Quoted By:
You reached down to pick up the ball and moved to the other side of the bench, creating room for the little girl to sit if she wanted to. To your surprise, the girl bowed and ran up to take a seat next to you.
You stared at her for a moment, before handing her the ball back. She took it gladly, tucking it close to her chest and kicking her legs. The kid couldn’t have been older than 12 or 13.
<span class="mu-r">“You should never approach strangers, kid. Especially not the ones that wear masks in the park at night.”</span> you said with a sigh. You were just glad that you put your shirt back on, or else this was look <span class="mu-s">really</span> bad.
She tilted her head. It was a strange, bird-like gesture that cemented your belief in this child’s strangeness. You were actually starting to wonder if she could understand you at all. Maybe you just weren’t speaking her language.
<span class="mu-r">“What are you, anyway?”</span> you asked. The girl went still as a corpse, clearly startled by what you said. <span class="mu-r">“Chinese? Japanese? Look at these dirty knees?”</span> you said, pointing at your dirt and blood smeared pants.
The girl relaxed immediately, and she let out a soft giggle that reminded you of windchimes. So she does understand English. Either that, or she thought you were a clown.
<span class="mu-r">“Don’t tell anyone else I made that joke, alright? I don’t wanna get cancelled.”</span> you said, laughing along with her. This girl was far too trusting for her own good.
The girl leaned back and tilted her head up. You traced her gaze and found that she was gazing at the moon. It was full tonight. A real beauty.
The two of you just sat there for a few minutes, drinking in its majesty, when-
<span class="mu-b">“Cindy!”</span>
Both of you looked over to see a man and a woman racing over to where you sat. The girl immediately tensed up, and you looked at her with concern.
<span class="mu-b">“We told you not to run off like that!”</span> the woman said, presumably the mom. <span class="mu-b">“What if something happened to you?”</span>
The man eyed you suspiciously, but you just gave him a casual wave. You weren’t exuding any guilt or panic, because you knew that you hadn’t actually done anything wrong.
<span class="mu-r">“You should keep a closer eye on her in the future.”</span> you said.
He pulled his daughter closer to him, his eyes never leaving yours. He leaned in close to her and whispered <span class="mu-b">“Thank Khonshu you’re alright.”</span> under his breath. You were just barely able to hear it, but you were certain that’s what he said. Was she part of some weirdo cult?
Not willing to show any gratitude, the pair pulled their daughter away without looking back. “Cindy”, however, did in fact look back. She waved at you and flashed a strained smile. You stared at her until you couldn’t see her anymore. Then, you looked at the ball that she’d left on the bench. Finally, your gaze fell upon the moon once more.
<span class="mu-r">“Who the fuck is ‘<span class="mu-s">Khonshu</span>’?”</span>
—---
(Cont.)
