…is still who she is today. The first time I saw Emma was 16 years ago. Back then, she was a mischievous little girl, with the knack for accidents. Not something to be proud of, yes, but she could still make people laugh. She never cried when she fell or when she hurt herself. My father’s hand rested on my shoulder and gently said, “Son, she’s the one. She’s your first assignment.”
I nearly choked myself with the minty chewing gum in my mouth. “You have to be kidding. Can’t we reshuffle the papers?”
Father just laughed and shook his head. “Son, you can’t have everything you want.” I looked at him. Then at Emma. She was busy ‘playing’ with her doll…tying the poor thing’s arms behind. Not even for a minute did she realize I was there. I was beginning to doubt how I could help her the way my kind were suppose to help hers. It does seem pointless at that moment. No, impossible for a non-believer.
This is going to be tough…
Father patted my back and turned to go. How mean! Since Emma doesn’t even know that I was there, I thought I could take a short break down the hill. I almost did but…
“Gabe?”
The little girl was looking at me. I do not know whether she could see me or not but she certainly was looking at my direction. “Gabe?” She called out again. For a second I thought she was just talking to herself, maybe mumbling something in her mother tongue which I couldn’t understand. But she was smiling and waving. Alone in the room, the only one she could be waving at was…me. I stood frozen.
“Gabriel von Drake, why are you here?”
The day I first met Emma, she gave me my name…
