Between Warden Hallum’s relentless pace and the help of Xennet, Dorn, and Rivven whenever they were available, the foundation and frame of the hospital were ready in less than a week. It wasn’t a large building by any means, but I still couldn’t believe just how fast they were putting it all up.
When they were working on the hospital, I spent my time doing various activities. Sometimes, I watched them, advising on things like the placement of a solar battery and itscorresponding outlet. Warden Hallum had already made several changes to his original design, informing me that, after having met me, he’d doubled the size of my bedroom and added three extra closets.
Other times, I hung out with Shiloh in the saloon.
Sometimes, I just explored. It was a beautiful area, with that picturesque pond Shiloh had painted. The ice was too thin to skate or step out onto it now, so I made sure to keep to the edges. More than once in my wandering, I came across a big, snow-covered hill that would be perfect for sledding down. I wanted to try our sled out on it, but never seemed to find the right time to ask Warden Hallum to carry it all the way out there for me. I felt a little silly asking him to stop doing crucial work on the hospital just so I could slide down a hill shouting, “WEEEEE!”
But he must have sense that I wanted something. On a very mild day, he suddenly stopped hammering a nail into a wall and said, “What is it?”
“What do you mean?”
“You want something. You keep looking off into the distance with this longing look on your face.”
“I do not!”
“You do,” he argued. “Just tell me what it is. So that I can go secure it for you.”
I raised my hands then let them fall back down. “The snow is melting!”
“And?”
“And I think it’ll probably be almost all gone by tomorrow!”
“Yes, that is likely correct. What is the problem with this outcome?”
“The problem is that there’s a snowy hill nearby that would be absolutely perfect for sledding down,” I admitted in a rush. “I used to do that all the time as a kid on Terratribe II. Mylolawould bring me out. And I just thought it…might be…fun.”
I withered under his icy stare, my voice trailing off.
“This is why I didn’t tell you,” I cried when he suddenly walked away from me. Then, just to myself, I added, “I knew you’d think it was stupid.”
I stood there, chewing the inside of my cheek, wondering where the heck he’d gone. By the time I sucked it up and decided to go look for him, he’d already returned. The sled was balanced on his right shoulder.
“Show me,” he said.
“Oh, we don’t actually have to!” I spread my gloved fingers in front of me and shook my head. “I don’t want to waste your time.”
“If you do not wish to waste my time,” he said, “then show me where the hill is. Instead of just standing there staring at me like you are right now.”
“Are you sure?”
His eyes challenged me. He lifted his chin.
“Do I look like a man who’d stop his work and go to fetch a sled if he were not sure?”
“No,” I whispered.
“Good, then. You understand me. Lead the way.”
Even though he’d told me to lead, we actually walked side by side, winding our way together through the velvet green trees. The branches and needles glistened with snowmelt. Birds trilled, filling the sunny air with their song.
It was the sort of spring day that normally would have made me giddy with happiness. Especially since Warden Hallum was catering to my sled whim.
But I wasn’t. And I knew it was because the hospital would be ready soon.
But there was nothing I could do about that. Might as well buck up and try to force myself to enjoy the sledding.
And in a way, it actually did kind of work. Sledding down the hill was exactly what I’d hoped for. Adrenaline coursed through my body, and I whooped with delight on each ride down. Warden Hallum watched me slide down from the top of the hill, looking like he was trying to figure out just what was so exciting about the activity.
