Tabitha's POV
I helped Gloria up and adjusted my voice, speaking in an old lady's tone, "Young lady, it's cold on the ground. Get up. You're so young, and I'm sure the life ahead of you is promising. What are you crying for?"
"Ma'am, I lost my best friend. I can't find her," Gloria said, looking as sad and stubborn as a girl who had lost her toy.
I put the umbrella in her hand and said earnestly, "All things in this world come to an end. Young lady, perhaps you may find it hard to believe, but leaving isn't necessarily a bad thing. Who knows? Perhaps you'll get to see her again someday."
While she was still processing it, I winked at her.
Then I walked away before she sensed anything.
After I made it to the street corner, I hid by a lamppost, watching her from a distance.
Just as sh
