I stepped into a river today, though it was no ordinary river; the asphalt didn't seem to move at all. But to the boy who held the tree branch (his wizard's staff, his commander's symbol of authority) and gestured to the other smaller ones, this river was the most difficult of impasses. How easily my feet glided through, how easily I reached the other side, smiling not with the thought, 'how cute!', but with the thought, 'Ah yes, I know this place well.'