Maxwell gently set his orb on the floor, and it immediately rolled over to Clara and her orb, doing a circle around Clara's feet and stopping by the orb again, where it wobbled and moved back and forth, a small humming sound coming from it.

He shrugged at Wendell's question. They'd end up either at the thrift shop or the meadows near their homes. They always did when no one had a specific idea for something to do. He kept his eyes on the orb, watching it interact with Clara's. "I'm calling him Stacy," he said suddenly, not sure if it was perversion or wit that made him name it after his recent Internet "girl"friend. But it seemed appropriate. His trademark grin crossed his lips in any case as he leaned his elbows on his knees.