“They’re workaholics, they’re always in the shop at this time, why in the realms are they at home?” I asked suspiciously.
“Never mind that,” he said hastily. “Let’s talk about you! Where have you been all these weeks? Did you find a place to settle down? Do you have any fun stories? Meet any fun lads or ladies?” His excitement rose the longer he spoke.
I was surprised to find that I had actually missed the tornado of questions, and being the recipient again soothed something in me. The corner of my mouth lifted.
I settled myself onto one of the working stools as I braced myself to tell my brother everything that had transpired since I had left Sunhaven, and prepared for the interrogation I would be dropping onto him afterwards. I should have waited until we could gather the rest of the family, for I knew I would need to tell this tale more than once, but the eager glint in his gaze won me over.
My nose filled with the scent of cinnamon, clean linens, and the lingering tang of freshly baked sourdough as I walked into my parents’ house. Home always smelled the same, and the scent settled my roiling nerves.
“Hey Ma, look who’s here!” Ollie shouted as we walked inside and kicked off our boots. Ma never allowed outdoor shoes to be worn inside, that was blasphemous in her eyes.
My Ma entered the room carrying a basket of freshly folded laundry. All of Ma’s grown littles had moved out years ago, but she still did our laundry every chance she got, claiming that none of us had the magic touch and that we would ruin the nice fabricsof our garments. I always thought that she secretly just liked taking care of us.
“Ollie? I thought you were on shop duty toda–” she broke off mid-sentence when she saw me in the entryway. She plopped the basket she was carrying onto the floor and yanked me into a warm hug. The top of her head didn’t even reach my shoulder, and she wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, squeezing me with a strength that one wouldn’t expect from a woman of her tiny stature.
“Redd! Honey, I’m thrilled to see you, but I told you we were doing just fine here, what in the realms are you doing back?” she chastised warmly. She refused to release me, clinging like a barnacle. I returned the hug, feeling my insides warm.
I had forgotten how much a good hug from Ma could brighten a day.
“I know, I know Ma, but you know I worry about you! I scurried off so quickly and I wasn’t sure how things would turn out here once I was gone.” I tried to hide the relief in my voice. I didn’t want her to know how much her vague letters had been eating at me in the weeks since I had left for Moonvale. I had been imagining the worst-case scenarios.
She leaned back and gripped me by the shoulders. “I told you things were fine, and I meant it, sweet foolish boy,” she said warmly.
My Pa entered the room then. “What’s all the fussing about in here?” he asked. “Ah, Redd! You’re back! Good to see you, my boy!” He pulled me from Ma’s grip and enveloped me in a hug of his own, thumping me firmly on the back in a way that would knock the breath out of a smaller folk.
His darkly bearded face was bright, and his cheeks were flushed, as though he had just finished a bout of belly laughter. He looked bright and full of life, a stark contrast to how sullenand defeated he had looked the last time I saw him. His one jagged fang caught the light as he smiled.
“We were just taking the day off to relax at home,” he explained. “The boys have been handling the shop so well they hardly need our help anymore. I’m only really needed for special orders or projects that need more hands.”
They proceeded to explain to me that things had gradually settled down, and that aside from the normal bouts of problems that arose in any folk’s life, nothing out of the ordinary had been happening since around the time I had left. They had settled back into a peaceful routine, and even had the time to step back and enjoy the days for themselves.
The lingering tension in my muscles slowly drained away.
I settled into the sitting room with a cup of spearmint and gooseberry tea to reminisce with my family before dinner.
“You know, Ma, your letter really freaked me out. It didn’t sound like you at all, and I could have sworn you purposely avoided answering my questions. Care to explain?” I grabbed a bowl of steamed pork and grains, heaping a pile onto my plate.
“Oh, honey, I was trying to multitask. You know how scatterbrained I can be. I just wanted to be sure you knew how much I missed you!” She reached over and patted the back of my hand that was resting on the table.
I let the relief of that wash over me, even as it irritated me a bit. I had gotten all worked up for nothing. They were perfectly fine, even having time for new hobbies and chores.
“So, you back for good? Did you scratch the exploring itch?” my Ma asked. “We can work you back into the rotation tomorrow, we’ve got a barn remodel to do over at the farm.”
I had never really explained to my family why I had really left, merely mentioning the desire to travel. I was taken aback by the feeling that flooded me at the thought of never returning to Moonvale.
“Uh, no, I must go back at some point. They still need me,” I explained lamely.
“We need you too, Redd,” my Pa chimed in.
“Yeah, but you guys are clearly doing just fine here without me. And I left some of my clothes back at the cottage I was renting in Moonvale. I just need to go pick them up. And I promised the pub owner Ginger that I would build her a new set of high-top tables.”
My Ma looked at me knowingly. She knew that clothes could easily be replaced, and that what I had rambled wasn’t the real reason that I itched to return to the snowy town on the other side of the Barren Lands.
“Your clothes, huh?” she asked. “I didn’t realize you were so attached to your belongings. Could there possibly be something else that is drawing you back to Moonvale?”
I fought the warmth that was spreading up my neck and into my face, willing my blood to be calm and still in my veins. I wasn’t sure if it was working, and by the slight quirk to my Ma’s mouth, I had a feeling it wasn’t.
“I also told the mayor that I would be back. I can’t betray his trust like that, he has been very consistent and helpful to me,” I explained, not sure if I was digging my hole deeper or clawing my way out of it. The lie gnawed at me with tiny teeth.
