See You in the Past.

The nurses waved their hands with a smile, following the little girl with their eyes, and headed for the elevator.

"I've become so used to little Ashley, I'll miss this lovely child. It's such a pity that Mr. Stein is being discharged," one of them noted with regret.

"What's the problem? Get yourself a child and you will have your own," the colleague laughed and slightly pushed her friend with her elbow.

"Yeah, but where can I find the same attractive father for a child? All the handsome men were taken long ago." They stopped in front of the elevator doors. "You know, Jim from the surgical is quite attractive when he gets enough sleep."

The nurse was about to use the key card to call the elevator, but something caught her attention. "Wait a second, I gotta check something."

"Ok, I'll answer the message for now," her colleague at this time plunged into the phone, which was full of unread messages during the work shift.

The nurse walked down the hallway and turned a corner. "What the heck is this?" She stared in bewilderment at the black puff of smoke that had frozen on the marble tiles like a dirty blob.

The VIP building was under the strictest supervision, the fire safety systems reacted to the slightest changes in the air.

The woman looked around, trying to find the source of the smoke, but saw nothing alarming. Only a cloud of black fog that came from the center of the corridor from nowhere. She came closer and waved her hand to disperse the strange smoke, but it did not react to her manipulation and seemed to become even thicker.

"What the…," an unexpected feeling of anxiety came over the nurse. She backed away, guided by an ancient instinct to warn of danger. "K-Kat?! Ahh... uhm..." The black substance instantly increased in size and pounced on the woman, absorbing her cry for help.

"Mary, did you call?" a colleague looked into the adjoining corridor and saw her friend lying on the floor, "God, Mary! What's happened?!" she ran up to the woman, but the latter was almost fainted, "Wait a minute, I'll call for help."

"N-no, don't," Mary stopped her in a painful voice, "Help me get to the elevator. This is a VIP floor, you don't want to make a stir. The child may be scared."

"What's the difference?! What happened? Why did you come here?" a colleague helped Mary to her feet and they walked back to the elevator.

"I dont know. I don't remember," the woman clutched her head, a sharp pain radiated in her right temple, "I don't remember," she repeated. The fingertips of her right hand were numb, "K-Kat, I can't feel my hand..."

The nurse had already taken her friend into the elevator and pressed the button, "Damn, don't move. We'll be there now. Can you smile?" The woman's smile came out crooked, Kat cursed and pressed the emergency call button, "Prepare resuscitation, we've got a suspected stroke!"

The elevator doors closed noiselessly and silence fell in the hallway. A few seconds later, a large gray cloud appeared in the air. It grew darker and darker, gradually taking on the shape of a huge dog.

The dog stepped to the floor with its paw, shrouded in darkness. I took a step, another one. Its paws changed shape with every step: first an animal, then a man. Bare feet stepped onto the cold marble floor. One more step - a black leather man's shoe clearly hit the heel.

"Do you know who came first: an egg or a chicken?"

Ashley turned to see a stranger dressed in all black. For a couple of minutes she had been trying to get a packet of apple juice out of the vending machine, but the machine was vigorously resisting.

"So who? Egg or chicken?" he repeated his question.

"I don't know," the girl replied, looking at the tall man. She had not seen him before, but she would not be surprised if he turned out to be some famous actor or model. "And who are you?"

The vending machine made a beep and the pocket of juice fell with a thud into the dispensing compartment. Ashley jumped happily and immediately forgot about the stranger, trying to get her trophy.

"Huh?" the girl was surprised to see that it was not the apple juice, but orange. "How did the organge juice end up in the machine?" She glanced at the shelves of the vending machine, but there was no orange juice among them.

"Wanna swap?" the man reminded of himself.

Ashley raised her head. He was already standing next to her, in his outstretched hand lay a large red apple. The girl only now realized that this man was very tall, taller than everyone she knew. His skin was whiter than her own, making his eyes look completely black.

He squatted down, but even so Ashley had to lift her head. She stared into his eyes with open mouth.

"Do you want the apple?" he handed her an apple, pleased with the effect his appearance had had on the child.

"Wow, it's like stars in your eyes! Are these lenses like that?"

The man tilted his head and replied in an even tone, "This is Taa, a reflection of the divine essence."

Ashley blinked free from his black eyes. The girl looked at the delicious apple. Mom and Dad told her to stay in the room and watch cartoons until they returned. Corey explained that eating fruit is healthier, but Ashley decided to seize the moment and get some juice. Moreover, it was free.

With the desired juice, nothing came of it, but the apple was also a great option. Moreover, so beautiful. And, most likely, delicious.

"Mom doesn't allow me to take anything from strangers."

"And if I say that we know each other?" his handsome face remained motionless, like a portrait captured forever by an artist. "You just don't know about it yet. My past is your future, Ashley Lawrence."

"My name is Williams," the girl corrected.

The man said nothing to this, his lips twitching in a slight grin, "A present for our acquaintance, Miss Williams. I'd be glad to stay, but I can't. Yet." His low timbre of voice became like the grinding of claws on the glass. The skin became transparent, which showed black vessels. "See you in the past, young lady. It was a fun game. I will wait for it to continue."

"W-what?" The girl blinked, not grasping the meaning of the words. She shook her head, but the stranger vanished.

She dropped her eyes and stared at the beautiful red apple in her palm. She raised her hand to her face and sniffed. The girl did not notice how she opened her mouth and took a bite. Sweet juice filled her mouth and disappeared as if she hadn't eaten anything. Ashley wanted to try again, but a black mist enveloped the apple. It spread, turning into a dark slurry.

"Ay!" The ooze wrapped around the girl's wrist, dug into the skin, and seeped inside. Ashley stared at her hand - nothing. Blinked, frowned.

"Ash? Why aren't you in the ward?"

Rick looked at his daughter in surprise. She was standing in the middle of the corridor and looking at her empty palm as if trying to see something there. "You had to stay in the room to watch cartoons." She was so lost in thought that she did not notice him approaching.

"Oh... I...," the girl looked at her father in confusion, then around. "I ...," she raised her hand with a pack of juice and showed it to Rick, "I wanted juice."

The man smiled, "Okay. I'll cover you one time, while mom can't see you, my glorious pirate. Drink your juice and go to bed. You are practically napping on the go."

"Okie-dokie," drawled the girl, not very inspired by such a perspective. And the eyelids, as luck would have it, got heavy and stretched to close.

Rick held out his hand to her, "Hey, your hand is icy. Are you sick? Maybe frozen?" The man gave David a questioning look, but his friend just shrugged.

"Dad, will I sleep on your bed? And you and Uncle David can play the console for now," Ashley yawned and rubbed her eyes.

Rick was even more surprised. According to Corey, daytime sleep and this child were incompatible things. "Great plan, boss."

He took his daughter in his arms, a minute later Ashley fell asleep deeply and slept like that until late in the evening. When the girl woke up, she was again cheerful and happy.

This was the first and only time in her entire childhood that Rick saw her sleeping during the day. The reason for this has remained unknown.