Once upon a time there was a boy. He lived in a village that no longer exists in a house that no longer exists on the edge of a field that no longer exists where everything was discovered and everything was possible. A stick could be a sword a pebble could be a diamond a tree a castle. Once upon a time there was a boy who lived in a house across the field from a girl who no longer exists. They made up a thousand games. She was queen and he was king. In the autumn light her hair shone like a crown. They collected the world in small handfuls and when the sky grew dark and they parted with leaves in their hair.Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.