Grandfather Yu sat in silence, as still as a stone.
His eyes were fixed on the child.
"Did Lele's parents get into an accident?"
The doctor didn't answer the child's question.
The child needed to find the answer for herself.
Yes.
Why weren't Lele's parents living with her anymore?
The doctor gently asked a different question.
A rather bold one.
Lele froze.
Her parents... had been in an accident?
A flash of red appeared before her eyes. Confused, piercing sounds buzzed in her ears...
Lele abruptly clutched her head.
She wanted to make out the images surfacing in her mind, yet also wanted to shake them away...
The child's thin, hunched figure clearly outlined her spine.
A small, indistinct sound, like that of a trapped beast, came from her throat.
It sounded like a sob.
A wail.
A scream.
The two elderly people instinctively leaned forward, about to stand.
But they held themselves back.
They watched the child anxiously, their faces full of worry.
The doctor took two pretty boxes from a drawer.
"Would you like candy or chocolate?"
The faint scent of candy and chocolate drifted through the air. The child sniffed and looked up, somewhat bewildered.
The doctor pushed the open boxes toward the child. "Take whatever you like."
"Would you like something to drink?"
The doctor stood. "I have milk. Would you like some?"
Before the child could react, the doctor had already placed a carton of milk with a straw in front of her.
The child: ...
The doctor looked at the two elderly people. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Maybe some milk too?"
"Milk would be nice."
The doctor took out two more cartons of milk.
After putting straws in them, she handed them to