The impact of the basket hitting the earth was enough to send the gentleman within colliding with the West-facing edge of his cradle, his bowler hat toppling effortlessly over the shine of his forehead and onto that of the small child staring up at him from outside, wide eyed and still. They looked deep into one another’s eyes for a moment, before a twitch in the child’s face brought the hatless man back to the cold, grey reality once more.

“My! You are a short chap aren’t you!” he chirped, twisting his head to examine the creature below.
“I’m a girl,” she stated sulkily as the hat began to slip slowly over her eyes.
“I’ll have that back, first.” The strange man flipped the hat back onto his head and jumped over the basket wall. He strolled around for a few moments, holding his thumbs and forefingers up into a square before him and smiling.

The girl watched dumbfounded as he repeated his queer circle. “So, what are you?”
“I am, Agirl, what you say I am.”
The child smiled wickedly. “You are mine.”