As Toby strode so confidently out the sliding glass door his mother chuckled. The pot roast that night would be short one vegetable, but it was absolutely worth it. She’d watched the entire knighting ceremony as it took place in the family room, his little friend Suzy playing the part of the queen. Or maybe she was a princess.

The afternoon sun assailed the glass door, glinting on the sun catchers taped up after being brought home from school. But the light wavered, seemed to change direction, then settled back to where it had been before. Suzy was bowing her head reverently.

“Suzy, aren’t you going to play outside with Toby?”

“No. He must do this…alone.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can still catch him if you go now. He’s just outside…” But looking up from a half-peeled potato, she saw no sign of Toby in the small backyard.

“It is his destiny,” Suzy intoned solemnly, slowly pulling off her cape.

“Suzy, where did Toby go?” The little girl shrugged. “Suzy, where did he go?”

“Away,” was all she said.