And Off She Goes!

The other day, while briskly walking to work through the park on St. Denis, near Prince Arthur, a little girl caught my attention and made me slow down my pace.  It was such a beautiful day and there were a lot of people in the park, milling around and enjoying the sunshine;  dog owners with their canines, tongues lolling, tails wagging, students from l'ITHQ in their uniforms, chatting with each other or just walking around, and other regular-looking folks, not too warmly dressed on account of the mild weather.  I was following my usual path to the school, the huge but non-functioning fountain coming up to my right, the bare trees letting the sun tickle my upturned face, when a tiny little urchin in colorful clothing running away from the trial completely captivated my attention.
What was she running towards so gleefully?  An abstract, dog-like statue directly in front of her;  this blackened and fixed being had utterly mesmerized her to the extent that she did not even notice the furtive squirrel scurrying away up the nearest tree at her approach.  Her gaze was focused and strained on her goal and her little feet kicked up the decomposing yellow, red and orange leaves as she ran, stumbling a little, towards this strange creature enticing her.
She glanced back towards the man accompanying her, as though she needed his approval, his guidance to keep going, her corkscrew curls bouncing in their pigtails and her pink jacket fluttering open a little to reveal a splash of color underneath.  She grinned back at him, slightly turning her impish body and yet still moving forwards, her short arms whipping the air, but she was not asking him to follow her.  No, this was her journey and she simply needed to know that he was there, watching her, his eyes crinkling and gleaming as he smiled back, encouraging her onwards.
Reaching the iron form, she stopped and grinned her satisfaction, her dimples visible even from the distance where I was regarding the scene, and she patted it with her small and dainty hand;  she had made it on her own, even if it was merely along such a short distance and she had reached her objective.  Her guardian had been left behind, and yet he was such an intricate part of her success for having merely been there to witness her flight.