The airport was bustling with the usual fervor of passengers rushing to their gates, parents corralling their children, and announcements crackling over the intercom. The atmosphere was a symphony of rolling suitcases, murmured conversations, and the occasional laughter. Gate 32 was no exception, as travelers lined up, boarding passes in hand, ready to embark on their respective journeys.
Among the travelers was a young mother, Sarah, with her energetic six-year-old son, Max. With his sandy blond hair and wide blue eyes, Max exuded a boundless curiosity about the world around him. As Sarah looked through her bag for their boarding passes, Max’s attention flitted from one thing to another, like a butterfly in a meadow.
It happened in the blink of an eye. One moment, Max was standing at his mother’s side. The next, he was darting past the line, weaving through legs and luggage with the agility only a child possesses. Before anyone could react, he had wrapped himself around the leg of a stranger—a tall, bespectacled man in a navy blue suit, who was standing a few places ahead in line.
