Claire took quiet pride in her work at Willow’s Market—a small neighborhood store where she stocked shelves, straightened jam jars, and left kind notes for customers. One afternoon, she caught a young girl stealing a sandwich and followed her, expecting a confrontation. Instead,

she found the girl alone in an alley, placing a candle in the sandwich and softly singing “Happy Birthday” to herself. Claire realized the theft wasn’t out of greed—it was a lonely attempt at celebration. She brought the girl back,