left straight through the field , leaving a trail in corn , that scamp ! '' but that did n't stop her from trying . i shake my head automatically , overwhelmed with the idea . i felt a ribbon slide against my ankles . i reached up , found him with my hands , slid my palms over his shoulders , and pulled him down to me . the thicket lay near a clearing , where the pack would race past . he stood between , where boundary met boundary , the draw of the past and the promise of future . 