You’ve rested here a bit and you’re turning to head out when she appears, out of nowhere? You don’t see where she came from but she goes to follow you as if you’ve forgotten her. She does look accidentally left behind: healthy, beloved, earnest. She is guileless when she asks if she’s supposed to follow you. You are pretty sure she should not. Someone surely misses this sweet, gorgeous creature. Surely. Why then does she look to you this way? You offer her part of your snack and she gladly accepts. She doesn’t look famished as she eats, but when her eyes meet yours again it’s with the same questions. You tell her she can’t join you for so many reasons, and someone else is looking for her. These are the things you repeat to yourself as you leave her behind. These are the things you repeat to yourself as you break your own heart.