"Why are you crying?"

Wiping away a sniffle, she looked up. The stern face of her grandfather looked down at her over crossed arms, the summer breeze ruffling his peppered hair and unbuttoned flannel shirt. He repeated his question, no less gruff than before.

"I said, why are you crying?"

This brought about a whole 'nother round of tears, the girl curling up and hugging her knees to her chest, barely noticing the grunt and light thud of the larger man sitting next to her. She did notice the arm wrapping about her shoulders, tugging him to his familiar warmth. The arms moved from around her knees to around his chest as she buried her face against it.

"I-I just...I just don't understand...!" She bawled, the old man tsking a little, wiping away a tear as her large, shimmering eyes moved up to his own. "I didn't do anything to them, why're they being so mean? We just met and they're treating me this way...I didn't do anything wrong..."

He nodded slowly, jutting out his chin and closing his eyes in that thoughtful manner he always had. He fumbled in his shirt pocket for his pipe, grumbled lightly as he finds it missing, the little girl squeezing closer. She loved feeling that grumble, rising up deep within him.

"There's a great many things that seem unfair, or don't make sense in this world." He stared off into the distance, stroking the child's head as he continued, the wind rustling the leaves of the tree they rested against. "That's just how things are."

"But...I don't understand..." She sniffled again, a fresh batch of tears brewing, before a finger pressed to her nose, beeping it. The old man smiled down at her.

"You don't have to understand. Its just how it is." He ruffled her long hair, before waving that finger before her nose. "What you do need to do, is choose how to respond to it. Never repay evil for evil, no matter how senseless or unfair it might seem." He smiled again. "Or however much you think the other person deserves it."

She nodded slowly, not quite understanding. "Then...What do I do?" She looked down, mumbling. "I don't fit in anywhere...Everyone treats me like this..."

"Eh? Did you say everyone?" He flickered and rubbed an ear, poking his finger in and twisting it before pulling it out, making an exaggerated popping sound as he did so. This brought a light giggle from the child, and he grinned wide. "Here, hold out your hands, like this."

She followed his example, cupping her hands together in front of her. He reached over, unclipping a flask from his belt. He'd given up drinking years ago; this contained cool, refreshing water, the old man pouring it gently into the child's hands, making sure not to spill a drop.

"Now then, close your eyes." She did so, curious as to where this was leading. She felt him move her hands out a little, murmuring in that gruff, bass voice of his. "I want you to think about your mother, your father..." She could hear him grin. "Even your grandmother and I. Think about your friends back home that you had to move away from. Think about the few who write you letters now that you've gone away. The friends you've left behind, but you still think of every day."

She did all this, though the thought of her friends made her curious smile fade slightly. Soon enough, however, she could picture them clearly in her mind's eye, smiling, even waving to her. She could recall all their names and faces. She feld her grandfather's hands move from her own as he sat back against the tree.

"Okay, open your eyes."

She did, and blinked away the brightness blurring her vision. It was like she held the sun in her hands, the light glistening across the water there, each little ripple bringing forth another dazzling, dancing display. The old man chuckled, gesturing with a wide grin.

"See that? That light is you. That light is everyone that cares about you. No matter how terrible things seem, no matter how dark they are..." He moved his hands over her eyes, blocking her vision for a moment. "No matter if you can't see at all..." He moved his hands away, the sparkling water still there in her cupped hands. "That light will be waiting for you at the end. Always will be."

She stared at the dancing water for a while longer, before glancing up at him. "But what if its nighttime?" He chuckled at that, shaking his head.

"You'll have starlight and moonlight then too you know! Ah ah ah, where the light physically comes from isn't the point here!" He muttered, poking her nose with a finger to quell the further questions he could see rising in her curious eyes. "You just keep your hands in front of you, just like that. It might take a while, but you'll always have that light to look forward too, regardless of the dark. Got it?"

She nodded quickly, still holding it in her hands, her tears forgotten for the moment. She didn't quite understand what he meant, or what he was trying to teach her, but she always kept what he showed her in her thoughts in the years to come.

Now, as she looked on the glistening water pooled in her hands, she couldn't help but smile. Even here in this darkness, everything bearing down on her...She could still swear it sparkled just like that summer's day, so long ago. The tears flowed freely, but that smile was undaunted.

"See you all soon."