I remember the moment it happened, the moment I witnessed the single most beautiful and heartbreaking moment of that first goodbye, They were only there for 7 days where we were there for 10 and every single day she had spent tormenting, teasing and vying for attention, she was so sweet, though infuriating at times but I guess she just wanted me to share her world for those few days. I had grown to quite enjoy her innocent ways, whether she just talked to me about her world or just sat there quietly, sometimes just thinking and giggling to herself, no matter what day at some point she would be there, until the moment the time came for her and her family to depart. We were walking back from breakfast when she came running up to me, she looked so sad and oddly nervous, almost shaking with fear as she failed to speak the words she didn't want to say as her lips quivered as she held them closed. As I sensed her fear I knelt down to look into her sorrowed eyes, those deep brown eyes full of sadness as she held out a gift of friendship, a necklace, her necklace, a small silver chain with a dolphin on it, her seal of our bond for eternity, in exchange I gave her my bracelet, a simple beaded bracelet and as I placed it on her wrist, her lips and heart finally erupted. Her tears haunt my thoughts, the sorrow and pain as she hugged me, to her, that poor girls entire world was ending and all I could do was hold her in return as her parents watched on, sharing their little girls pain but with a sweet sense too. Just like me, they had witnessed the first flutter of a young heart bursting with love and I'm proud to have shared that brief moment with her. The sweet smile as she looked at me one last time and finally said goodbye for the first time when it truly meant something more than a passing courteous gesture, but she wasn't alone. This moment bothers me sometimes when I think about it and often wonder how she would be today, it was seven years ago, so she would be 13 or 14 now? and I wonder how beautiful she has grown to be. But while a sad moment, it has served as fantastic fuel too, I wrote a chapter of Islands based entirely upon it, where Paisley opens up to Fae about her father and every story I tell has at least one moment exactly like this buried within. Sometimes I wonder if this moment is part of the reason I started to create far younger characters, to tell of moments just like this, heartbreakingly beautiful moments, pure of nature and heart. Her necklace? I still have it, it sits besides my computer on my writing desk, eternally reminding me of that moment. The words we said? Mine and hers to eternally keep as sacred. In some ways, to me it's bitter sweet, because I will never know how she has grown but equally she will always be forever young.