It was an early school morning in December when I first found her, in a dark alleyway near school. Her white silky hair was stained with dirt and soaked with meltwater, slowly stiffening up from the cold. Not only that, she was only clad in rags that freely let the cold grip her body and freeze her in place. Her eyes were closed like she was sleeping, her expression made me think she was having a nightmare. It was hard to understand at first but that made me feel sorry for her and thus I made the decision to help her out and carried her to my warm home.

When I carried her into the living room she eased up and it seemed she was now sleeping in peace. My dad had gone to work and I could let the mysterious girl absorb some heat by the open furnace. I observed her curling up in the blanket I gave her, still asleep, and noticed her hair that seemed so silky before turn into a fluffy ball as it dried. Something about her reminded me of a small animal which made her seem a little unnatural, or more like supernatural, god forbid. Even thought she was so dirty she still smelled like sweet vanilla and berries. Her soft skin was also inhumanly pale and as smooth as a baby’s. When her expression changed it also felt like the whole air around me changed and she started to radiate with a strange aura that provoked mysterious feelings within me, it somehow made me feel sentimental, almost nostalgic.

The aura became more and more present the warmer she got and what really felt like the peak of it all was when I without a doubt saw two fox-like ears pop up on her head. In my state of further bewilderment, I saw her stretch out her arms over her head and let out high-pitch little noise, like she had woken up. I felt nervous to approach her from my position in the hallway and decided to leave her alone for a moment whilst I brought some food to show my good will. In the kitchen, which was the neighbouring room, I could hear her rustle around as I prepared some bread and a glass of milk. Somehow the bread and milk felt fitting for her, especially since she had animal ears on. As I slightly nervously brought the food over I thought of how I would approach her. It was fair to say that my experience so far had made me uncertain about her, something about her was just strange.

Once I showed myself in the doorway my notions would prove accurate. She instantly peeked around the couch and looked at me. Her eyes looked like two huge rubies dramatically contrasting with her completely white skin and hair. The dark shade of red in her eyes was intimidating yet clearly telegraphing her fight or flight mind-set, just like a stare down with a wild beast. several minutes passed but she still didn’t move a muscle, her eyes were completely locked on me. I didn’t know what to do but to just stand there and wait for her to move.

I used to have a cat when I was a kid and the strange girl in my living room strongly reminded me those days. If I moved I didn’t know if she would start to panic and run in a random direction like my cat would or if she would attack me. She didn’t seem that dangerous thought, her body was pretty much human and she wasn’t even as tall as the average fifth grader.

Several questions came to mind as I stood there with the bread and milk in hand. How would I communicate? Should I say something? Unlike my cat she could understand me, right? Although, her weird aura and the fact that she had huge red eyes and fox ears almost made me doubt she could speak. The noise she made earlier definitely didn't sound human either. Maybe she was actually a fox in human form? Maybe she was some kind of fox spirit or god. I had read about those at the shrine but religion wasn’t supposed to actually be true, that's what father had taught me.

All this mystery surrounding her made me confused. All my life I had relied on my father to show me what was real. Unlike for other children, my dad never read out stories for me when I was a kid because they didn’t show the truth, only lies to cloud a humans mind. Instead he would read out the newspaper every night so that I would understand reality and not be fooled by fantasy.

“Everything in real life can make sense. If you are willing, you can see everything clearly. If you are strong, you can accept it.” Those were my father's words and he had always lived by them and so was I. That’s why he taught me at such an early age, so that I would be strong enough to accept what is real. If I just followed my father's footsteps, I would be able to see the pale little girl clearly and realize what she really is.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

She couldn’t be supernatural, that was for sure since that would mean she wasn’t real. Then, she must have been a real person, that was it! Maybe she was born with a strange condition that made her pale and coloured her eyes red, like an albino. Her ears must also have been a part of that. This is why she was in that dark alleyway all by herself. Because she was so weird that nobody wanted her. That would also explain why she made me feel weird, because she was weird herself!

Armed with these thoughts I mustered up and crouched down to put the bread and milk on the floor. As I moved I noticed her flinch but she didn’t go to any extreme. I slowly backed off after that and proceeded to once again observe her from the hallway.

After a minute or two she began to creep closer to the plate which held the bread, she must have been hungry. She cautiously started to sniff the plate and the bread whilst cautiously looking around. Her movements were very smooth and animal like. It looked surprisingly natural despite her being just a slightly different human.

After she finished sniffing and scouting she started to drink the milk out of the glass using her hands, just like a regular human. After drinking all the milk, she looked at the bread but she didn’t seem interested, only licking it a little before retreating back to the couch.

I felt proud over myself for being able to see it clearly and accept. Everything really was like father had told me. Now another problem presented itself, what should I do with her? She was just a little girl. Calling the police was probably the right thing to do. If the authorities took her in she would be able to be found if she was lost or she would be able to find a home if she was abandoned. After that I needed to explain to my father why I was absent from school. Surely he won't mind since I took responsibility and saved a little girl.

I quickly realized another problem however. The home- telephone was on the living room table, right next to the couch where the little girl was. ‘It should be fine now’ I thought and entered the living room. Once again she started to stare at me so I looked back at her, trying to seem as friendly as I could. What could she do? All I had to do was neutralize this tension she created and break the ice. Then I would be able to help her.

I made my way closer and closer to the couch, still maintaining constant eye contact with the girl. I wondered why she was so skittish for a moment but I figured that most little girls would be cautious finding themselves in a stranger’s home. I was now just a meter away from the couch. The girl had slithered to the other end of the couch to avoid me. Her eyes seemed to grow larger and larger the closer I got. They were almost starting to pierce me It felt like. Their shade also seemed to grow darker and darker. Something was different from last time however. Earlier her eyes seemed much more animal like. Filled with fear and intimidation. Now they were almost shaking, like she was confused or jarred. It was like she was surprised over the very fact that I could see her.

When I was just a short leap away from her and it looked like her eyes were going to go completely dark I decided to try and talk to her. I introduced myself and asked for her name but got no answer. She just kept on staring at me with her dark red eyes. I continued to speak, asking a variety of different questions I thought would be relevant. I also tried to imitate that friendly tone adults used to use when talking to myself when I was smaller. That didn’t seem to work either. She remained dead quiet and frozen in place at the end of the couch, wrapped in a blanket. I started to think of different ways I could communicate with her. Maybe I could try and show my intentions with gestures, gestures are like an international language. But, she didn’t understand those either, it was probably my fault thought. She did seem to acknowledge them however. Nothing really changed thought so I decided I would just call the police and things would have to work out somehow. I reached for the phone on the table and started to dial in the number. I had never called the police before and it made me nervous but I had to show father I could deal with this situation myself.

After just a few beeps someone picked up and asked what my emergency was. I fumbled a little but managed to convey that I had a lost girl in my household. The person on the other side answered and informed me that they would send someone over to take her in.

I felt a little relieved after hanging up the phone. Now the problem was solved. Even if she didn’t want to cooperate, it wasn’t my issue anymore and I planned on just handing her over. I felt proud to have gotten through the situation by myself and couldn’t wait to tell father about it.