Mara paddled quietly through the morning mist, her cat Tilly perched like a watchful captain on the bow. The river, cradled by reeds and forest, carried them gently past ducks and stones, deeper into the hush of the mountains. Mara didn’t know exactly where they were going—only that the still water held a promise. Her father had once told her that every bend in the river held a secret worth discovering. Today, with Tilly by her side and the sky painted in soft blue, she believed it. Somewhere ahead, in the rustle of wings or a ripple in the current, the day’s adventure waited.