The Girl Who Waited

The rain had started again.

It tapped against the windows of Eclipse Café in a quiet rhythm, filling the empty space with something gentle, yet relentless. The chef watched it for a moment before turning his attention back to the counter.

It had been a slow night. Only two customers so far—both human, both ordinary. He had almost let himself believe that tonight would be uneventful.

Then, the bell chimed.

A girl stood at the entrance.

Small, delicate. Wearing a simple navy-blue school uniform, her short hair damp from the rain.

She didn’t step inside immediately. Instead, she stood there—hesitating. Her fingers tightened around the straps of her schoolbag.

Then, finally, she walked forward.

Her shoes left faint, wet footprints on the wooden floor.

She took a seat at the counter, setting her bag carefully on her lap.

For a while, she said nothing.

The chef let the silence settle. Some people came here for the food. Others came because they had nowhere else to go.

He turned to the stove. “Something warm?”

The girl blinked. Looked up at him.

Then, she nodded.

The chef worked quickly. Tonight, he made kitsune udon—simple, comforting. A dish meant for someone who needed warmth.

When he placed the bowl in front of her, she simply stared at it.

Minutes passed.

Then—a small voice.

“Will he come?”

The chef paused.

He had expected many things. But not that question.

He glanced at her carefully. “Who?”

The girl gripped her chopsticks, her hands too still.

“I was told to wait here.”

The chef’s chest tightened.

There were two kinds of people who waited in Eclipse Café.

Those waiting for someone who would come.

And those waiting for someone who never would.

He chose his next words carefully.

“Who told you that?”

The girl’s gaze lowered.

“…My father.”

The rain outside grew heavier.

The chef exhaled slowly. “And when did he tell you that?”

The girl’s fingers trembled around her chopsticks. Just barely.

“…A long time ago.”

Something cold wrapped around the chef’s spine.

She lifted her eyes again—deep, dark, and endless.

“I waited,” she whispered.

“I waited, but he never came.”

The air in the café grew thick. Heavy. The rain outside blurred the windows, distorting the city beyond.

The chef’s grip tightened around the counter.

This girl—

She wasn’t alive.

He should have known. The way she hesitated at the door. The way her uniform looked untouched by time. The way her voice carried too much sorrow for someone so young.

Still, he kept his voice steady. “What was he like?”

The girl smiled. Soft. Distant.

“He had kind eyes.”

She picked up a piece of tofu from her bowl. Ate it slowly, like she was trying to hold onto the taste.

“He said he’d come back for me.”

The wind howled outside.

The chef didn’t look away.

Some ghosts wanted revenge. Some wanted answers.

And some—

Some just wanted to be remembered.

He wiped his hands on a towel. “If he could hear you now, what would you say?”

The girl’s chopsticks stilled.

For a long, long moment, she didn’t speak.

Then, softly—

“I’m still here.”

Her voice shook.

“I never stopped waiting.”

Something in the café shifted.

The air, the silence, the very weight of the night.

Then—a sound.

A single, gentle knock at the door.

The girl’s head snapped up.

Her breath hitched.

She turned, eyes wide, staring at the entrance.

The chef followed her gaze—

But when he looked, there was no one there.

Just the rain. Just the empty street beyond the glass.

But the girl—

The girl was smiling.

She stood up slowly, gripping her schoolbag. Something had changed.

She turned back to the chef, her eyes shining with something lighter.

“…Thank you.”

The bell chimed as she stepped toward the door.

And then—

She was gone.

Not into the street.

Not into the rain.

Just—gone.

The chef exhaled.

When he turned back to the counter, her bowl was still there.

The broth untouched.

But beside it—

A small, folded note.

The ink was faded. The paper old. Fragile.

One simple line, written in careful, childlike handwriting.

“I’ll wait here. Please come back.”

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