Rhiannon knelt on the floor next to her cousin, Lily. She took the top off the square cardboard box and turned it over so the pieces came tumbling out. Immediately, the girls began turning them over and fitting them together. A puzzle. It was their favorite thing to do on afternoon s like this; cold, windy autumn days spent at their grandparents’ house while their parents were away tending to their various adult tasks . Soon enough, grandma would come in with a plate of cookies, and grandpa with a book, and there they would sit together. The girls were best friends, Rhiannon with her long, smooth brown hair and placid blue eyes, Lily with her fair skin and curls and rosebud lips. Over the years, they would come to acquire numerous puzzles and games, all of which they mastered and played so often pieces were lost and the edges of the cardboard containers became worn.

Lily and Rhi would play together for hours, until their parents arrived and stayed to chat with grandma and grandpa for a few minutes, sometimes not bothering to take off their coats or put their keys or handbags down. The two cousins would wave goodbye to each other, until next time.