"Yes, but if my shoes get stolen, won't you feel good that you still have yours? It's better than both of us having to walk barefoot. One of us could at least run ahead and get help." Help for what, exactly? Mateo doesn't know, but he'll absolutely be dramatic about it if that's what the situation calls for.
Flora's ideas about the fated diamond ring are enough to have Mateo grinning as he digs through the sand, which predictably only muddies the water (thus proving why one needs a sieve to do this sort of thing). "If it was a monster like that then it would have to be a little one for it to hang out here," he points out, looking up and down the small branch of the Stonesong.
But then Flora's off, Mateo rising to his feet automatically to splash after her. ""Stai attento!" he calls, though he's also caught the twinkle of a moving treasure as well. "Oh, Flora! It's a goldfish," he says brightly. "That's strange, though - usually they move in big groups. Did this one get lost?"
Flora's ideas about the fated diamond ring are enough to have Mateo grinning as he digs through the sand, which predictably only muddies the water (thus proving why one needs a sieve to do this sort of thing). "If it was a monster like that then it would have to be a little one for it to hang out here," he points out, looking up and down the small branch of the Stonesong.
But then Flora's off, Mateo rising to his feet automatically to splash after her. ""Stai attento!" he calls, though he's also caught the twinkle of a moving treasure as well. "Oh, Flora! It's a goldfish," he says brightly. "That's strange, though - usually they move in big groups. Did this one get lost?"
