The busy town square hummed with summer chatter. Warm sunlight glowed on the old cobblestones. A stand of dried dandelion puffs swayed gently by the stone fountain.
Leo bumped into Mia. Dandelion puffs burst into the air like tiny parachutes. 'Oh!' laughed Mia, her cheeks going rosy. Leo’s ears turned pink as he gathered the floating seeds.
Mia offered Leo half her strawberry ice cream. Her hand slipped. A pink swirl landed on his nose. 'Hey!' he cried, tongue sticking out as he chased her around the square.
They played tag in the park. Mia tripped over her shoelaces. She landed in a patch of clover with a soft thump. Leo reached down to help her up. 'Look,' she whispered. A tiny four-leaf clover caught in her hair.
Leo and Mia built a castle from cardboard boxes. They taped and stacked until it towered above them. Leo crawled inside proudly. Sunlight filtered through the taped seams, painting warm stripes on the ground.
Then the whole thing groaned, wobbled, and collapsed in a heap. The afternoon light caught the floating dust. They tumbled out onto the grass, giggling at the messy tower.
By late August, the sun dipped low. They sat on Mia’s front steps, watching the world grow quiet. Fireflies began to blink in the damp garden.
Fireflies blinked gold in the growing dark. They sat shoulder to shoulder on the top step. The first stars appeared, and neither wanted summer to end.