"Kristin, may I come in?"
Following the advice he heard from Fat Moe, Mel quickly came to where he had stayed with the young girl until yesterday. After knocking on the door, Mel called out. Even after a few breaths, no answer came. He waited a little longer. Then he pressed on the corroding metal handle and entered.
The room was engulfed in darkness, and even he needed a few seconds for his eyes to adjust. The young girl was on the bed. She lay down in the middle, covering her face with a pillow. Mel slowly lay near her and grabbed her waist. He smelled her hair with a deep breath.
"Sorry, I should have said I was going to spend the night in the Herb Garden!"
There was no sound from the young girl. But Mel did not stop holding her. He held her as if once he let her go, she would fly out of his hands. There was nothing quite natural for him to feel this way; he still carried the burdens of what he had experienced until this moment.
"Mel, I have no one but you!"
