"Don't," she said. "Don't ever forget."
Sun drenched me, and I was rocked back into time.
"Hey, you pushed me!" I shouted at her.
"Yes," said a faint voice, and then, "I'm sorry," the little golden-haired girl said.
I sat up. Mother was going to be mad at me again, I knew. I wiped the seat of my pants with my hand, and then stared at the muddy hand with interest.
"Look," I said to her, and showed her my hand. When she stepped forward to look closely at it, I pushed it at her, and smeared mud onto her face. Then I laughed....
My laughter faded, blending with hers ... and then ... and then we were no longer standing separately in the sun.
It was a dark night, the air fresh and cool to my skin, and the leaves of the trees which stretched over us rustled with a faint wind.