Duck Lake We can be like Jack and Sally if you want

She didn't expect him to continue with his good cheer, unabated. Maybe condescend to her (because so often people did, and too commonly she was oblivious to it), maybe even yell at her for her lack of follow-through; instead he seemed pleased, and bolstered her thin confidence with some words of encouragement — followed promptly by an introduction. She shook some of the water from her coat (really showing her age in that moment) but was all smiles after.

My name is Ibis! People call me -- uh, Ibis. Sometimes Cerulean? My mom gave me two names. It wasn't a surname exactly, which would be confusing to explain. Before the boy could fully process that she hastily says, I live in the marsh north of here. But its getting pretty cold, so it... it might be a good idea to think about moving. As this idea dawned on her she peered north as if to contemplate her soggy home, briefly distracted.

When she turned back to him she was fully present again, focused on the wolf rather than the water and her failing to fish. Do you live here at the lake?