"A good deed is always its own reward," she replied, without even so much as a trace of irony. Sadly, Ariadne's optimism knew no boundaries. Not even in the middle of a multiversal muddle. And in her experience, the grumpiest of the grumpy were no exception to one universal truth: "And strawberries are delicious."

That was it. Simple and plain. There might be mountains and valleys between one person and the next. But almost everyone could agree on strawberries.

At least, she hadn't yet met anyone who said otherwise.

She spun on her toes and trotted over to the bush, her hair swinging behind her like an eager puppy's tail. Without waiting for him to accept the offer, she started carefully shifting the branches of the bush, pulling out the ripest strawberries she could find, all of them the color of the last few seconds of a sunset. They were large. About the size of goldfish. She picked up the front of her dress and turned it into a little basket, dropping the berries in one at a time.

"Come over, it's all right. There are plenty."