The snow is coming. Likely not today, but soon. The ground is crisp, and the sun is hiding again. It has been busy; the birds are preparing. The sun was nice, but it is time; we have not had rain in weeks, and we worry about what that means for us in the coming seasons. I checked in with my neighbors up the lake via the birds and they say the lake is frozen almost completely now. That is good for now, but we need the snow.
There was a girl today. I have seen her before, she usually runs by with her music playing or walks with another person. Today she stopped beside me. Almost on top of me! I wanted her to move off my roots, but I find people will do whatever they want and waited patiently for her to take a photo and move away. She did not though. She stepped away from me and continued to stand near me. I watched her watch me, my neighbors, and the birds. I was surprised she did not leave. I was grateful she had removed the weight from my roots and as my relief sank in, I realized, this was the girl my ancestors had told me about. She is one of the children who used to play here. She was the one who would come with the boy of the same age and the older couple. They were always laughing and carrying snacks. The boy often had a stick he was pretending was a sword or a gun. I remember this part because my ancestors told me the fallen branches never minded, they loved to be carried around by the boy and become part of his imaginary life for a moment or two before being cast back into the bushes.
The girl loved to crawl into the spaces under the bushes and see what was hiding from their eyes at their height. They remember her when they were small themselves and she would peer at them poking their heads out of the soil and take pictures of them with an unsteady, old, camera. I have seen this girl dozens of times but have never realized she is one of the children who played here. I tell my neighbors, and they gaze at her as she continues to stand near us. She has not stopped so long since she was a girl, we decide. We wonder what has made her stop today and we hope she will stay longer and see us. We have heard the rumours of new building in the area, and we know what that means for us.
We continue to watch her and before we are ready, she turns to us once more time and says, “thank you for letting me stand here with you for a few moments” before she slowing moves off.