The sky was dark and the sun was setting.� Evening had arrived.� Anna (Tsukishima Shizuku) skipped happily down the street, swinging the bag of carton milk she had purchased at the grocery store.� She thought of the new book she had just took out from the library, and hoped she could finish it before she started to study for her exams, which was in a couple of weeks.� She felt the evening wind and shivered in her shorts and T-shirt.� The night air was a lot cooler than the summer breeze in the afternoon.
  � She opened the front door of her house and stepped inside.� She walked into the kitchen and placed the carton of milk into the refrigerator.
     "You're back, huh?" her mother said.� She was studying for her adult school courses for financial planning.
     "Yeah, I got the milk.� The bread was all sold out, though," Anna said.� She sat down next to her mother.
     "That's okay.� We still have some leftovers from dinner.� We could have those for breakfast tomorrow," her mother said.
     Anna's father walked into the room and sat across his wife.
     "Did you guys know the library is replacing the old book cards with a new computer system?" he asked.� Anna's father was the head librarian at the local library.
     "Aw!� I liked the book cards better!" Anna said, pouring herself a glass of milk.� "You get to see the names of people who read the same books as you."
     "Well, that's all changed now," her father said, "a computer is much more efficient."
     Her father and mother began to talk about the advantages of the new computer system.� Anna finished her milk and went upstairs to her room.� She opened the hard-covered book she had just took out at the library.� She flipped to the back cover and took out the book card.
     "Gee, I'm the second person who took this book out," Anne exclaimed, "it's so new!"
     She looked at the name on top of hers.
     "‘Don Lee' (Amasawa Seiji), that name is so familiar," she said to herself.� She looked for her other library books on her desk and took out all of their book cards.
     "‘Don Lee', ‘Don Lee', ‘Don Lee'...wow, this guy read all these books before me!" she said with surprise, "I wonder what he looks like."
     She opened her new book and began to read.
�

     Anna's mother banged on Anna's bedroom door.
     "Wake up, Anna!" she said loudly.
     Anna stirred in her bed and covered her head with the pillow.� She grabbed her alarm clock and peeked at it.
     "I'm going to school now," her mother called from downstairs, "you're alone in the house.� Oh, and don't leave the water boiling again!"
     Anna groaned and forced herself to wake up.� She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth.� She changed her clothes, ate breakfast, and grabbed her library books on the way out.
     "I'd better return these to Ms. Chung today," she said to herself, "the library would soon be closed during the exams."
     She went out of the house and walked her way to school.
�

     Anna knocked on her teacher's door.
     "Ms. Chung?" she called.
     The door opened and Ms. Chung, a middle-aged woman dressed in a button-down shirt and a long skirt stepped out.
     "Why, hello, Anna," she said brightly.
     "Hi, Ms. Chung," Anna said in a cheerful voice, "are you busy right now?"
     "Not really," Ms. Chung replied, "how may I help you?"
     "I want to return these books to the library," Anna smiled, "and take out a new one."
     "But you just took those out a few days ago!" Ms. Chung exclaimed, "You finished them already?"
     "Yup," Anna said, "Please open the library door for me?"
     "All right, just for you, Anna," Ms. Chung finally said.
     They chatted on their way to the school library.� Ms. Chung opened the door with her key and Anna ran into the empty room.� She went to the third shelf and took out a hard-covered book.� She handed it to Ms. Chung.
     "After all these years, Anna," Ms. Chung said as she wrote Anna's name on the book card,     "you're still reading these fictional stories."
     "I find them very interesting," Anna explained, "it's as if I've entered into a new world of fantasy and imagination.� Everything is so perfect."� She smiled dreamily.
     "Well, you're old enough to read some non-fictional books," Ms. Chung said, "you learn more from facts, not from fantasy."
     "I will, Ms. Chung," Anna giggled, "I'll..."
     A shout interrupted Anna.
     "Anna, where in the world were you?" the voice called behind her.
     Anna turned around and saw her friend, Beth (Yuuko), a girl in a summer dress with dark-browned pig tails, stormed into the library.
     Anna suddenly remembered her meeting with her friend.
     "I'm so sorry, Beth," she begged.
     "I've waited ten minutes out there in the sun," Beth cried.
     "Okay, I'm ready," Anna immediately said, "Thanks, Ms. Chung."� She pushed Beth out of the library and they took a walk in the park.� They sat at a bench facing the tennis court.
     "Oh, Beth, I've finished the translation for Country Road," Anna said. "But I'm not sure if it's good or not, you see...," she added quietly.
     "Just give it to me," Beth said and grabbed the piece of paper from Anna.� She began to read the lyrics and hummed the melody out.� Anna waited eagerly for her friend's response.
     After a while, Beth broke the silence.
     "I love it," Beth said finally, "the words are absolutely beautiful!"
     "Are you sure?" Anna asked in a worried voice, "I know it's not as good as the original one."
     "No, it's just as good," Beth said, "You should be a writer, Anna.� You're so talented."
