eagerness swelling with every step. He let me lead now, following noiselessly.
I reached the edge of the pool of light and stepped through the fringe of ferns into the loveliest place I had ever seen. The meadow was small, perfectly round, and filled with wildflowers—violet, yellow, gray, soft, white. Somewhere nearby I could hear the bubbling of a water-stream, and the sun overhead filled the circle with a haze of buttery sunshine. I walked slowly, sun-struck through the soft grass, swaying flowers, and warm, gilded air. I halfway turned, wanting to share this moment with him, but he wasn't behind me where I thought he would be. I spun around, searching for him and making alarmed noises. Finally I spotted him, still under the dense shade of the canopy at the edge of the hollow, watching me with cautious eyes. Only then did I remember what the beauty of the meadow had driven from my mind—the enigma of Fredward and the sun, which he'd promised to illustrate for me today.
I took a step back toward him, my eyes alight with curiosity. His eyes were wary, reluctant. We both had eyes, and that was something we shared. I put forth the tremendous amount of energy it took to smile encouragingly, and beckoned him with my finger, taking another step back to him. Here, Fredward, Fredward... He held a hand up in warning, and I hesitated, rocking back onto my heels.
Fredward seemed to take a deep breath, inhaling and then exhaling one after the other, and then he stepped out into the bright glow of the midday sun, uncharacteristic to this part of the world...!

260

Chapter 12

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