The sun beat down on another warm summer day. Many of those who lived on the outskirts of Paris had abandoned their afternoon chores for an opportunity to relax in the shade. A small playground was abuzz with dozens of children running through the sand in bare feet. Their laughter coupled with the steady squeals of the swing set rose above the trees nearby. Not far from the playground sat a solitary little girl. She stared at the other children, a sad look in her eyes as her hand traveled to tug at the bandage around her left ankle. There would be no playing or running around for her today, nor for the next few weeks. A hard fall off her bicycle had banished her to a world without such fun activities, ones for which her friends always held a fondness. They had gone on without her, and so she sat alone and in silence, watching them have fun while seemingly having forgotten her. A lone tear drifted down her small cheek as she stared at the ground.

"Hey, why are you crying?"

She turned in shock, not quite believing someone was speaking to her. A small boy stood off to the side, his gaze fixed on her. There was a hint of sadness in his gentle eyes. What drew a gasp from her lips though was the stark white mask covering the right side of his face. He didn't react to her stare, but rather repeated his question.

"Why are you crying?"

"I… My ankle is hurt. I can't play with my friends. They forgot about me," she said softly, her eyes dropping to the boy's shoes.

"What's your name?"

"Christine."

The boy took a step forward and smiled a bit. "I'm Erik. If you want, I'll be your friend. I won't forget about you."

Christine wiped her face and lifted her eyebrows in hope. "Really? You promise?"

Erik nodded and held out a hand. "I promise. Come with me! I want to show you something. Can you walk a little?"

"Yeah, I can. I'm just not very fast." Christine took his hand and braced herself as he helped her to stand.

"That's all right, it's not very far."

Erik held fast to her hand as she found her feet and took the first couple of steps. They walked down the block and turned up a dirt path that wound around among the trees. The brush parted to reveal a small pond flanked by an oversized willow tree. Its lazy branches waved in the gentle breeze. Erik led her to a grassy spot near the pond's shore and helped her sit down. Songbirds filled the air with their sweet tunes, coupled with a few croaking frogs on the opposite shore.

Christine smiled as she took in the scenery. "How did you find this place? I've never seen this spot before."

"I like to wander. It frightens my mama sometimes, but she knows I can always find my way home. This place is one of my favorites. I come here to read a lot. Sometimes I'll draw. Do you like it here?"

"It's beautiful." She bit her lip and looked at the ground. "You can read?"

"Yeah, my mama taught me a few years ago, before I started first grade. I love it. Can you read?"

Christine stared at the ground and shook her head.

Erik frowned and asked, "Why not? Aren't we the same age? I'll be eight years old soon," he said with a proud puff of his chest. "How old are you?"

"I'll be eight in October. I've tried learning, but my daddy never helps me. And I miss school a lot because I get sick a lot. I hate it. Every time I get sick, daddy takes me to the doctor and they shove this big Q-tip down my throat. He says I have strep, whatever that is. Every time I try to read, the words jump all over the page and I get mad. And my teachers get mad that I can't keep up in class. It's not fair," she pouted.

"I hate teachers like that." Erik's fists balled in anger. An epiphany struck him and made his eyes light up and his hands relax. "I know! I'll teach you to read. I'm sure I can help you catch up."

"But—"

"But what? You want to read, I know how to read."

Christine smiled at the elation in his eyes. "Okay."

Erik jumped up and raced over to a large rock nearby. He produced a backpack from behind it, as though he had hidden it there for safekeeping. As he sat down next to Christine again, he opened the largest zipper, his hands carefully gripping the fabric emblazoned with the image of Iron Man. He pulled out several books and spread them out on the grass in front of her. Selecting a smaller one with a well-worn cover, he flipped it open.

"This is one of my first word books. I still read it because of the cool pictures of strange animals and people. See?" He held up one page for her to view, this one emblazoned with the drawing of a horse with a man's head and torso. Christine smiled and flipped the page to find an eagle with the body of a lion.

"What are these things?"

Erik smiled and said, "You'll see, once you read about them."

As he started to outline the first page of words, Christine's curiosity overwhelmed her. She soon stared at the curve of his mask and fiercely wondered what lay beneath it. Soon she caught Erik looking at her, his eyebrow raised.

"Are you listening?"

"Why do you wear that mask?" The words tumbled from her lips before she could stop them.

Erik closed the book and leaned away. "Why do you want to know?"

Christine shrugged and twisted a blade of grass around her fingers. "Just curious, I suppose. Did you get hurt too? Like I hurt my ankle?"

"No. It's different… I…"

Christine grabbed his hand. "Hey, it's okay. I was only wondering. I've never seen anyone with a mask like that before."

Erik reached up and pulled it off his face before he could even consider his fear. The deformity came into full view and he winced as he heard Christine take a sharp breath.

"Your face…"

"I know. Mama says I was born like this. She doesn't know why. But I have to keep it covered or it scares people."

Christine leaned forward and touched his cheek. "It doesn't scare me. Does it hurt? It looks like it hurts. Maybe you need a Band-Aid and it will get better."

Erik smiled at that. "I've already tried. No, they're here to stay."

"Is this why you've never played with us before? Why I've never seen you before?"

"Yes. I stay away ever since one time, a bigger boy at the playground knocked me down and pulled my mask off. He said mean things and the other kids chased me away. They threw rocks at me. It's okay though. I have this place. I have my books."

Christine frowned at the image of this sweet boy being treated so cruelly. Without a thought she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss against his twisted cheek.

"And now you have me. I won't do such things to you. I promise."

Erik looked like he was going to cry, but instead he smiled and squeezed her hand. "You're an angel."