[A very strange salesman visits.]

The chime of the doorbell reverberated throughout the cream-coloured walls of the humble apartment. Laura halted in her doodling and craned her neck towards the closed wooden door. Then, she glanced back into the house, waiting expectantly for her mother's figure to appear through the doorway, but no one came.

Mummy's in the toilet, she recalled. I should help her answer the door.

With a brief cry to inform her mother, she got up to her feet and briskly walked to the door. Her mother's reply was muffled, so she merely dismissed it, because she knew, even if she opened this door, there was no way anyone could just come in. There was another layer of the barred metal door.

And so, with two clicks, the wooden door was unlocked and she slowly swung it open.

There, on the other side of the metal gate, stood the strangest man she had ever seen. Spotting an obsidian black suit, the man had the whitest hair she had ever seen, immaculately held into a half bun by a hair tie as it stood striking against the contrast of his raiment. Upon spotting her petite figure, the man smiled and took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of stunning lilac irises that reflected her own unique hues of purple interweaved with her mother's blue. He then crouched down to face her.

"Hello, little girl," his sonorous voice sent an undistinguishable ripple in her very soul. She was unable to tear her gaze away from his alluring purple eyes. "Where's your mummy?"

"S-She's in the bathroom," Laura managed to muster her courage to speak to the stranger. "Who are you?"

The man seemed amused. "I... am a salesman. I'm here to promote something useful for you, but I need your mother's permission first. What about you, what's your name?"

"Laura."

"Laura..." the way her name fell off his tongue felt so... familiar. "You shouldn't answer the door for strangers, Laura. It's very dangerous."

At this, she couldn't help but pout and cross her arms. "I'm already six; I can help mummy answer the door." His laugh was immediate. It bloomed a light feeling in her chest, and she couldn't resist the childish grin tugging at her lips.

"Well, then, Miss Laura," his hand delved into his bag to pull out a transparent pack of... candies. Laura, like all other children, felt her eyes growing wide with joy. "I would like to sell you this magical bag of sweets. If you eat it, you will grow to become a splendid, fine woman."

Laura was about to squeal in happiness when a voice behind her popped her bubble of bliss. "Laura!" Her mother hurried to pull her away from the door. "What did I tell you about talking to strangers?!"

The salesman spoke up before she ensued even a single cry of defiancy. "Ma'am, I assure you," he uttered in a calm voice, then gradually raised his head to meet her mother's eyes. "I am not going to hurt her."

The words of accusation Laura expected from her mother never came. Instead, the older woman had frozen in her place, a hand over her mouth as an inaudible gasp escaped her lips. Upon noticing her daughter's puzzled gaze, she cleared her throat and straightened herself, bringing her hands down once again to hold her daughter protectively against her.

"What do you want?" There was a quiver in her voice. The salesman gave her a light-hearted smile in an attempt to ease her apprehension. "No worries, ma'am. I'm only here to offer you some nutritional-packed sweets that your daughter will enjoy. It is especially recommended for this smart, young lady here." Laura giggled at his words, then tugged at her mother's pants.

"Mummy, may I please have one pack? I promise I will be good and finish all my spinach," she begged earnestly. Upon her daughter's puppy eyes and the salesman's bright, yet pressuring smile, she felt herself caving in sooner than she thought. Finally, she let out a sigh of resignation.

"Fine, but you are only allowed to eat one every two days," she sternly told her daughter. Laura cheered in glee as her mother pulled out her purse to sift out the money. The man handed over the multicolour-wrapped candies, then produced another jar.

"As a complement for buying," he added as he passed the jar into Laura's small palm. "I gift you a jar of stars and fairy dust, specially for a girl as brave as Miss Laura." Laura was practically grinning from one ear to another.

"Thank you, sir. You're the best salesman ever!" she gleefully cried, eliciting yet another chuckle from the enigmatic, yet kind man. "Will you come back again?"

"Laura!" her mother hissed quietly, but she paid no heed.

At her question, the mirth in the man's smile softened, his peculiar lilac eyes revealing a swirl of melancholy and endearment. He reached into the house and rested his gloved hand on her head, giving her this tresses a slight ruffle. "Maybe. Until then, stay brave and witty, Miss Laura."

She couldn't exactly comprehend his words, but the tenderness in his voice reached the depths of her heart. She gave him her biggest smile and a confident nod.

"All right, Laura, time for your nap. Say bye-bye," her mother spoke up once again, this time the edge in her voice gone. She obeyed, giving the very strange salesman one last wave, before she merrily retreated into the house with the two new items in hand.

She missed the sight of the salesman passing a white envelope into her mother's palm, after he placed one last kiss on the back of her hand.

♧[24/5/2020]♧