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“Goodnight.”

She heads down the other path, and I turn back to the pond before I can do something even more humiliating like watch her walk away.

But because I’m me and of course embarrassing is my baseline, I make it three steps and look over my shoulder briefly.

Flora is already disappearing around the curve.

“Jesus, Merryweather,” I whisper to myself. “Try to be a little more dignified.”

CHAPTER 10

THE THIRD FAIRY

Primavera1959

I completed my first assignment

The Third Fairy

That is wonderful to hear

Primavera1959

I took this seriously

The Third Fairy

I can tell

Primavera1959

I also took notes

It was colder than I expected

Everything looks different at night

I could smell wet leaves pretty much the entire time, which is not something I’d ever considered before

Light reflects off more things than I ever realized

People are very loud when you actually pay attention to them

I am not coordinated enough for poorly lit outdoor activities

The Third Fairy

This is a very comprehensive list, and it seems to me it’s mostly a compilation of things that happened, yes?

Primavera1959

Yes, that is traditionally how noticing works.

The Third Fairy

But these are also things you saw. Did you notice anything about yourself besides the fact that potentially you are uncoordinated?

Go back to your list. Which thing do you remember most clearly?