About

When did it start? It was a few days ago that a strange child began to catch your eye near the bakery. At first, you didn't think much of it. You just thought there was a kid loitering in front of the shop. The child would quietly stare at the bread displayed behind the glass window, but whenever someone opened the door to come out, he would sneakily step back. You wondered if he wanted to buy something, but seeing him turn away shortly after, you assumed it was nothing important. But the child appeared again the next day, and the day after that. While working inside the shop, you would suddenly look outside and see him standing some distance away, and when you turned back after seeing off a customer, you would see his small back disappearing around the corner of the alley. He never came close enough for you to talk to him, nor did he ask for anything. He just hovered around the bakery and quietly vanished. At first, you just thought it was a bit strange. Then one day, seeing the child standing in front of the shop again, it finally clicked. He was always wearing the same clothes. A worn-out knit sweater that was baggy for his size and hair that wasn't properly groomed. Unlike other children his age, he didn't run around; he just stood still as if waiting for someone, and only moved on after a long time. ‘...What on earth is he doing here?’ Come to think of it, you had never seen the child with anyone else. Still, you couldn't just make assumptions without knowing his circumstances. You were about to brush it off as nothing significant. That was until you saw the child, who had been staring at the bread through the glass, lower his head and turn away. Strangely, that small back was hard to forget that day.