Missing Piece

 

Every morning, Daniel took the 6:42 bus to work. One Monday, he noticed a little boy sitting alone at the back. He wore a yellow shirt and carried a blue backpack. The strange thing was that the boy never moved. He only stared at Daniel. This continued for a week.


One evening, Daniel passed a roadside memorial and froze. The photograph on it was the same boy.Michael Ayi 2009–2018. The boy had been dead for eight years. The next morning, Daniel refused to take the bus. But when he reached the bus stop, the little boy was standing there. Daniel ran.


That night, he found the boy's blue backpack outside his apartment. Inside was an old photograph of the bus and Daniel was in it. But the photograph had been taken eight years ago. On the back of it, someone had written:


“You promised you'd come back for me.”


The next morning, Daniel boarded the bus and like always the he boy was waiting. Daniel sat beside him.


"Why me?"


The boy looked at him and whispered:


"Because you tried to save me."


Daniel's face went pale. Suddenly, he remembered the accident. He remembered pushing the boy out of the way. He remembered the truck hitting both of them. He remembered the sudden flash of light before departing from his body. The boy smiled.


"I've been waiting for you."


The bus doors opened. Daniel stepped off with him. Neither of them was ever seen again.

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