He slunk around the next corner, following an impossibly tiny sound that might escape even a mouse’s ears.
He gently pulled aside a toppled cart to reveal a small girl. She shivered in fear, her large brown eyes scanned the stranger’s dark form in suspicion.
A curious look came over the stranger. He tilted his head slightly, taking in every feature of the child. His stern facial features softened slightly, trying to calm her with his dark eyes.
“How odd,” the passer-by might’ve thought. “She’s not afraid of him, he’s not doing what he should be doing.” He might’ve stepped back in, hand over chin, in deep confused thought.
“Who are you?” the girl asked defensively.
“I’m your friend,” the stranger said flatly.
She stumbled backwards, her hand slipping over a fire exstiguisher. His eyes scanned it. Enough gone to attack something, he calculated.
“What’s your name?” he asked kindly.
“Emma,” she said shyly. “What’s yours?”
He thought a moment. “Peter,” he answered finally, offering her his gloved hand.