You put the class book aside and sighed a little. The last pupil was sitting in the classroom, a little girl with golden hair tied in two small ponytails was sitting in her desk, scribbling something boredly in her notebook. Her briefcase was already ready to go.

A little uncertainly, you glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already after five o'clock in the evening, and darkness with a fierce wind was already reigning outside the windows. the aftermschool club had finished long ago and all the governesses were gone, but you didn't have the heart to leave your faithful student alone to wait for her parents. So you suggested that you wait with the little girl until someone picked her up. It was a little strange... the little girl's mother was always on time and fairly early in the afternoon. This was... unusual. You were already reaching for the phone to call her parents when someone rushed into the classroom.

You'd be lying if you said you weren't startled. You actually got to your feet in a hurry and almost knocked over your coffee cup. There was a man standing in the doorway, panting, his chest jerking up and down, some grey in his brown beard here and there, blue eyes focused on the little girl who immediately smiled a little more. The unknown man then shifted his gaze to you, taking in the sight, perhaps a little... dreamily, before blinking a few times and smiling apologetically. "Sorry to barge in like this," he moved closer to the girl and you. The little girl was smiling broadly at the man, her thin voice addressing him as uncle. "Her parents couldn't come for the little one, so I'm here as a substitute," his voice was kind, though it was deep and husky, the voice of a longtime smoker. "I'm John Price," he held out his hand for a handshake, taking a little longer than necessary.