Clover opened her eyes. There was a passing breeze that blew warm air towards her and played with the hair on her head. Her hand was wet. It was in a brook. She yanked it out of the water as though she was in pain.

“I didn’t mean for you to take it out you know Miss, you can still put it back in if you want. I would not mind. I was not complaining.”

The voice speaking sounded young, smooth and very giggly.

Clover spun around quickly and faced the speaker.

It looked like a small young boy. Sandy blond hair, bright sparkling deep blue eyes. He wore something that looked like an old white torn up nightgown.

He was older than he looked.

He was also not human.

“You… what…I… what…no...how...what?”

“Miss, that wasn’t a very coherent sentence,” it giggled again. It's eyes flashed white, like lighting striking somewhere in the distance. Then it's eyes turned grey blue. It looked down at himself. “Do you not like my form?” it patted itself down. “I could turn into a horse if you want? Everybody likes the horse one. They used to tell tales of us dragging little children into rivers. We don’t make anybody climb on our backs you know.”

“What? No, I… I’m sorry I did not mean to trespass. I can leave now. But what was that… why am I still here?”

“Still here where? You never left silly!” It skipped away from her and jumped into the brook and started splashing around a bit.

“You know, what I am, you’re not stupid. I can see recognition in your eyes. You know us, you belong to another though. Don’t you Miss?”

“Another?” Clover asked uncertainly. 

“River,” its eyes sharpened and in a flash he was upstream and directly in front of her. Water splashed onto her boots. It’s eyes were now a muddy blue. She did not flinch or turn away. She looked straight at it.

“I feel it in you, you’ve drunk of its waters, you belong to something else. Why have you come here?”

“Okay, first off, no. I don’t belong to it, you can’t belong to a thing, especially not a river,” she spat out. “Secondly, I’m here to find a missing child." She glanced down at her wrist. The wristband was still around it. "I did put my hand into the brook, but then I went away and now I’m back here again.”

“Haha, you never did remove your hand from the river. From my river,” it giggled again. It skipped away from her splashing more water around it.

“Missing child, missing child. I know the child you speak of,” it said in a sing-song voice.

“You…” it could be lying. “Do you really?” She asked. Not that I have another clue. Clover thought to herself.Did I leave and come back? Did I never leave at all? 

“I do, I do!” It chirped gleefully cutting into her thoughts. “But you have to tell me what you saw.”

“What I saw?”

“What you saw when you put your hand into the water! It’s been a long time, such a long time since someone has spoken to me. We used to be a bigger river you know. We used to be part of another river, oh so long ago. So very long ago.”

“Another river?” Clover asked. 

“Yes, surely you know Miss, surely! You are one of them after all. The naughty people who think they can drink without paying. Take without asking. Oh! But you look like you don’t know. Has no one told you? Have you never sought out and asked the important questions?”

“No… I never wanted to know and what I did know I wanted to forget.”

“Silly child, you are lying. I do not like liars.”

“No I’m not... lying. I did want to forget,” she glanced downwards. "But forgetting everything was hard and now..."  

“Oh… but you do not want to forget now? You care to know now?”

She stayed quiet.

“I can teach you,” it giggled again. “I’ll tell you a little something for free. Your company is payment enough for this, but if you want to know about the boy, then you will tell me what you saw.”

“Why?”

“Have you forgotten your duty? Your duty to that river of yours or even to your people? Of course you don't remember, maybe you haven't even learnt. Oh Miss.” It sighed. “I suppose I will begin from the top. Count yourself lucky child that I am bored and your company pleases me.”

Clover nodded. “Thank you.”

It giggled again. “Thanking me! You are thanking me. That’s new. I like that. Very well, let us begin. We began as one. But then many of us were broken off from the Grand River. The River of Time.”