Halted Steps, a Shadow Turned Back

A park past noon, sunlight coming down long through the branches. The sound of dry ginkgo leaves rustling and rolling in the wind. He had walked a few steps ahead, then stopped. Feeling the footsteps behind him break off, he turned slowly to look. The one behind had lifted their head to look at the sky. The distance between them had opened. Neither spoke first. The shadow of the one who turned stretched out long, overlapping the shadow of the one who had stopped, almost touching, almost not. The wind came again and a ginkgo leaf crossed the space between them. He had been just about to hold out his hand for the leash.