—Please... —Aiden said, kneeling in front of her—. Stop crying now. Tell me what’s wrong and we’ll fix it. I promise.

She sobbed even harder. Aiden gently wiped one of her cheeks with his thumb, patient, never losing his calm.
—What’s wrong? Is it becau-

Then he saw the cookie on the floor.
—Ah… I get it now...

He stood up for a moment and came back right away with a small bag from the vending machine. He opened it carefully and placed it in her hands.

—Look! —he smiled—. Animal cookies! Brand new, clean… and chocolate ones! Your favorites, yummy!!

The little girl looked at him, eyes still wet, and the crying faded away.

Aiden knelt down to her level and gave her a warm smile.
—See? Everything can be fixed, sweetheart.