The girl slept on my bed, snuggling into my covers while I snickered at her, feeling somewhat uneasy that I let a tiny stranger hog up my space. I hardly expected any company, so there was only one bed.

I thought that I should give her space, but her gnarly fingers held my arm in a death-like grip. For someone of her size, her grip was mighty strong. Lacking any other choice, I sat awkwardly beside her on the bed and pulled out a book from one of the stacks, but I was distracted. Could I have done things differently?

I am unsure.

As I was pondering over this, I fell asleep.

It was well past noon when I woke up, and the girl was missing. I was bitter, and my heart was smashed to pieces. Of course, the curse also applied to her. People were just suffering the repercussions of my fate, her included.

Maybe she saw my face looming over hers and was frightened.

Just as I had begun to beat myself over getting too attached, I was distracted by a sharp pain in my neck. Oh damn! I slept badly! Could my day get any worse! I groaned.

That's when I heard a whimper.

In a corner, hidden in the shadows, was a figure. I was shocked. It was the girl.

Rubbing my sore neck, I asked, 'What are you doing there?'

She simply stared at me unblinkingly. It was as though she thought that I would lift her by her collar and hurl her out of my place. I would hardly call myself a saint, but even for me, that was off-limits.

'Are you hungry?'

She narrowed her eyes. I had to applaud her. She was petite but audacious. She'd slept under my roof and still had the gall to give me that look! I huffed, telling myself that it was useless to fight with a child. I planned to return to the bakery in the evening to gather some intel on the whereabouts of her father and then make arrangements to send her there.

'I'm going to take a shower before making something. Feel free to browse,' I told her.

I half expected her to disappear by the time I came out of the bathroom. To my surprise, she was still there. She was now sitting on the bed, her legs crossed, with a book on her lap. She seemed to be interested in it.

'You like reading?' I asked, good-naturedly.

She blinked at me.

I was starting to see a pattern here.

I asked a question. She stared.

I asked another question. She stared.

I asked one more question. She still stared.

What was the point of another person sharing my space if they were too miserly with their words!

At this point, I wondered if she could speak. In that case, to continue thinking badly about her would be a crime. I voiced my concern, 'Are you deaf? Or dumb?' Granted, I could have worded it better, but cut me some slack. I barely talked to people, much less a child!

She squinted her eyes and wrinkled her nose as though trying to figure out what I was made of.

I wanted to ask if she could understand my words, but my pride as an adult was hanging by a thread. Of course, I chose to preserve the latter.

I made two portions of food.

Once she saw the platter, she drooled, which elicited a chuckle out of me. At once, she donned her mask of indifference and wiped the drool away with the back of her hand. Then she folded her arms and pretended to be uninterested in the food. Her entire focus was on the book.

I found her attempt to put on a front quite adorable.

As I ate, I shamelessly commented on how delicious the food was, and that she was missing out on something so yummy that she would regret it for the rest of her life.

By the time I was done, she had yet to budge.

I sighed as I reached for her plate. I intended to heat it so that she could enjoy it too. I think she misunderstood my intentions because she swatted my hand away with the book and grabbed her plate, stuffing it down. I knew she was famished.

'I was just going to heat it up,' I said, massaging my hand.

My pride as an adult had been defenestrated by her.

It was my turn to squint at her. How the hell did she even manage to do that?

Oh well, things could've been worse.

She wolfed it down. Her speed was marvellous. I watched her wide-eyed as she chewed the morsels with her mouth open. Just how long had she been deprived of food? It was too dark a thought, so I turned away and disposed of my plate.

After she was done, she abandoned the book and reached for another.

She skimmed book after book after book. I realized that she was barely reading. It was as though she were looking for something.

'What do you need?' I asked.

Why do I even try?

She gave me a fierce look. Obviously, she was telling me to shut up and mind my own business.

Did she also bully her old man like that? In my mind, that was quite a sight. A burly man, scared stiff by her icy expressions. In my heart, as I gazed at her small frame, I knew it was the furthest thing from the truth. Maybe I was trying to make myself feel better by trying to convince myself that she was living a good life.

As much as I wanted company, I knew the right thing for me was to return her to her family. It was a difficult decision on my part.

'I'm going to go out for some time. If you're still here by the time I return, I'll make you dinner, got it?'

She barely moved, but I knew that she had heard me.

And I knew, she'd be there.