The Space After "Over"

Ages 15-18

On his walk, Elkanah passes a gate, then a low wall, and ducks under a branch somewhere between them.

A leaf beside his cheek has a V split almost to its stem. Its two points lift separately in the breeze.

At home, he writes a few lines about the walk.

A wagon stood by the steps. One wheel had six spokes.

Below that, he writes: A leaf with a V split hung over the gate.

He rubs out gate and writes wall.

His pencil moves to the wagon sentence. He adds the leaf there, after spokes.

He looks at the two sentences. Then he rubs out the added words.

Below them, he writes again: A leaf with a V split hung over

The pencil touches the space after over. It leaves a dot.

Elkanah turns the pencil over. He rubs away the dot, leaving the line unfinished.

On the next line, he writes: The split went almost to the stem. The two points lifted separately.