Exploring the forest further

"It's about the play of light and shadow," Blake said, squinting through the camera's viewfinder. Late day sun slanted through a canopy of birch and spruce, dappling the leafy undergrowth. He angled the camera, chasing the dance of sunbeams across rich, loamy forest floor.

"I wish I could see what you're seeing," Laura mused. Cloaked in loose, painterly clothes, she leaned against the crenellated trunk of an old oak. Her eyes were closed, flame-red hair suffused in patches of honey light that sifted down.

Blake panned up. "It's this interplay...the lattice of branches and gleam of sun, you can't see it anywhere else..." His words trailed off as he refocused on the viewfinder. A strange ripple, like heat shimmer off pavement, disturbed the tranquil scene. He pulled back, blinking.

There again—through the lens he watched a ghostly figure flit from dappled shade into a sun-filled glade just ahead. "Who's that?" he asked sharply.