Bastien could hardly make it through the crowded mall as he scurries towards Macy’s. He hadn’t anticipated such a rush, though then again, he ought to have seen it coming. A heat wave had hit San Diego, and those who didn’t have sufficient air conditioning flocked to the cool oasis that was the mall. Bastien simply needed to get a new top hat, as the usual gang of bullies at school had torn his prior one to shreds. He felt oddly exposed without his hat on, and hoped to remedy this right away.

As he made his way through the swarms of people, he was knocked around and shoved aside by those in a hurry to get to their next destination. He marveled at the energy these people possessed even when it was 103 degrees outside.

The navy haired boy paused, feeling as though he didn’t know where he was. He furrowed his brow, looking around and seeing Sears, just past a directory.

It turned out that whilst he was lost in thought, the crowd had swayed him and carried him down the wrong path. He needed now to traverse the entire span of the mall again to get to Macy’s. He shrugged, figuring the exercise was good for him. As he whirled around to make his way back to the opposite end of the facility, he heard a wailing near him.

Bastien’s gaze shifted to a young boy who was crying. A quick survey of the scene would tell that the boy dropped his lollipop, and it had shattered against the marble flooring. He looked terribly upset, picking up the empty stick from the pile of candy shards. Bastien felt a pang in his heart, and saw the candy kiosk mere feet away from scene, where the boy had likely gotten the lollipop.

Moving silently, he skirted around the boy, grabbing an identical lollipop as he simultaneously slapped a five dollar bill on the counter. The young lady behind the counter was about to speak, put Bastien pressed an index finger to his own lips as if to tell her to be quiet for the moment. He then tucked the lollipop into his coat pocket, and whirled back around on the ball of his foot, kneeling down to the boy.

“Well hello there, little fellow! It seems as though a tragedy has occurred, no?” he said, and boy looked to him with tear-filled eyes.

“My mommy bought this just for me and I was gonna eat it.. but then..” he sniffled, letting out a sob as Bastien shook his head.

“Fear not, young lad, for I have a remedy to your situation.” he said cheerfully. He then scooped up the lollipop shards in a gloved hand, placing them to his lips. The boy looked to him curiously, too distracted to keep sobbing.

“Mister, what are you doing?” he asked curiously.

Bastien then pressed the shards firmly in his hands, as if molding them to a shape. “Dear boy, coudl you hand me that stick?” he asked, motioning to the lollipop stick. The boy nodded, handing it to him.

“Ah, there we are.” he said with a smile, and he suddenly snapped his fingers, and the shards and stick disappeared altogether. The boy marveled.

“Whoa… where did it go?!” the youngster demanded to go.

“Ohoho, that’s a good question… oh? Good sir, the tag of your shirt is sticking out.” Bastien said, reaching around and giving his shirt a gentle tug. He then pulled his hand back in front of the boy, holding the fresh lollipop. “Oh dear, what have we here?” he said with a grin.

“Whoa.. you… you put it back together?! How did you do that?” the little boy stared, mouth agape.

“Just a little bit of magic, little one.” he said, handing the lollipop to the boy.

“Wow, thank you, Mister!” he said in shock, grinning from ear to ear as he looked to his new confection.

“Think nothing of it.” Bastien insisted, standing to his feet before walking away. As he passed by the candy kiosk, he looked to the young lady and winked, whispering, “Keep the change.”

He then went on his merry way, a skip in his step as the boy rushed to tell her mother of the magic man.