 Beth continued to encourage Anna.� They began to talk about who the singer of the new song should be.� After a few moments, Beth asked Anna a question.
     "Anna," Beth began quietly, "have...have you ever liked anybody?� You know, as in true love?"
 Anna jerked her head up and looked at Beth in surprise.
    � "No, I haven't," Anna said slowly, "why are you asking me this?"
     "It's just that...," Beth said in a frustrated voice, "it's hard to know whether the person you love have the same interest in you."
     "Beth," Anna said with a smile, "are you in love with someone?"
     Beth nodded.� "Yes," she answered.� Then she quickly changed her mind and said, "I mean no...I'm not sure if he..."
     A tennis ball dropped on Anna's foot.
     "Ouch!" Anna cried out.
     "Sorry!" a voice called out from the tennis court.� It was Johnny (Sugimura), a boy in the same class as Anna and Beth.� Beth's face turned bright red and she quickly walked away.
     "Can you throw the ball back, please?" Johnny asked loudly from the tennis court.
     Anna groaned.� "Oh, all right," she said.� She threw the ball into the court and turned at Beth, who was not in sight.
     "Beth, where...," Anna said, turning her head in every direction.
     "Thanks, Anna," Johnny called, "I owe you one!"
     Anna finally spotted Beth behind the trees and ran after her.
     "Where were you, Beth?" Anna cried.
     "I...and him...and," Beth was tied-tongue and her face was still filled with redness.� She looked longingly at the tennis court.
     Anna turned to the direction Beth was facing and suddenly realized the truth.
     "You can't possibly like that Johnny...can you?" Anna asked, choosing her words carefully.
     Beth looked embarrassed and gave a small nod.
     "Oh," Anna said with surprise, "Well, he's a good friend.� We've known each other for so long anyways."
     "That's true," Beth said, feeling encouraged.
     "Have you told him, yet?" Anna asked.
     "No," Beth replied, "I'm afraid of what he'll think of me."
     "But, then, he'll never know," Anna explained.
     "I know," Beth exclaimed, "but I'm so scared that I can't even face him now!"
     Anna tried to think of a way to help Beth.� Suddenly, she remembered she had left her book at the park bench.
     "Oh, no!" Anna cried, "I've left my book!� I'll see you later, Beth!"
     "Bye!" Beth waved after her.
     Anna ran back to the bench she had just sat on.� She saw a boy with black hair sitting on the bench with her book.
     "Hey!" Anna called, "That's my book!"
     The boy jerked his head up and looked at her.� Anna thought his face looked familiar, but she could not remember where she had seen him before.� At this moment, she was only concerned about her book.
     "Oh, it's yours?" the boy asked, "Here you go...Anna Yan."� He stood up and handed the book to Anna.
     Anna felt satisfied and took the book from his hands.� She turned and began to walk away.� She stopped for a moment, and turned back around to face the boy.
     "How did you know my name?" Anna asked questionably.
     The boy turned to her.� "How did you think I know?" he said with a smile.
     Anna thought of the book card. He probably saw her name on it.� She shrugged and left the bench.
     "Hey," the boy called after her, "I think ‘mud path' sounds better than ‘hill', don't you think?"
 Anna stopped walking and was startled.� She turned around and shouted, "You read my lyrics?"
     The boy gave her a wink and left.
     Anna was filled with anger.� How dare he read her most private work?
     "Idiot!" she cried after him.
     She stormed home angrily, walking speedily in huge footsteps.
     "Idiot!� Idiot!� Idiot!" she shouted.

     The next morning, Anna was awaken by the sound of the door slam.
     "I'm back!" Anna's older sister, Amy, called out.
     Amy was an university student who lived on campus, so she was seldom home.� She had the same black hair and black eyes as Anna, but the sisters' personalities were very different.� Amy was the responsible sister and Anna was the complete opposite.
     Amy ran upstairs to Anna's room to open the curtains.� Light shone on Anna's face and she covered her head with the pillow.
     "Get up, you lazy bug," Amy said as she shook Anna, "Mom and Dad are already gone."
     "It's only Sunday morning!� There's no school!" Anna mumbled in her sleep.
     "Well, you've got two choices," Amy explained, "Either you wake up now, take Dad's lunch box to the library, or you can continue to sleep, and help me with the chores.� I need help with the laundry, the dishes, oh, and the vacuuming, and..."
     Anna did not wait for her sister to finish.� She quickly climbed out of bed and rushed to the washroom.� She changed her clothes as Amy prepared breakfast and their father's lunch.� A few minutes later, Anna went to the kitchen to eat her breakfast.� Amy was already doing the laundry.
     "How can you work so fast?" Anna asked as she drank her milk.
     "I just have so much to do," Amy replied, "After the chores, I have to help Mom with her research for adult school, then I have my own homework to do."
     "But what are you doing all these work for?" Anna asked again.� She did not understand why everyone was always busy at something, except her.
