"Honestly, what a silly little girl."
The woman couldn't help teasing her child.
"Why bother stacking books?"
"Why not just get the stool from Mom's room?"
The stool she sat on in front of her vanity.
It was about the right height.
The child could climb up easily.
At most, she'd need to stand on a little stool.
Wouldn't that be much safer than stacking books?
"Mom, I was just being a little muddleheaded."
"Last time something happened, I was even more foolish."
"Oh, no."
That incident was behind them now.
The man looked serious.
Huh?
The man handed the child the candy jar, its lid screwed back on.
The woman reached out and lightly tapped the child on the forehead.
Speaking of that, you were pretty stubborn back then, too.
The man emphasized again.
Instead, you went to your room to fetch a little stool and stacked books...
The man raised his voice slightly.
It was only one piece of candy. If all went well, it would just be your little secret.
Seeing that the child still seemed bothered, the man spoke up.
The woman chided the child.
You really did only take one piece of candy.
There was no need to keep a stern face at the child.
The man sighed.
"No."
There were things she shouldn't do that needed to be explained to the child again and again, so she'd remember them and not repeat her mistakes.
The woman continued.
"How many pieces of candy did you take?"
She held her breath and strained with all her might.
The little girl lowered her head.
The man reached out and gently smoothed the child's deeply furrowed brows.
It would be good if the child could remember today's lesson forever.
"I was holding onto