The blazing afternoon sun shone down on the small but active town of Piddhe. The people of Piddhe scurried about doing their daily activities and errands while the children raced about chasing a slightly flat kickball. The only child that was not joining in the kickball game was a little girl of about six. She was sitting on the doorstep of a small ramshackle house. Her long black hair fell in tangled curls about her shoulders as she played with a pair of dolls and her play clothes were dirty and patched from hours of wear and tear. Her foster mother was inside of the house cooking mounds of delicious cakes and pies for a part the girl's foster father was throwing. Every now and then the girl's foster mother peeked out the window to see what she was up to.
Sylvie moved the dolls so that they were sitting across from each other on the step as if enjoying a conversation. She looked up to see a group of boys and girls her own age pass in front of her house chasing the flattened kickball. She so wanted to join in their games, but she never attempted to. She was different from all of the other kids. She knew it too. All of the other kids had loving parents while Sylvie had foster parents. Her foster parents were just as loving as the other kid's parents, but it wasn't the same. Sylvie had never really known her real parents. They had both tragically died in a house fire some two years back. Even though Sylvie had only been four she had understood what had happened to her parents and that they were never going to come back. She had lived in an orphanage for about a year when Steven and Michelle had come. They had both fallen in love with Sylvie the moment they saw her and Sylvie had loved them too. Even though they weren't her real parents she loved them just the same.
The door to the house opened up behind Sylvie and her foster mother Michelle stepped out and sat down on the step beside Sylvie. Michelle was a beautiful woman with short reddish curls that bounced playfully about her ears and she wore a small red dress that accentuated her thin lithe frame. She smiled down at Sylvie and pulled her long black hair out of her eyes. "Why don't you go and play with the other kids?" Michelle asked Sylvie.
"I don't want to go and play with them, Mommy." Sylvie said. "They think I'm weird."
"Why is that, baby?" Michelle asked.
"They think I'm weird because I don't have real parents." Sylvie said turning back to her dolls.
"I know it's hard, Sylvie, but I think you should try and play with them." Michelle said. "It will do you good to run around and have some fun."
"But I'm happy here," Sylvie said fingering a necklace around her neck.
"Are you still wearing that evil looking necklace?" Michelle asked.
"Yes," Sylvie said. "I really like it. I think my parents gave it to me. I've had it forever."
"I know you've had it forever and I know you really like it, but I think it makes people nervous seeing you wearing it." This conversation subject had been discussed countless times between Sylvie and Michelle. Sylvie loved to wear this one necklace that had a silver amulet in the shape of a skull on a short black chord. Even though it was short it could still be easily hidden underneath a shirt from prying eyes. Sylvie never took it off either. She always wore it, even for nice formal occasions and bath time. Steven and Michelle had always thought that she had picked it up at the orphanage, but the people there had told them that she had come to them with it. Michelle was afraid of it. Whenever she looked at it she thought she was looking into the eyes of some demon.
"I can't stop you from wearing it." Michelle said standing up. "Are you hungry? If you are I can fix you something for lunch."
"I'm not hungry yet, Mommy." Sylvie said. "I'll come and tell you when I am."
"Okay," Michelle said before turning the handle of the front door and disappearing inside.
While Sylvie continued to play with her dolls on the front steps of her house, a man entered town. He was a strange man who had the look of a careless drifter. His clothes were dusty and worn and his large bag slung over his right shoulder was patched and ripped. The people of Piddhe eyed him with fear and distrust. It wasn't often that strangers came to the small and rundown town. He walked down the street, unaware of the looks and whispers that followed him. He continued to trudge down the dusty street when he stopped and looked over at a little girl playing with dolls on the doorstep of a ramshackle house.
Sylvie had the strangest impression that someone was watching her and looked up to see a tall man looking back at her. The man struck Sylvie as strange. He was tall and handsome with long blonde hair spiked in a way that it stood up straight in the air. He wore a worn and dusty looking red trench coat and had a large silver gun holstered on his hip. He smiled and waved at Sylvie and she smiled and waved back. He walked over and sat down on the steps next to Sylvie placing his traveling bag down at his feet.
