Before long, the person who had come to collect the child appeared.
He was an old man dressed in a long black gown.
He looked like an ordinary old man, the kind of kindly elder you could see anywhere in a park.
I thought he was alive, but when I saw that he cast no shadow on the ground, I realized he wasn't.
He glanced at the child in my arms and asked, "Young man, what is this child to you?"
I said, "He's my friend's child. He died before he was born."
The old man sighed. "Poor little thing. He never even had a chance to be born, and now he has to leave again."
Still a little worried, I asked, "Sir, where are you taking him? Will he be able to reincarnate...?"
The old man said, "I can't tell you much about that. You weren't supposed to be able to see me in the first place. But don't worry. Babies who die before they're born can all reincarnate. I'll take him where he belongs, and he'll be able to reincarnate very soon."
"This child committed sins in his previous life, so he had to face a tribulation in this one. Now that he's been through it, his debt has been paid. He can still enjoy a happy life in his next incarnation. Put your mind at ease, young man."
Hearing that, I felt reassured and handed the child to him.
To my surprise, the child, who had been sleeping soundly all this time, suddenly woke with a start as soon as he was in the old man's arms.
When he saw that I had handed him to someone else, he immediately started crying and fussing again.
"There, little one, don't cry, don't cry. Grandpa will take you down