Re: The woods
Stella let go of the puppy's leg without protest, and she patted its rump, as if she was consoling it. "It'll be fine. Just try not to squirmy," she instructed it, before giving Luke a bright and tiny smile. "Did you get lots of Christmas presidents?" she asked, not noticing his faltering smile at all. She was too busy enjoying her moment as the center of a new person's attention, and she swished her bright skirts this way and that way when he said the dress was very pretty. "Sparrow had a bow, but Rhett sucked on the end and it came loose," she explained solemnly, her little bow lips frowning at the perceived inappropriateness of Sparrow going outside without her bow.
When he asked about her mom, her lower lip trembled again, and she shrugged her skinny little shoulders and pointed in the direction just as the man spoke, hesitating until he gave a direction and then pointing in that direction herself. She was too small to understand there was anything strange in what the man was saying, and she was much, much more interested in the fact that her new friend was talking to empty air a second later. But she just blinked her big grey eyes and waited while Luke spoke, shushing Sparrow so she wouldn't interrupt by barking. "Shhh. He's talking."
For Wren's part, she wanted to go, she did. But she wanted to stay just as badly. She took a step back from the little girl, but she wasn't going to stop Luke from taking her back where she belonged. "Just to her front yard, Luke. Don't talk to anyone. Don't ask questions. Okay?" She let go of his hand, and she watched the distance between them like it was a tangibly growing thing. "Talking to- The last time, talking didn't help, and- Nothing here matters, okay?" She hadn't heard what Stella had said about her father, but she didn't need to. Whoever it was, and however it had happened, that didn't matter. "Please, just don't?" she whispered, even as the little girl tugged. She wanted to run, but she knew nothing would come of that, and she just stood there, biting her lip, arms hugged tight around her midriff again, prepared to watch them go off hand-in-hand, leaving her behind.
"Okay," Stella replied, tug, tug, tug. "Were you talking to an invisible friend? I have two, but maman says I shouldn't tell neebody. One is Tiff'ny. She's the one that throws her food away when maman isn't looking. Charlie is nicer. He likes having tea with me. I tried to make Rhett have tea, but he's too small. He tries to eat the cusps."
The corner was, really, very close, and the house came into view quickly. She pointed. "Tha's it!" she said, a tiny skip in her step. "The top princess tower window is mine, but goblins can get in there sometimes if I is not careful," she explained happily, thrilled to have someone new to chatter at.
Across the street, some curtains opened, then closed again, and the same thing happened on the other side, but no one came out to ask who this strange man was walking hand-in-hand with a neighborhood child.