Almost every day, right at noon, the same little girl appeared on my doorstep. She was pretty, neatly dressed, with round cheeks and a small teddy bear in her hands. She stood at the door, looking straight into the doorbell camera — as if she were waiting for something.
Most of the time, I was at work during those hours, so I couldn’t open the door to find out who she was or why she came. Each time it happened the same way: the girl rang the bell, waited a minute or two, and then ran off around the corner. No cars, no adults nearby.
To be honest, it was becoming more and more worrying each day. Where were her parents? Why was such a little child wandering around alone?
I began to fear that something terrible had happened. One evening, I couldn’t take it anymore and went to the police with the video recordings. The officers quickly located the girl’s family and summoned her mother to the station.
And that’s when we discovered something completely unexpected. When the woman came in and heard what she was being accused of, she suddenly burst out laughing. I’m sorry, — she said, wiping away her tears, — but my daughter is at that age when everything fascinates her.
We live not far from you and often walk down your street. Every time we pass your house, she says, “I want to say hello to that lady!” She runs to your door, rings the bell, and then comes back. I always wait for her by the gate.
I was speechless. — But why my house specifically? — I asked.
The woman smiled again:
—
You might not remember, but one summer you gave my daughter an apple when she fell down. Since then, she believes she has to come by every day to wish you a good day. The officer and I looked at each other and couldn’t help but laugh.
It turned out that the “mysterious visitor” was just a sweet little girl who came every day to say “hello” to someone who once showed her a bit of kindness.
