I don't know if people talked about it the night it happened, though I know nobody talked to me about it. The next morning the story was all over town, but not with the usual exuberant flair that gossip had in Low Ferry. People whispered about it to each other, compared notes, spoke quietly in the cafe. Charles came in to tell me they were calling it a miracle, and Paula came in to tell me they were calling Lucas a witch.

"Not that anyone cares," she added.

"Nobody wanting to burn him at the stake?" I asked. I was joking. Mostly.

"They'd have to go through the Harrisons first, and nobody'd dare. I heard Nona went up to get some groceries today and told Bert at the store she got her first good night's sleep since the birth."

"And the twins? What do they say about that?"

"Well, I don't know. I haven't listened. I mean, I never believed a word of it," Paula assured me, a little too thoroughly.

I grinned at her. "Of course not."

Chapter Eight

So it went – quietly, circumspectly, and in hushed tones. Lucas didn't come into town the next morning, which wasn't exactly surprising, but Tommy stopped by to let me know he'd seen him and all seemed well. I didn't start to fret a little until the following day, when Lucas still hadn't come in to town, and the day after that I started making a plan to go out to The Pines. I could stop and get some groceries, maybe bring him up a book or something –

Which of course was when he showed up, knocking snow from his boots on the door-frame before stepping inside.

"Afternoon," I said, and he looked up at me with what could almost be called a grin. "I've been wondering when you were going to turn up."

"Couldn't stay away forever. I've got tutoring. I snuck in," he confided.

"Probably for the best. Get one of the Friendly to give you a lift?"

"You didn't hear?" he asked, frowning. "They left last night."

"Ah – what a shame, I thought they'd stay another week or two. Still, can't blame them – the weather's good and the next town over has better roads."

"I'm surprised they didn't come down to say goodbye to you," he said, looking puzzled.

"Oh, they never do if they don't have to."

"They didn't really make a fuss about it," he said thoughtfully. "If I hadn't seen them leaving they probably wouldn't have told me, either."

"It's just their way," I said. "You get used to it. Hey, school won't be out for a little while yet. I haven't eaten yet – want to go to the cafe?"

"I did, actually," he agreed. I got my coat and turned the sign to closed, following him across the street. Inside, Carmen waved at us from the kitchen and gestured for us to pick our seats – the lunch rush was well over and the place was nearly empty in mid-afternoon, just one or two people at the counter reading newspapers. We took a pair of menus and sat at my usual window-table in companionable silence.

"You hear the news?" I asked Carmen, when she emerged. "Friendly took off."

"Yeah, someone mentioned it this morning, I thought you knew," she replied. "You hear they did a headcount at the school? Just in case, y'know. What'll it be? Meatloaf's good today."

"I thought the meatloaf was good yesterday," I teased.

"Well, it's good on a sandwich today. Fresh bread!"

"Sold. Some of that," I said. "And hot cider if you have it."

"Lucas?" she asked, giving him an especially winning smile. He looked at her, confused, and then down at his menu.

"Uh. Soup?"

"Chowder or chicken?"

"Chowder – and some water."

"Comin' up. Seeya, boys," she said, and walked back to the kitchen to relay our order.

"Why would they do a head-count at the school?" Lucas asked, still looking at Carmen in bewilderment.

"Making sure nobody's missing," I said.

"Missing?"

"You know, because the Friendly left."

He gaped at me. "They don't really think the Friendly would grab a kid, do they? They've got more than they want already."

"Most people don't think that about the Friendly, but these are practical folk. Why wonder, when ten minutes with a roll sheet can give you the answer?" I said. "We're a clannish little place, we don't trust outsiders."

"But you're an outsider."

"Well, to a degree," I said. "I own a store in town, I've been here for a few years now. Though I guess it'll be another decade or two before they stop calling me the city boy when they think I can't hear." I grinned at him. "To be honest I'm surprised the Friendly didn't spirit you off with them."

"Oh, no. My rent's paid through spring, and I don't think I could live like that. Too many new people to meet – thanks, Carmen," he said hesitantly, as she set our drinks down. He waited until she was gone before continuing. "And there's no good way to set up a workshop like mine in a trailer."