He had known her all of his life, but it had been such a long time since he had last seen her. Over 40 years ago, when he was just a child, they used to play together in the woods that bordered his eighteenth century, lakeside home. Their favorite game was hide and seek of sorts. She was always the hider, and he, the seeker. They would escape the hot, summer sunshine in the shady woodlands, romping among the towering evergreens and mature deciduous trees, over pine needles, thick mossy carpet, and fallen leaves and twigs. The earthy scent of decomposing plant life surrounded them, offering a sense of comfort. She always stayed just ahead of him... it was part of their game, darting in and out of the shadows and moving swiftly behind shrubs and trees. Sometimes, she would give away her position with a cracking pinecone beneath her feet or the rustling of foliage as she passed. He frequently caught a glimpse of black hair or a splash of purple from her hair ribbon as she glided to her hiding place. He never caught her, but that was fine with him.

As he grew into adolescence, she came around less and less, and in his early 20s, he saw her for the last time... until now.

Asleep in bed with his wife curled in front of him, he hit the snooze button on the 5:30 AM alarm. "Fifteen more minutes, babe?" asked his groggy wife hopefully.

"No, only eight," Todd answered as he settled back under the blankets, snuggling closely to Kami to wait for the alarm to sound again in a few short minutes. He wondered to himself the purpose of snooze options. They were senseless. The short time allotted before the alarm went off again was not enough to fall back into a helpful sleep. The only thing the snooze button succeeded in doing was to make you more rushed during your morning routine. But there was one benefit of the snooze button today - Kami gazing.

He enjoyed watching Kami sleep. His arm was wrapped around her, and he felt her heart beating through her thin cotton pajamas. His arm rose and fell gently as she breathed a restful rhythm, in... out... in... out. He gently nuzzled the back of her head and inhaled the scent of her shampoo. It smelled flowery and light, and he loved it.

He glanced forward toward the window and noticed how dark it still was outside. The sun would not be coming up for another 45 minutes or so. Then, the world would awaken with birds fluttering around and chirping their morning songs. Traffic would start moving on the road where they lived. The nightlight shined a golden glow on this side of the room. He could make out the window sill and the dresser, and it cast a warm light onto Kami's pretty face.

He was so toasty and relaxed. He felt himself falling asleep again. He nestled closer to his wife and just let the drowsiness wash over him. In the back of his mind, he heard a child talking. He ignored it, but Kami answered. "What do you need, buddy? Did your mom forget to buy coffee again?"

It must be our 7-year-old nephew sent over to borrow some early morning necessity, Todd thought.

Living right next-door to Kami's sister was great most of the time, but these early morning shopping trips in our house could really be a pain!

Just then, Todd realized their nephew had not answered Kami. He lifted himself on one elbow and turned his head to look behind him at the boy.

Todd squinted and peered around. He did not see his nephew, but a young girl rummaging through the basket full of acorns and pinecones that was displayed atop the old cedar chest.

"It's just Mandy," Todd announced to Kami, who had not yet opened her eyes or turned around to face the child.

That bit of information caused Kami's eyes to spring open and she sat up and turned around in one quick motion, looking around the room exclaiming, " Mandy? Why are you home?" Their daughter, Mandy, had spent the night at her friend's house, but Todd had forgotten.

Todd sat up too, and they both discovered there was no one else in the room but them. The child whom they both heard speaking and whom Todd had seen standing at the cedar chest was no longer in the room. Where did she go? Todd jumped up and checked the doors. They were locked.

Backing up to the bed, Todd collapsed as memories came swirling back to him -- the green floral dress peeking out from the white pinafore; the long, single braid, black as the midnight sky and tied with a violet ribbon; alabaster limbs appearing to shimmer in both the sunlight and the darkness.

Todd smiled pensively to himself and said to Kami in awe, "The girl that was just here... she was my best friend when I was a little kid." He fondly stroked the satin ribbon that had been left for him among the basket of acorns and pinecones.