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EARTH ANGELS & MAGIC MOMENTS
shifted inside him. Curiosity got the better of him, and
he stood up, counting to three in his head. It was a
moment of reckoning, a choice between annoyance and
engagement. Eric's eyes locked onto the teens, and he
smiled to himself. ‘This is about to get interesting.’
“Hi,” he said quietly, standing a few feet away, not
wanting to intrude. “I was just noticing you guys
talking. You seem to be having a nice time, and I was
wondering if I could ask you something?” They looked
up, a little surprised, but not unfriendly. “I write a blog
for the Newcastle Times, just little stories, and I was
curious about something,” he explained gently. “If
that’s okay?”
Fortunately, at that very moment the waitress
squeezed by and said, “Need a top-up, Eric?”
“No, thank you, Sally, I’m all set.” A small, familiar
connection established. The boy, Ben, gave a little nod.
“What’s the story about?”
“Just about talking to people you don’t know,” Eric
said softly. “How you feel about it.”
A few quiet giggles. Some shrugs. Ben made room
on the bench. “Want to sit?”
Eric asked their names, his voice calm. Selina and
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