Splish. Plop.

Splish. Plop.

“What are you doing there, little boy?”

He turned to see a lady with a white parasol looking at him. He lifted the rock that was in his hand and waved it, “Skipping stones!”

Then, he turned back around and threw it into the water. Just like his previous attempts, the stone bounced once before sinking into the river.

“Could I join you?” The lady walked up beside him.

“Sure, here!” The boy offered out his muddy hand, a small pebble within it. Despite the obvious dirtiness of the rock, the lady only took the pebble with a smile. Then, in a fluid motion, she threw it out into the water.

Splish. Splish. Splish. Plop.

“That was amazing!” He cast an envious gaze at her. “I want more skips too…”

The lady giggled at this. She bent down to pick up another stone, uncaring of the mud and dirt that would cling to her dress. 

“Would you like me to teach you?” He nodded enthusiastically at her words. “What’s your name, boy?”

“Gilbert.”

“Then, I’ll call you ‘Gil’. ‘Gilbert’ is a little too long for my taste.”

The boy nodded, “Okay! Can you teach me now, miss?” 

She smiled at him, “That sounds too formal. Call me ‘big sister’ instead. Big sister ████████.”