ZELDA

🌹6🌹

As Zelda was making her way home after the school closed for the day, she suddenly found herself being approached by an old lady on the street.

"Hello, young girl," the old lady called out to Zelda.

"Good afternoon ma'am," Zelda responded politely.

"Good afternoon," the elderly woman replied with a warm smile.

Curiosity piqued, Zelda couldn't help but ask, "Do you need help with something?"

"No, not at all. I just wanted to thank you," the woman said gratefully.

Confused, Zelda furrowed her brows and hesitated before replying, "Ma'am, I think you may have mistaken me for someone else."

"No, I'm sure it's you," the old lady insisted.

Intrigued yet still puzzled, Zelda asked, "Have we, by chance, met before?"

"Yes, we have. I bumped into you yesterday," the woman revealed.

"Oh, ma'am, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize it was you," Zelda apologized sincerely.

"Don't worry, dear. It's absolutely fine. I am simply grateful that you gave me a chance," the woman replied with a hint of mystery in her voice.

Perplexed by the old lady's remark, Zelda pressed for clarification. "I don't quite understand. What do you mean by a chance?"

The elderly lady paused for a moment, her eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and sadness, before answering, "You gave me a chance to live again."

Confused and taken aback, Zelda dismissed the old lady's claim. "Oh, ma'am, that seems a tad exaggerated. I don't think a little bump could have ended your life."

Regardless of Zelda's disbelief, the old lady simply smiled, her eyes twinkling with a certain wisdom. "Regardless, thank you," she said, a hint of a mysterious smirk playing on her lips as she took her leave, leaving Zelda standing there in a state of bewilderment and confusion.

*

When Zelda arrived home, she rushed to her room and found Camael sprawled out on the sofa, completely absorbed in her phone. Zelda called out to her, hoping to catch her attention. "Camael."

Without looking up, Camael responded absentmindedly, "Yeah?"

Zelda tried once more, a hint of frustration in her voice. "Camael."

Finally tearing her eyes away from her phone, Camael glanced up and said, "Yeah, what's up?"

Zelda wasted no time in recounting the strange incident that had occurred earlier that day. "Something really bizarre happened today."

Intrigued, Camael asked, "What happened?"

Zelda took a breath and began to explain, "Well, an old woman bumped into me yesterday, and today she thanked me."

Camael shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, that's not entirely unusual, is it? She bumped into you, you helped her, and she showed gratitude."

Zelda shook her head vigorously, her brow furrowing as she clarified, "No, it's not that. It's what she thanked me for that's really strange."

Now intrigued, Camael encouraged her to continue. "Alright, tell me more."

Zelda's expression grew more puzzled. "She thanked me for giving her a chance to live again. The thing is, our encounter wasn't even significant enough to warrant such a statement. It's not like she was in mortal danger or anything. And she seemed perfectly healthy."

Camael sat up abruptly. "Wait, did I hear you right? She thanked you for giving her a chance to live again?"

Zelda nodded, her confusion mirrored in her eyes.