Ten - Dinah the barn owl

I thought about him as I gave the peony in my room fresh water, setting it back on my windowsill and watching the sun set in the distance.

I remember thinking of his eyes tracing the treetops in the forest, his lips rested in a faint smile.

I wished I loved some thing just as much as Eric loved the world.

Over the next few weeks, Eric came to tutor Nova every weekday, sometimes staying at home for her lessons and sometimes going into the forest.

I would tag along with them some days, sitting with Eric while Nova collected samples of plants and insects in the woods.

Eric brought her a notebook one morning, telling her she can make her drawings in there from now on. I watched her carefully pen the words "Nova's Nature Journal" on the front of it that night.