They got off the Oimachi train at Jiyugaoka Station and Mother took Totto-chan by the hand to lead her through the ticket gate. She had hardly ever been on a train before and was reluctant to give up the precious ticket she was clutching.

'May I keep it?' Totto-chan asked the ticket collector.

'No, you can't,' he replied, taking it from her.

She pointed to his box filled with tickets. 'Are those all yours?'

'No, they belong to the railroad station,' he replied, as he snatched away the tickets from people going out.

'Oh!' Totto-chan gazed longingly into the box and went on, 'When I grow up, I'm going to sell railroad tickets!'

The tickets collector glanced at her for the first time. 'My little boy wants a job in the station too, so you can work together.'

Totto-chan stepped to one side and took a good look at the ticket collector. He was plump and wore glasses and seemed rather kind. 'Hmmm.' She put her hands on her hips and carefully considered the idea. 'I wouldn't mind at all working with your son,' she said. 'I'll think it over. But I'm rather busy just now as I'm on my way to a new school.'

She ran to where Mother waited, shouting, 'I'm going to be a ticket seller!' Mother wasn't surprised, but she said, 'I thought you were going to be a spy.'

As Totto-chan began walking along holding Mother's hand, she remembered that until the day before she had been quite sure she wanted to be a spy.

But what fun it would be to be in charge of a box full of tickets!

'That's it!' A splendid idea occured to her. She looked up at Mother and informed her of it at the top of her voice, 'Couldn't I be a ticket seller who's really a spy!'

Mother didn't reply. She looked at Totto-chan skipping along the road chattering to herself. Totto-chan didn't know Mother was worried, so when their eyes met, she said gaily, 'I've changed my mind. I think I'll join one of those little bands of street musicians who go about advertising new stores!'

There was a touch of despair in Mother's voice as she said, 'Come on, we'll be late. We mustn't keep the Headmaster waiting. No more chatter. Look where you're going to walk properly.'

Ahead of them, in the distance, the gate of a small school was gradually coming into view.

-Adapted from Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi