Niko always tried to be the first to reach the stream. He counted the bends in the path, jumped over roots, and called back to his older sister whenever she stopped to look at something he had already passed.
That morning, she suggested a different game. They would walk without speaking until they reached the water. Whoever noticed the most sounds could choose where they would sit for lunch.
At first, Niko heard only his own footsteps. Then he heard leaves rubbing together high above him. A drop of water fell from a fern. Somewhere beyond the path, something small moved through the dry litter and went still again.
He began to walk more slowly. The forest had not become louder; he had simply left enough silence to hear it. When the sound of the stream reached him, it seemed to arrive from several directions at once.
His sister was waiting beside a smooth stone. Niko could no longer remember how many sounds he had counted. He told her that she could choose their place for lunch, as long as they stayed a little longer.
On the way home, he still jumped over the largest root. But at the next bend he stopped, looked up, and waited for his sister to catch up.