Excerpt: The Brilliance of Sun on Dandelions

As she headed down the hill Jill realized that the path zigzagged across the slope for a reason. She was soon sliding and stumbling through the thin underbrush and slippery, loose loam hidden by last year's leaves. Several times she nearly toppled head over heels into trees or stones, only to catch herself at the last possible moment.

And then as she slipped and reached out for support she grabbed … a hand? Shaken, Jill attempted to brush herself off, stand up and remember her manners all at once and nearly fell over again at the sight of her savior, ending up leaning heavily against the nearest tree with her mouth open.

“Don't I get a 'thank you'?” he asked with laughter in his voice.
Jill closed her mouth and sputtered. “I... uh... you... er, that is, thank you?” she managed, still staring.
She didn't know what he looked like. This was because he was wearing a long, coarsely woven brown robe which covered his face almost entirely. A smirking thin-lipped mouth was visible in the shadows of the hood, and from this came a lovely deep voice full of amusement and knowing.
“I assume you are all right now?”
“Oh, uh... yes! Of course. Thank you for catching me. I should have taken the path, right? Where do you live? Are you in one of the cabins around here?” she chattered, wondering where this man had come from and what he was conveniently doing right next to her when she fell. She admitted she wasn't the quietest nature enthusiast but she hadn't heard him come up behind her...
“Yes, something like that.” he said, and smiled even wider. “Do you visit here often?”
“Oh, okay. No, not often. Maybe every few years I guess. Well, I'd better be getting down the hill. My mother's probably waiting for me.” she lied, getting nervous and speaking much more quickly than she was used to. She wasn't sure what exactly unnerved her about the man, but he certainly wasn't someone she wanted to hang out with. He was still lightly holding her hand where he had grabbed her to keep her from falling, and she was uncomfortably aware of the heat of his skin against hers.
“I see. Yes, well, do enjoy your time here. I imagine we will meet again.” he said, and let go of her hand as though he had simply been enjoying a quick handshake, and they were good friends.

She slid down the hill as quickly as she could without tumbling again, trying to appear nonchalant, although how one appears nonchalant while slipping down a leaf-covered cliff is something I'm not sure I know how I'd write, let alone how she managed it.

By the time she reached the bottom and looked up, he was gone, and she wasn't sure she had seen him at all.