The ribbon lifted once more, then fell against the glass.

“Now!”

He pulled out the leaf.

She pushed in the cork.

Across the beach, one of the kites began to sag.

Then another. And another started spinning down.

The palm leaves went quiet.

Behind them, the last kite settled onto the sand.

Wind turned slowly.

Sophie had expected the breeze to ease. She hadn’t expected everything to stop quite so neatly.

For a moment, she forgot to look pleased.

Then she remembered.

“There.”

Wind held a hand above the bottle.

Then beside it.

Then he looked into the green glass.

“Wow.”

They stood listening to the unusually quiet beach.