Every time a character speaks or thinks in fiction, that person's identity is being expressed.
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"H-hey, mister,"
Henry looked round, feeling a tug on the bottom of his knee-length jacket. He couldn't see anyone, then he felt another tug on his jacket and looked down,
"What'cha want, kid?"
There was a little girl, her brown hair in pigtails, looking up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes, her hand still attached to the bottom of his jacket,
"I-I'm lost. My mommy told me to- to-" She scrunched her face up, concentrating hard on what exactly it was her mother had said for her to do, "Mommy told me to w-wait by the till but," She sniffed loudly, "I looked for mommy but I- I-"
The girl suddenly burst into floods of tears, wailing loudly. Henry, more focused on the growing amount of attention he was getting from the passers-by, said hurriedly,
"Well, wha'd'ya want me to do about it, kid?"
The four-foot child seemed to completely ignore him, continuing to cry loudly; attracting more glares from those walking by the pair. Henry rolled his eyes.
'Great. Got'ta baby-sit now! That's all I need.'
He twisted round so he was facing the girl, putting a hand lazily on his hip,
"Why'd you leave the shop?"
The girl, finally realising he was going to help, hiccuped, wiping frantically at her eyes with her tiny hand.
"I-I- I couldn't find mommy in the shop, so I- I thought she was not in the shop."
Henry sighed, reaching his hand up to run it through a mass of shaggy brown hair,
"Alright then, which shop you come from?"
The little girl scrunched up her face again, concentrating hard, but then instead of coming out with an answer she cried again,
"I-I don't know..."
Henry, seeing he was getting no where, decided to act the way he'd seen his next-door neighbour acting with her toddlers. He bent down, his face in line with the sobbing child's and said, his usually-frowning face lit up with a - slightly over exaggerated - smile,
"Well what was in the shop? Books? Music? Toys?"
The girl nodded her head, wiping at her eyes.
'Well which one?'
"Which one...uhhh... hunny?"
Oh, if Jack or one of the others could see him now... they'd be laughing their asses off. He was squatting in the middle of the walk-way with a girl crying her eyes out in front of him, trying to comfort her by calling her names.
The little girl sobbed again, then wiped at her eyes, muttering,
"T-toys..."
Henry slipped his hand forward into hers, then when she looked at him with bleary eyes he smiled again,
"I know where your mom'll be."
The girl, hearing the one thing she'd been hoping to hear, suddenly grinned a toothy smile, her tears stopping instantly.
"Really?" She jumped up and down vigorously, nearly pulling Henry's arm from its socket. "Take me to mommy! Take me to mommy!-" She stopped jumping up and down suddenly, remembering what her mother had told her to do when she wanted something, "Ummm... please can you take me to mommy?"
Henry nodded, standing back up to his usual height,
"Sure."
He turned on his heel, the little girl clutching tightly to his hand and then he walked along the street, heading in the direction of the only toy-store in town. As he was walking he looked down, feeling the girl swinging their arms about. She was looking straight ahead, a wide smile on her tiny face. He couldn't help but smile.
A few moments later the pair arrived at the doors to the store. Henry looked down, pointing towards the doors,
"This it?"
The girl looked up and down at the doors, studying them hard, then after a moment she nodded enthusiasticaly,
"Yeah! This is where mommy told me to wait!"
She went to run ahead, but Henry kept hold of her hand. She looked up at him with big, curiously eyes.
"Don't run off. Don't want to get lost again before we find your mom."
The girl grinned again, nodding her head,
"'Kay!"
She pulled Henry forward then tried to open the doors with her one free hand - though she was trying to pull when it said push. Henry laughed and pushed on the door above her head, opening it to let her through. She dashed forward excitedly again, pulling Henry along all the while.
The moment the pair were in the building Henry stepped back in alarm, hearing a loud cry of,
"Amy! My baby! There you are!"
A woman dashed over, ignoring the other children and parents around her, too focused on holding her little girl again. Henry didn't have time to say anything before Amy's hand was pulled from his as her mother picked her up and span her around joyously.
Henry smiled slightly, glad to see the two were reunited - glad to see Amy's grin.
'Well no point stickin' round.'
He turned round, taking hold of the door-handle and pulling - only as he was doing so he heard a cry of,
"Wait, mister!"
He turned, only to have the small girl collide with his knees to send him toppling over backward. He lay there momentarily in a daze, then sat up, rubbing the back of his head. He was going to yell something, but then he saw Amy's big eyes staring at him. She was grinning.
"Thank you for helping me find mommy, mister!"
He sighed, dropping his hand back to his side,
"Don't worry 'bout it. It's Henry by the way."
The girl grinned, nodding her head again,
"Thank you, Henry!"
Before he could stop the small girl she dived forwards onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a slightly-too-tight hug. She kissed him on the cheek, grinning from ear-to-ear. He turned his head slightly, bashful from being thanked - something he wasn't used to, being a teenager and all that.
Meters away from the pair, Amy's mother laughed through teary eyes.
'Well I never ... look's like my Amy's made a new friend.'
Henry turned his head, trying to avoid another kiss from the little girl. He was smiling properly for the first time in a long while.
