One Shots

The Mystery Girl

How... How did this even start?

Well... I saw her, alone, in the forest by my home. The forest, by the home, near a town, in which I'm known as some weird hermit, living by all my lonesome.

She was sitting there alone, crying. A child smaller than most I've met, yet a child louder than anyone I've ever heard. This was no good, she would've attracted surrounding wildlife if she kept it up.

Luckily, she didn't resist, no matter how scandalous that sounds, when I carried her away from her spot towards my home deeper into the forest to keep her safe. She wouldn't stop weeping, however, and being taken to some random weirdo's home for "protection" usually would permit for suspicion and fear. I knew she was scared, but of what?

She could be scared of me, that's one clear-cut possibility. Considering that I'm just some random stranger to her, taking her in, basically kidnapping her, and keeping her safe from the forest around us.

However, she didn't seem scared when she looked at me, she also didn't refuse to eat any of the food I gave her, nor did she resist when I had to take her back out to my car. She especially didn't complain when I drove her to town to see if we could find her parents.

Unfortunately, I had no luck there, and for the sake of her safety, I had to return us both to my home. Luckily, and the only positive thing to happen with us in the town, I bought us both some ice cream. It was a lovely drive back, but she was still silent. At least she was no longer crying.

...

From my car to my humble room of an abode she clung to me as if she wanted to stay as close to me as possible. Like I was protecting her from more than just the wildlife.

She never spoke a single word. Not one since when I found her in the forest, or until I had to tuck her into my bed, so she could peacefully go to sleep.

I was fine sleeping on my little sofa. It gave me enough comfort and space for me to think.

What could I do? I had to find her parents, but what if that what she's afraid of? That would explain why she was alone in the forest. But what if she was separated from her parents? Such a situation would certainly be traumatizing for a child.

Despite so, the way she clung to me as if her life depended on it seems to make the abusive parent situation more probable. During my initial taking her into my home, our walk around the town to find her parents, even during our final walk from just my car, she was desperate to stay near me. All of that, however, may have just been instinctual, as I too would have clung to whoever was supposedly protecting you from the dangers of a dark forest.

Unfortunately, such thoughts will have to wait until the marrow, I needed to sleep.

...

Sleep was not something that usually came to me easily, but this night was an exception. I'm glad for that now.

Even if I was rudely awoken by the shuffling of tiny feet, then the pressure of a small body against mine.

It was her, the child, she who never spoke, whom I just found, and she who needs to find her own home. However, in the meantime, I guess I'm her giant protective teddy bear.

She was snuggling up against me, and I didn't know why. I'm just some stranger helping to find her parents, not at all a good father for her. But all was fine, if she didn't mind my lonely-presence, then I was fine with her cute clinging.

Sleep came even easier then. Even if I was being snuggled to death by a rabid hugger.

...

Morning arrived, the sun was having no mercy on my face as I awoke again. Today was to be a strange day, I had known this to be certain. Three things were different in the way I had woken up today.