     "Well, I have a goal, which is to finish university.� I'm not like you.� I mean, all you do everyday is go to school, read, eat, and sleep.� I have to make money to help Mom and Dad," Amy said.� She folded the clothes neatly and carried them out with her.� "Don't you have a goal, Anna?" she asked.
     Anna was silent, for she did not know how to answer her sister.� What did she want to do when she grew up?� That was a tough question.� She finished her breakfast and held her father's lunch box in her hand.
     "I'm going out!" Anna called as she closed the door.� She walked slowly along the street and was still thinking about her sister's question.� She reached the bus stop and saw the bus starting to leave.
     "Wait!" she cried as she ran after the bus.� But she was too late.� The bus had already left.� Anna felt disappointed.� She could not even catch a bus in time!� She decided to walk to the library instead.
     She walked for a long time but her mind was somewhere else.� Finally, she realized she was lost.
     "Where am I?" she wondered.
     She continued to walk along the path and saw unfamiliar houses and shops.
     "What am I going to do?" she said, feeling worried all of a sudden.
     Across the street, she saw an old shop filled with antiques and furniture.� She thought the shop looked very interesting, and crossed the street to get a nearer view of it.� She peeked into the shop window and saw a glass cat in a suit with sparkling eyes.
     "It's beautiful," she sighed.� She continued to admire it for a long time until she heard the opening of the shop door.� She turned to her right side and saw an elderly man with a white beard smiling at her.
     "Hello there, little lady," the old man said.
     "Hi, there, sir," Anna blushed, "I was just admiring your glass cat."
     "Oh, that's a real antique!" the old man laughed, "Why don't you come in, little girl?"
     Anna nodded and followed the old man inside.� The old man switched on the light and Anna saw� many tables, chairs, lamps...and a tall wooden clock.
     "That's a lovely clock, sir," Anna pointed out.
     "That's one of my treasures," the old man said. "It was just sold yesterday," he added quietly.
     "Oh, that's too bad," Anna said.� She quickly asked, "What about the glass cat?"
     "That's not for sale," the old man laughed, "it's my most beloved treasure."
     Anna gave out a sign of relief.� She walked closer to the glass cat and looked into its sparkling eyes.
     "The eyes are beautiful!" she exclaimed.
     "It's made of a special type of rock which glows in the dark," the old man explained, "there's also a love story behind it."
     "Really?� Can you tell it to me?" Anna begged.
     The old man was silent for a while.� He looked at the girl's sweet face and sighed.� He began to tell the story, "It was at the time of war, and there was a loving couple who was engaged to be married.� One day, they went to an antique shop and saw a pair of glass cats, like the one I have there.� The other one was a female.� The couple bought the cats immediately.� The man kept the male one and the woman kept the female one.� Everything was going well until the war raged the city, and everyone was scattered around.� The man cared for the woman's safety, and told her to leave first on the train.� She brought the glass cat with her, and they agreed to meet at a place when the war was over.� Months later, the war was finally over.� The man went to the place he had agreed to meet with his beloved.� He carried the glass cat with him.� He waited for a very long time, but she never came..."
     Anna's cheerful mood slowly faded.� "What a sad story.� How romantic," she said.� Then she realized the truth, "Were you the man, sir?"
     The old man closed his eyes and whispered, "Yes, I was."
     Anna felt she had said something wrong again.
     "I'm sorry," she said quietly.
     The old man led out a sigh.
     "There's no need to be," he said as he patted Anna's shoulder, "it was forty years ago."
     Anna nodded in agreement.
     "What's you name, child?" the old man finally asked, "I'm Grandpa Lee, and this is my shop."
     "My name is Anna," Anna said, "I'm pleased to meet you, and....oh, no, I forgot!" Anna quickly rushed to the door.
     "I'm late for the library!" she told Grandpa Lee.
     "Oh, don't worry.� Just turn to the left.� It's right around the corner," Grandpa Lee laughed.
     "Oh," Anna said, feeling very foolish.� "Thanks for your story!" she cried and ran out of the shop.� She turned left at the corner of the street and saw the library standing across from her.
     "How stupid I am!� It's just right around the corner!" she said angrily to herself.
     She went into the library and spotted her father shelfing the books.� She ran up to him and handed him his lunch box.
     "Thanks, Anna," her father smiled, "why are you so out of breath?"
     "I'll explain later, Dad," Anna said breathlessly.
     She went to the storybook section and took out another book.� She turned around and saw the boy she met at the park reading at a desk.
     "It's him again," she said madly, "I can't believe he actually reads!"
     The boy noticed Anna and gave her a wink again.� Anna stared at him coolly and walked quickly towards the front desk to take out her book.� As she left the library, she opened to the back of her book and took out the book card.
     "They've really started to use the computer system.� They didn't even write my name on the card!" she discovered.� She saw the name ‘Don Lee' on the third line of the book card.
     "It's him again!� The same name that's in my other books!" she exclaimed, "How can he read at such speed?"
     As she took the bus home, she began to daydream about ‘Don Lee'.
     "He's probably tall, handsome, and incredibly smart," she said to herself, "I wonder if I'll ever meet him."