1 - A Peculiar Encounter

Once there was a boy, an ordinary little boy, a very sweet child. He lived in a small village in the countryside. It may be small, but it was bustling with life and joy. One day, as he went to the farmer's market to run errands for his mother, he met a little girl.

This little girl was trembling in a dumpster, just peeking out of the alleyway. The girl was incredibly well-kept, with her straight and silky, long, black hair. She wore a striped blue and white pantsuit.

The boy had never seen anything like her. He knew everyone in the village, but he'd never seen her, nor that strange style of clothing she wore. She was frightened, but he wasn't sure why. Curiously, he approached her quietly.

"Miss, are you alright? Are you lost?"

She scrambled deeper into the alleyway, frightened out of her mind. She seemed absolutely terrified, but he thought that he should be the frightened one. The little girl was so out of place there, an elegant pale child in a village of tanned countryside laborers.

"W-what are you? Why am I here? I want to go home."

The girl asked many questions, but the boy couldn't understand. He put his hands up to show that he didn't have bad intentions, and slowly walked over.

"It's okay, alright? Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I just need to take you to my mom, so that she can bring you home." Despite their language barrier, his kind words reached her.

The little boy reached his hand into the alleyway, and slowly, the girl crawled over, reaching out. They walked down the cobble path and into the market, but when the boy explained, the adults rejected them and told them to stay away and out of sight.

"Little boy, it's not safe in here. We've brought out the animals for live viewing, so you should go home by the side path, alright? Go to your mother."

So, the pair walked through the market and onto the side path. The little boy observed something strange: "It seems like none of the others are in the market, even though their parents are here. I wonder if there's something special going on? Did I forget someone's birthday?" The little boy was very confused, but he shook off his strange feelings and walked on.