The sun had begun to sink below the western edge of the horizon, making a beautiful reflection on the lake. Aislin always loved the sunset here. The sun rose behind her house, on the eastern edge of the lake, and set right in front of her window every night, lighting up the whole valley with a warm golden glow.

     Uncle J flew her back out to the boat this time, his shallow wing-beats brushing the surface of the water. She hopped off his back and waited for him to join her, emptying her shoes of sand over the side into the water, but he only circled overhead and untied the mooring.

     “I want to see if you can handle the Ssuna’Ouna back to shore,” he said as he circled the mast, broad wings outstretched. She blinked. Not at the strange name; she knew that was the name of the boat. But rather at his sudden decision. “Don’t worry visslii,” he reassured her gently “I know you can do it, you just need to know you can.” He made another circle and returned “Don’t worry, I’ll be with you in the air, and the wind will be at your back. It’ll be easy sailing. Do you want to try?”

     Aislin thought for a moment, then nodded “Kay, but if I mess up you’ll be right there to fix it, right?” she asked nervously.

     Uncle J smiled “I don’t think you’ll make any mistakes, but I’ll be here, yes.”

     Well, with that assurance Aise felt a little better about taking the small craft out alone. She turned the sails and hauled on ropes, surprising herself with how well she did without his help. She didn’t even need him to tell her which way to sail; she knew, somehow. When she was going the right way, it felt almost like a gentle breeze or faint current of water brushing past her, and when she turned aside the current lessened until it wasn’t there any more at all.

     Aislin handled the ropes, sails and rudder expertly. Uncle J had been teaching her how to control the skiff since the first time they were out on the water, she just didn’t realize until now just how good a teacher he was.

     More than once she glanced upwards, and was always comforted to see uncle J there, circling her and the boat. Never so far off that he wouldn’t be able to swoop in and help if he was needed, but not so close that she felt like he didn’t trust her.

     When she finally pulled into the lean-to to tie up, uncle J was there beaming. “Good girl!” he exclaimed after she’d tied the rope perfectly and hopped out of the small craft. The sira swept her up in a great big hug, and she could hear him purring happily. She was just as gleeful, hugging him right back and babbling all the way back to the cabin about one thing or another that she’d done all by herself. She’d secured the rigging all on her own, and turned the sails, and steered, and plotted the course, and, and, and... Everything!

     Uncle J listened and offered glowing praise all the way, like a proud parent who’d just seen his little one excel at some great task. By the time they reached the cabin, Aislin was still bubbling gleefully, but the sun was setting, and uncle J said she might want to go home and let her parents know she was still alive.

     She giggled and hugged him once more, then left for home, leaving her bunch of dragon fly crystals in his cabin, and taking the same path she’d used to get here. The sun was just a sliver of gold on the lake as she exited the woods and ran down the hill to her house. The fire was lit inside, shining warmly out through the windows, and she could see that father was already at the table. Mother would be in the kitchen making dinner.

     Aislin hurried to the door, brushing the sand off her shoes and reaching up for the door handle.

     “I’m home mommy!” she said happily as she pulled the door open and hopped in, closing it behind her to keep out the evening winds.

     “So there you are!” father exclaimed happily, looking up from the knots he was tying at the table (mother forbade him from bringing any of ‘that smelly rope’ in from the boat, so he kept a length inside so he could practice tying knots every once in a while). “We were starting to worry that the gypsies had come to steal our little girl away from us!”

     Aise giggled as she hopped up on his lap, and father hugged her. “Silly daddy,” she said, poking at one of his complicated knots. He’d taught her how to make a few, but this one was very hard to do, he said.

     Mother looked in from the kitchen “Oh-ho! So it’s true. And here I was going to cook us a feast of celebration.”

     Little Aislin giggled again and slid off fathers lap. “You wouldn’t really do that, would you mother?” She knew mother wouldn’t really; mother and father would be searching the woods and waters for days if she ever left.

     Mother set down her ladle and hugged Aise “Of course not, silly.” She said, then turned back to dinner. “So what have you been up to all day?”

     Aislin stood in the doorway to watch mother cook. “Uncle J and I went sailing today!” she reported happily.

     “Oh?” her mother sounded a bit distracted “Did you have fun?”

     “Lots of fun!” Aise exclaimed “I sailed the boat all by myself! I didn’t even need any help with the ropes or sails or anything!” She could hear her father chuckling behind her. Oh well, if they still believed uncle J was an ‘imaginary friend’ she wasn’t going to try and convince them that he was real. For the millionth time.

     “Dinner’s ready,” mother called out from the kitchen “Put down those knots dear and help me dish up.”

     Aislin giggled. Mother hadn’t even needed to look out to see that father was still fiddling with his knotwork.