It all began one quiet afternoon, just before twilight.
A little girl sat crying by the side of a quiet residential street. Blood trickled from her scraped knee after she had fallen while roller skating. Tears streaked through the dust on her cheeks, leaving faint trails behind.
"Are you okay?"
A boy about her age suddenly appeared in front of her. Instead of answering, Dina only cried harder, her sobs coming in waves that left the boy at a loss.
"Hey... what's wrong?" he asked again, kneeling in front of her.
"I... I fell," Dina managed between hiccupping sobs.
The boy glanced at the scrape on her knee.
Ouch... that's a pretty bad one.
"Do you think you can stand?" he asked gently.
Dina shook her head.
Her leg hurt so much that even the thought of standing made her wince, let alone walking.
The boy fell silent for a moment. Then he turned around and bent forward slightly.
"Come on," he said, reaching one hand behind him. "Hop on."
Dina hesitated.
"Are you sure you can carry me?" she asked doubtfully. Even though he was a boy, he wasn't any bigger than she was.
"I... think so." He gave an uncertain grin, sounding just as unconvinced as she was. "Come on. It'll be dark soon."
Still unsure, Dina slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and climbed onto his back.
The boy braced himself, struggling a little before managing to stand with her weight on his shoulders. Only then did he realize he had no idea where she lived.
"Hey, where's your house?"
"Over there." Dina pointed toward a nearby intersection. "At the corner."
He nodded.
Step by step, he carried her down the street, stumbling more than once under the effort. Dina felt guilty for burdening someone she didn't even know. Truthfully, she was also a little scared. Scared they might fall.
The walk wasn't far, but it felt much longer than it really was.
When they finally reached her house, Dina's mother rushed outside the moment she saw her daughter's injured knee. She quickly scooped Dina into her arms, worry written all over her face. As she fussed over the wound, she couldn't help scolding Dina for being careless.
Dina only whimpered in response.
"Thank you for bringing her home," her mother said warmly to the boy. "Why don't you come inside? I'll get you something to drink."
The boy shook his head politely.
"No, thank you, Auntie. I'd better head home. It's getting late, and my mom will be looking for me."
Dina's mother smiled and nodded before turning to her daughter.
"Don't forget to thank him."
Dina looked at the boy.
"Thank you for bringing me home," she said sincerely.
He smiled, then turned to leave.
Dina watched him walk away.
Then it suddenly hit her.
She didn't even know the name of the boy who had rescued her.
"Hey!" she called after him. "What's your name?"
The boy stopped and looked back.
"My name's Alfa!" he shouted.
"I'm Dina!" she called with a bright smile, waving both hands. "Thank you, Alfa!"
Alfa waved back with a smile before continuing down the quiet street.
By the time he disappeared from sight, twilight had painted the sky in warm shades of amber.
To Dina, that twilight would remain the most beautiful one of her life.