"... Who's there...?"

He always looked after her. Not that she knew. He never considered that he had to ask permission to watch over her. He knew his place. She was a creature who lived in the bright places. While he was the one who lived under the shades.

He enjoyed looking at her. When she smiles, it made his mind stop. With his mind stopped, he could forget about the dark and cold place he belonged to -- even though just for a while. When she smiles, she looked just as bright as the place she lived in. Then magically, everything would turn even brighter.

However one day... one day, as he was sitting under the shade as he always did. He was looking toward the bright place, where he knew he could see her... and he found her without a smile. For once, he saw her face darkened, her eyes having dull shine. He wondered why she wasn't shining as brightly that day. The more he watched, the more he became aware of how her glow seemed to lessen, and lessen... and lessen... as time went by.

He then realised, that seeing her losing her light made him feel darker than he already was. And suddenly, he realised... how he wanted her to keep shining.

"Please... smile."

"... Who's there...?"