We’d spent a rare afternoon rummaging among leaves to find them, so it pained me to see my daughter throw the conkers from her window.

“Don’t you want them?” I asked.

“I want to let them grow,” she said. “When you love things, sometimes it’s best to leave them behind.”

Guy has no notable literary accolades, but once beat a retired Indonesian pirate at chess. This is his fifth 50-word story.