"Hello," he said gently.
"Hi," Sylvie whispered back shyly.
"It's okay," the man said gently. "I won't hurt you."
"I know you won't." Sylvie said bravely. "I knew that you wouldn't when I saw you looking at me."
"And you are right about that." He said. "I wouldn't hurt anybody though people think I will."
"Why do they think that?" Sylvie asked the man.
"They think I'll hurt people because I am an outsider and a stranger." The man said. "They think those things because they are afraid."
"What's your name?" Sylvie asked.
"Vash The Stampede," he replied. "What's yours?"
"Sylvie," Sylvie answered.
"So, why are you not out playing with the other kids, Sylvie?"
"Because I don't fit in and they probably wouldn't want me to play." Sylvie answered.
"And why is that?"
"I don't have real parents like the other kids. I have foster parents." Sylvie said glancing down at her dolls.
"It's still okay that you have foster parents. Do they love you like real parents and do you love them like real parents?" Vash asked.
"Yes, they love me and I love them and sometimes I think they are my real parents." Sylvie said.
While Vash and Sylvie were taking on the front steps of the ramshackle house, Michelle looked out the window and down at Sylvie. To her great surprise she saw not only Sylvie but a tall handsome blonde man sitting next to her. They were talking avidly and Sylvie, to Michelle's great surprise, was talking back enthusiastically. Sylvie hardly ever talked to anyone. She barely talked at all, but when she happened to be extremely comfortable with someone she would talk for hours. She talked to Steven and Michelle all the time which made Michelle smile. Now if she would only talk like that with some of the kids at school.
"What's that?" Vash asked, pointing at the necklace around Sylvie's neck.
"Oh!" Sylvie said excitedly pulling the necklace up from underneath her shirt and showing it to Vash.
"It's quite a unique necklace." Vash said. I've only seen this type of necklace a couple of times."
"Really? So other people besides me have it too?" Sylvie asked excitedly.
"Yes, but I haven't seen anyone with one in a long time." Vash said. "They are very rare."
"My mommy hates it but I wont let her get rid of it because I like it." Sylvie said.
"How long have you had it?" Vash queried.
"As long as I can remember." Sylvie said fingering the necklace.
Michelle, who was still looking through the window down at Sylvie and Vash gave a horrid shudder. Sylvie was showing this man her necklace! Michelle had told Sylvie not to show it to people because it made them nervous. This man, however, seemed fascinated by it. Michelle had always believed that there was some strange underlying power in it but had never seen it. And in some ways, Michelle never wanted to see it.
"Remember," Vash said to Sylvie standing up and hoisting his torn bag back on his shoulders. "Never get rid of the necklace and use its power very cautiously."
"I understand." Sylvie said nodding. "You're leaving now?"
"Yes, I must be on my way again." Vash said. "But I'll send you a letter every month."
"Okay, and remember to send it to my special mail box at the post office." Sylvie said. "I bought it all by myself!"
"I'll send all my letters there." Vash said. "I hope we meet again someday."
"Me too." Sylvie said. Vash started down the steps when Sylvie called him back. "Wait Vash! Here's a picture of me so that you will always remember me." Sylvie handed Vash the picture.
"Thank you for everything, Sylvie." Vash said. "You have truly been a great friend." With that Vash The Stampede walked down the front steps and headed back down the road. Be fore he left town, though, he stopped at the local saloon and wrote Sylvie a letter. Just before Vash left the town of Piddhe, he dropped the letter into Sylvie's mailbox. Vash then traveled on, away from the town to a new and exciting life.
Michelle had queried Sylvie about the strange man for hours over lunch. She was still not fond of her daughter talking to strange men. Sylvie had told her that the man wasn't strange and that he was friendly and talkative. Michelle had also scolded Sylvie about showing her necklace to the man, but Sylvie had explained that Vash said it was really rare and very special. Michelle finally gave up and went back to cooking cakes and pies for the office party and Sylvie went off to play with the other kids. Michelle was beaming and by the time Sylvie came home that night she was beaming even more.