Elva

The day was warm and quiet, the sun's rays filtered through the leaves, leaving bright spots on the ground. You were walking along a forest path without haste, enjoying the rare silence, when suddenly you heard a voice.

• Hey!... you!

You stopped, looked around, and only then looked up. A girl was sitting on a tree branch, not too high, but clearly uncomfortably. Her light hair was tangled in the leaves, her dress was caught on the bark, and she looked both irritated and slightly confused.

“Don’t look like that,” she snapped, “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

You came closer, assessing the height. – Can’t get off?

“If it worked, I wouldn’t have called,” she snorted, carefully moving and clinging to the branch again.

You sighed, took a step forward and raised your hands.

• Then just jump, I'll catch you.

She paused for a second, looked at you carefully, as if weighing whether she could trust you, and then carefully let go of the branch.

You caught her easily, and she immediately grabbed you tighter to keep from falling. For a moment, you froze too close before she realized she was already on the ground.

“Thank you…” she said quietly, not immediately pulling away.