Above our path in the park, from a tree beside it, hung a branch, and on it were many autumnal leaves. I chose one of them.

‘That leaf.’

I stood on tiptoes, arm outstretched to the sky, but the leaf was too far and the branch too high to reach.

My friend looked at me, then at the leaf.

‘That leaf?’

I fell on my heels and looked at her.

‘Yep,’ I said, ‘that leaf.’

She looked at the tall tree beside us, then quickly at the park around us. It was empty – she loved it when it was just us, nobody else.

‘Here,’ she said. She crouched down, interlocking her fingers into a cup for my foot.

I checked the bottom of my shoe. There were some specks of mud, but it was clean.

I placed my foot into my friend’s hands.

‘Okay,’ I said.

I jumped, she stood and propelled me upwards. I stretched and reached the leaf above.

I tapped the leaf with my finger, then tumbled off my friend’s hand onto the rocky footpath below. She tripped up, falling next to me on the ground.

We took a moment to look up at the leaf. After some silence, we stood up. Gazing above us, we continued our walk through the park.

9.X.2024