Jamie was minding her own business taking a sunset stroll along the sea when she happened to glance upward. Not too far above her head fluttered a beautiful red leaf. She stared at it for a long moment. Odd, there were no trees anywhere near. What’s more, this kind of leaf didn’t belong to any of the trees in these parts. Odd, too, it failed to fall; it just hung there, wiggling, dancing, jerking a bit. “Catch me,” the leaf’s dance seemed to say. “Go on, I dare you, catch me.”

Jamie was up for this challenge. She crouched low, then leapt high, arm outstretched, fingers reaching...

The leaf at the last instant eluded her, whisking itself just enough upward to avoid Jamie’s grasp.

Feet back on the soft sand, Jamie scowled.

“Don’t got it in yuh?” the leaf taunted. “Go on, give her another go.”

Jamie pretended not to be interested. She took a deep breath, staring down at the sand, then, suddenly, leapt upward again, higher than before, her body straining skyward.