The Girl Under the Umbrella

It was raining hard in Osaka, and Yuki waited alone. At the last

bus stop, a girl stood nearby. She didn’t move, just stared at

puddles. When the bus arrived, Yuki got on first.

The girl followed, still silent. But when Yuki glanced back, her seat was

empty. Just the dripping red umbrella leaning against it. She looked outside

and saw the girl. Smiling up at her from the dark.

As rain started falling inside the bus.