The first time Farkle Minkus met Riley Matthews was when he was ten years old and running away from home. He had ran to the little field across from his school and had sat underneath an oak tree. That's when he saw her. She was skipping across the field singing twinkle twinkle little star but she swapped the word star for Pluto. It took her a while to realise she wasn't alone. She walked over to him and he quickly wiped away his tears. She sat next to him and smiled.
"Why are you crying?" she asked shyly. Farkle smiled at the innocence of her question. When he didn't answer she asked a different question.

"Why are you here all alone?" he sniffled.
"I'm running away" she sat up straight at that and turned to him, pulling him into a hug. He began to cry slightly.
"Why?" it was such a standard question but little Farkle didn't know the answer. He had an argument with his Mother and had ran up to his room, cleared his things and was determined never to return. His mother was being so unfair to him, all he wanted was to play with his father science equipment, and Farkle was a big boy now so he could be trusted right? When he told Riley this the ten year old hummed and pulled him up with her. She made them walk backwards so that the oak tree was in view.
"I once climbed a tree, I knew my mummy would catch me. I had trust in her but she was still mad that I climbed it. It wasn't because she had no trust in me but she was scared I would slip and fall. She was scared that I would get hurt, is your daddy's sciency things dangerous?" Farkle pondered her question.
"I suppose some of it can be, especially without my father there"
"There you go, your mummy trusts you Farkle, she just doesn't want to see you hurt" the ten year old told him. Farkle smiled, this strange girl had a point. The girl in question hugged the boy
"Go home Farkle, your parents love you. You shouldn't leave because you had an argument" The girl then turned to leave. Farkle grabbed her wrist.
"What's your name?" he asked, the little girl smiled a dazzling smile.
"Riley"
"Farkle" and then the little girl turned on her heel and left.

That was the last time Farkle Minkus saw Riley Matthews, he went back to that field and sat at the oak tree for hours in the hope that she would return, that the girl whose smile was dazzling and was so pure that she helped a total stranger would wonder into his life again. She didn't, not until five years later when Mr Farkle Minkus was just getting over the fact that the girl no one knew may actually have never existed. It wasn't until he visited that tree one last time to put his imaginary friend to rest did he see the girl with the dazzling blue eyes.