Ever blinked. Gaia’s face had reverted back to her that of a kind old lady, though her eyes still cradled an iridescent sparkle.

  “Help an old woman cross the road, won’t you child?” G asked. Her crocheted cardigan flapped in the warm evening breeze. The scent of sandalwood and patchouli curled come hither fingers under his nose.

  He had to hunch over slightly to allow Gaia to place her arm in the crook of his elbow. The pedestrian crossing light wasn’t behaving right; its frantic chirping was muted and it seemed to stay green for much longer than usual. Not only that, the ignition of each car they passed inexplicably spluttered off one by one. Drivers’ moved like shadows behind windshields, fruitlessly trying to start their cars. The moment that Ever and Gaia got to the other side of the road, everything returned to normal, though one thing remained: tufts of grass grew out of the cracks in the road where G had stepped, lush and verdant.

  “Where would you like to go?” Ever asked.

  “Wherever you would like to go,” she said. Her smile always seemed to say something else and while Ever didn’t know what, he was happy to see it.

  Without saying another word, he ever so gently guided her towards the park in which he arrived. A man yakked loudly on the phone, trying to close a sale after hours, unbeknownst that he stood mere feet away from Mother Nature and Death’s apprentice.

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  “Humans and their money.” Gaia’s smile disappeared, replaced by a lip curled in disgust. She shot a look at the man; the air crackled.

  “Hello?” He tapped the screen frantically. “Damn it!” He stormed out of the park, swearing.

  “Where were we?” She said, gently.

  “Well,” Ever said. “We were here.” He took a step back and did a twirl with his hands out, feeling silly straight away.

  G raised a wrinkled hand to her mouth. Her laugh tinkled like wind chimes. “Don’t be embarrassed,” she said, noticing his red face that had been exposed by the lamp posts flickering on in the twilight. “Here, I’ll do the same thing.”

  She took a step back, closed her eyes and spun. Everything grew. She added nearly two feet to her height, her thighs muscular and calves tight. Her hair released itself from its practical bun and became long, green and luscious. Numerous, luminous flowers spun and gently floated to the ground.

  Ever realized he had been holding his breath and released it. “I’m glad to see you.”

  “Mmm,” she said, her voice slightly sultry but mostly mischievous. “I know. Come, let us sit.” She took his hand and guided him towards his spot on the grass. She crossed her legs and smoothed her gauzey dress over her knees. She scooped the mango sorbet out, put the little spoon upside down then put it in her mouth. She held the cup out in front on the palm of her hand.

  “Let’s enjoy this first, then talk.”