Years later Sophie finished her studies and took a teaching post at a local college. She never forgot that somewhere out there might be biological siblings left behind. One day she resolved to find them.

She set off with her boyfriend, Ben, to the address she had been given. Ben, a steady lad named Benjamin, had promised to stand by her. After a long ride they arrived at a halfruined cottage that still seemed occupied.

Is this it? Ben asked, eyes wide.
It looks like it, Sophie replied, stepping onto a yard that hadnt seen a brush of paint in a hundred years.

They knocked on the weathered wooden door. After a moment, footsteps echoed inside.
Remember us? a familiar, rumpled aunt croaked. Come in, love. Whos with you? Your fiancé? If so, we should pour a drink for him.
Im the fiancé, but were not here for that, Ben said solemnly.
What for then? Even a penny for the kids would help; theyre begging for food, and I have nothing. Your father was buried a year ago, the woman muttered, shrugging.

A pair of wary child eyes peered through the doorway.
Here you go, Ben said, handing the children two large boxes of sweets. The youngsters snatched the gifts and disappeared into another room.

At a table sat a thin boy, eyes darting nervously at the newcomers.
This is Misha, the aunt whispered, shy but goodhearted, dreams of learning.

Sophie approached gently.
Shall we get to know each other? she smiled, extending her hand. Im your sister.

The boy glanced at her, hesitated, and then offered a reluctant shake.

Sophie and Ben took Misha with them. He proved clever and eager. With Lisa and Michaels help, Sophie secured him a place at a college and a flat in the city. She and Ben visited him daily, watching him blossom into a laughing, joketelling young man.

In the cottage, two other childrenaged nine and tenstill lived with their mother, a washedout alcoholic. Sophie often met them by the school gates, bringing bags of provisions. Her heart ached for the boy and girl, whose mother spent every penny on booze. She invited them over, hoping to give them a taste of a normal childhood, away from hardship. She and Ben took them to the cinema, to the fairground, and for simple walks in the park. One day their mother vanished, her life having finally caught up with her.

Lisa and Michael had become known as kind, caring parents. Soon their household welcomed two more children. Their upbringing fell mostly to their son, Colin, and Sophiewho now had more time to spare. The two grew up in an adoptive home, escaping the bleakness of their broken origins. As small children they had dreamed of fleeing the crumbling house and the ragged mother but were too frightened. Now that dream had unfolded on its own. Both completed their education and became excellent psychologists, eventually opening their own practice where they saw a steady stream of clients.