They walked the dry creek bed together in search and find of stones, each gathering in collect for other to give in offering and share as gift—flat, smooth stones with rounded edges to skip in cast and wish on dream over face of the pond above.
Sandstone and limestone, orange-brown and pale white-grey, they searched and gathered, collecting, together for cast and prayer of their many hopes.
From the creek and its wood-lined banks, they returned into open field and the simpler walking of true-straight lines without obstacles of cover and winds of switchback trails.
One by one, they gifted stones, each in make of small pile beside to cast upon the pond.
She was first to throw as tone.
He did not ask her wish.
Next, his turn, he took a gift, curl of finger over thin edge of side and sent it in a fling.
Seven skips in touch the face before falling into under.
“What did you wish?” she asked.
He looked on the water still, where each brief touch and skip of the gift shone spreading circles, outward and still expanding, affecting in ripple over water.
“I prayed that if you were sad, you are less so now; to have someone to search with for rocks and stones, who too casts and prays on dreams.”
Ripples of the prayer’s touch spread outward still on smooth; one touch-effect into circles of next all the way down line of path.
He saw her smile, a gentling in eyes, a calming, like waters of the pond in ripples’ disappear. New prayer-touch, over face and spirit, he saw its ripple sign.