::
He shouted. And she ran along the path, the path that appeared between the old garden walls. Laughing, she hid behind the overgrown oak trees. He ran, spinning, searching, eyes scanning the darkening grounds and deepening sky. The sunset had long since stained the sky with its multicoloured inks, and night was smearing and fading them, stealing the colours and replacing them with dark. He pushed back the tangled ivy that blocked his view of the roses. She was not there. He scanned the brick walls that lay beyond, looking for a shadow that might be crouched there. Seeing nothing but an old rusted pump, he moved forward. Leaves crunched, but not underneath his feet. He smiled.
She smiled, trying not to laugh, trying not to breathe, gripping strong oak leaves and peering beyond them. She had to squint against the dusk, but she could see him just beyond her reach. She dared not move again, but within a silent instant he moved around the tree and found her waist with his hands, encircling her within him. ::
poetic ^