Chapter 2

2.

The snow was falling heavily as I walked out of the hospital.

The holidays were approaching, and the streets were crowded.

People were selling wreaths, candied apples, and handmade crafts. One little girl was sitting behind a stall of plush toys.

She had no legs and sat in a small wheelchair. No one stopped to look at her wares.

I wanted to tell her that selling dolls in this cold was a bad idea.

But when I approached, she looked up at me with a hopeful smile. "Sir, would you like to buy a doll?"

"These aren't ordinary plushies. They can record your voice."

She showed her white teeth and held up a small teddy bear with her frozen, red hands.

She pulled a heart-shaped device from the bear's belly and pressed it. A voice played: "It's okay for adults to be vulnerable, too."

"I just recorded that, sir," she said, her eyes fixed on me.

I never cared for trinkets like this, but in that moment, I felt a strange connection.

There were six dolls on the stall. I bought them all.

The girl was overjoyed. She took the money and told me she was going to buy instant noodles.

"It's almost Christmas. My mom and I will have a feast with these. Noodles are the best," she said.

I realized then that I wasn't the only one struggling in this world.