All through the late rainy season and into the winter cold, every morning when we left our gate we saw this homeless lady. Huddled up in many layers of clothing – including the distinctive fabric and apron of Tibetan clothing — she became a fixture in our community.  She had fashioned a head protector from a rice sack, which she wore continually for cover from the sun and rain, and probably the cold too.  It gave her a distinctive, almost dignified appearance. I think she must have slept in the little park on the corner of our street, or perhaps on the pavement itself.

I’d often see her huddled against a wall or near a local restaurant’s window, warming herself on the heat from the ovens.   I got the feeling that the local shopkeepers took care of her with food and water, but most of the time she just hung around, waiting and watching.  She would turn up unexpectedly on the kerbside, or on the distance I’d see her distinctive profile curled up in a squat.  It can be hard to tell the age of weather-beaten faces but I think she was fairly young. What was her story? Why was she homeless?

As I was trying to take a picture from our car of another subject, I unintentionally took this picture of her instead.  She just unexpectedly showed up in my viewfinder.  Then, just as unexpectedly, one day she was no longer around.  I wonder what happened to her?

Wandering Cows challenged me to the Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge which requires you to post a photo each day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo, then nominate someone else.  This is my first entry.  I would like to nominate Alex from She Gathers No Moss, who write engaging vignettes from the Philippines and makes me homesick for my time there.