All of a sudden, yet slowly and deliberately, she turned her head toward Toby, and for the first time their eyes met with a clear purpose. Toby took almost a half step backward, as if he risked being knocked over by the shock. The foliage that made up the bristling canopy of the grove of trees behind her bent and lifted up again, but it left Toby with the impression that the entire axis of the world was shifting in front of him.
“Hi.”
That simplest of words sliced through the space between the two like a sword. The girl swept her hair from her face, revealing a shadow that could have been a smile, and she waited.
“Hi,” replied Toby, ashamed by the comic effect his voice made, choking as it left his throat. He coughed, embarrassed.
The girl was not distracted. The wind persisted in play
