Aurora:
The little girl tilted her head, studying me with a grin that didn't quite match her age, "Stop shouting like that," she said softly, "It might wake the forest."
Before I could respond, she moved closer, confidently, and to my shock, she started wrapping a coarse rope around my wrists.
"Hey… what are you doing?" I tried to pull back, but the way she tied the knots was practiced. Goddess. She was an expert.
"I don't want you to scratch me when I let you down," She said cheerfully, bobbing her head a little as she spoke.
She was cute, I would give her that. A few tiny braids framed her round chubby face, and they kept slipping forward, brushing across her cheeks.
Every now and then, she'd puff out air to blow them aside or tuck them neatly behind her ear, only for them to fall forward.
If we had met in some other situation, I was sure I would have liked her more.
