Otter Creek Quiet and free

The girl did not know where she was.

She did not know who she was.

The day was bright and cold, the river loud, but she felt somewhere cold and far away. She only stood staring into the distance. Even as a boy drew nearer, following the river she stood beside, she was unresponsive for several long moments.

Then, with a little jerk as if waking from a deep sleep, she blinked and turned to stare directly at him. She said nothing.