Like every other day, Sophie, a black South Indian girl in her late 20s, was chilling in the park. While Sophie relaxed in the park, the vibrant hues of blooming flowers surrounded her, echoing with the distant laughter of playing children. The scent of freshly cut grass wafted through the air, creating a serene atmosphere.
It was her way of detoxifying (?) from all the toxicity and the truth of people she saw at her work. Those included not only her employees but also her customers and her boss who had slowly fallen into the chasm of greed and money.
While her detoxification was ongoing, she looked toward the little devils, also known as children, doing absurd and annoying things.
Despite their seemingly disruptive actions, they were just children at play and then at their parents, who were still smiling and looked happy even if their child pooped or pissed at them.
Looking at them, she shook her head. The reason for their happiness was not something she could understand right now.
Their actions were far too different from the toxic childhood she had grown up in and her friend's childhood was even worse. A great parent-child bond was something she could only long for.
While she continued to ponder about mundane but important things, people near her stopped doing whatever mundane things they were doing and started focusing on her. "(To remind you, she was not a slender, white-like milk and jade-faced, extremely hard-to-find but commonplace beauty.)"
Startled, She hurriedly looked at her phone to check if anything was on her face and found nothing out of the ordinary.
"Hey, you saw that lady."
"What is she wearing?"
"What's with her makeup?"
"I think she is mentally deranged."
Seeing the murmurs around her, Sophie slowly turned her head, expecting a jumpscare like in the numerous horror games she has played. She saw nothing.
Relieved, she sighed, thinking to herself that the people in the park must be pointing in another direction. She cleared her head of distracted thoughts to focus on nature, the laughter of children to cleanse her mind, only to be tainted.
"Pat! " A sudden pat on her shoulder threw her into disarray.
"Motherfucking." Sophie's fist, thrown instinctively, met an unexpected obstacle as the lady caught it in a firm grip. A jolt of surprise coursed through Sophie, her heart racing as she registered the unexpected intrusion.
The lady wearing strange makeup smiled as she patted her shoulder, telling her to relax slightly.
The lady, with mascara forming a cross on her nose (blackness under her eye not included) and her crimson cheeks (yeah, not pink) resembling splattered blood, seemed both eccentric and endearing as she refused to free Sophie's hand.
"Relax, kid, Although I may look like a ghost who came straight out of a horror movie, unfortunately, I am not one."
The woman, likely in her early fifties, sat beside Sophie with a smile, her outstretched hand demanding something from the poor victim she had caught.
Sophie flinched and tried to run away as soon as her hand was released, but her shoulders were caught in a vice-like grip making her unable to move.
"Excuse me, but you have to give me your phone, as I need it urgently." The lady smiled while loosening her grip as she took out what looked like an ID card and pointed at it.
Sophie grabbed it hesitantly, annoyed by her unexpected intruder who had forced herself on her (not that way), and saw written in bold red words that the lady's name was Aishwarya, that she was a dementia patient, and who to call if you found her without her guardian.
Meanwhile, a boy, clad in an all-black outfit and sporting an expression of concern, observed their altercation, wrestling with the decision to intervene.
Just as she was hesitating to believe the card or not, and even to help the lady by giving her phone, a boy, clad in an all-black outfit, hesitated with a phone in hand, his eyes reflecting a mix of concern and uncertainty.
"Sorry, Miss, but I believe that your actions are causing her discomfort. If you are not uncomfortable with me, then I can help you resolve your problem.
' I was bloody right that not all men are bad people. Just look at this gentleman troubling himself for me. ' Sophie thought to herself as she backed up slowly and prepared herself to bolt off as soon as she got some distance from them, but unfortunately, fate had a different opinion in mind.
Aishwarya looked at the kid (she is in her 50s if you forgot), who was fiddling with his thumb and was so anxious that sweat was starting to form on his face.
' At least, he is not a coward.' Aishwarya thought in passing.
"I don't care about who is going to call my guardian, but I would feel better if that pretty kid stayed with me."
'A commendable effort.' Aishwarya thought to herself as Sophie, who was just about to bolt, froze in her tracks and managed a smile that felt more like crying in comparison to Aishwarya's bright and eccentric expression.
Meanwhile, the boy who came to help them, or should we say the boy who got stuck in this awkward situation, voluntarily stood there awkwardly with his phone in his hand, ready to dial, even though he didn't know that the miss was a dementia patient.
He is truly an incredible and kind soul, a rare kind not found easily in today's society, which is filled with selfish individuals.