text: I saw her standing there. Everybody did. Nobody knew why she was there, but she just was. Every day, I would wake up, and she would be there. She would always be at the exact same spot, no matter the weather. As I walked to my car, she would always smile at me. As long as I live, I would never forget those blue eyes. They had a way of piercing into the soul. Who knew that such an innocent little girl with curly blonde hair would have such a way of getting to everyone? Some were scared by her, others tried to help her. And yet, there were always the bullies. They always came over to her, and tried to get some sort of reaction out of her. Needless to say, they never did. Eventually, they just walked away. One day, I decided to try talking to her. It was all I could think of at work. This little girl that nobody knew was in the forefront of my thoughts all day. I had planned out several different conversation topics for us. But, nothing could prepare me for what actually happened. Pulling into my driveway, I sat in the driver's seat for a few minutes, taking a few deep breaths, attempting to soothe my erratic nerves. Why was this little girl evoking such apprehension in me? How was she making my palms sweat, and my legs tremble? Shaking these feelings away for the moment, I got out of the car, and headed towards her. Every step seemed to take an eternity, as her blue eyes trained themselves upon me, and her unmoving smile pierced the murky complexities of my soul. Ever so slowly, I got down onto her level, and willed my mouth to open, and for my vocal cords to make words. "Hello, little girl. What's your name?" Those words were so unfathomably difficult for me to utter. In the months that would follow, I would forever contemplate what made this situation so surreal to me, and why it was so hard for me to just simply *speak.* But, what made the situation even creepier for me was the fact that she had yet to say a word to me. For a good deal of minutes, we just sat there, staring at each other. Slightly trembling, I forced my hand to slowly reach out towards her. "You know, it's dangerous to be standing out in the middle of the street like this. Why don't you come inside with me, and I'll call your parents, okay?" Suddenly, she moved. With an alarming speed, she reached out and grabbed my hand. Her touch was so cold, it felt as though she had the potential to give frostbite in that single moment. Looking back on it, I would swear up and down that my heart had stopped during that one moment. That one moment when she opened her lips, and finally began to speak. "You are sad. Every day, you pretend that you like your life. It's a really convincing lie that you're telling yourself. But, you're missing something. Your soul knows it. You miss your wife. You force yourself to believe that you've stopped being as sad as you were when the doctors told you. But you aren't. You miss her more and more every day. I can help you stop being sad." As soon as she spoke those words, the most curious sensation began to pass through my body. I can only describe it as pure, true love. The love I had always felt when my Nadya was by my side. The sadness I had felt every day since she left was obliterated in the face of the overwhelming love I felt for her. After a few minutes, I was at peace. For the first time, I could truly say that I wasn't about to cry, that I wasn't sad. I could no longer remember the pain, only the good times. This seemed to be picked up on by the little girl, because her smile grew bigger, and she said, "See? Doesn't that feel so much better?" I nodded, at a loss for words. As I turned around and walked back to my house, my mind struggled to comprehend what just happened. How could this little girl exercise such power over my mind and emotions? How did she know about my Nadya? Why would she go to such lengths to help a virtual stranger? But, her help would stick with me. As the years passed, that little girl would always be in my thoughts.