“It’s not?” Luke says sarcastically, scratching his head. “It looksoverto me. Rowe just admitted that she doesn’t have the money. If she doesn’t have it, then the property returns to the bank. End of story.”
A thought occurs to me and hope flares in my chest. “What about home owner’s insurance?”
Luke shakes his head. “Your mother canceled the policy.”
“How do you know?”
“She told me,” he sneers. “She couldn’t pay the mortgage, so she stopped the insurance.”
“Donner,” Pane says.
Why is he so focused on Donner? What is going on?
“Pane, I’m sorry.” Sylvia starts to walk off. “I have no choice but to award the company to your—”
“Wait, Mom.Wait.” He grabs her by the arm and pulls her back into the crowd, who watches the scene with their gazes ping-ponging from Luke to Pane, to Donner, to Sylvia, and now back to Pane.
Pane’s gaze flicks to Donner. “You need electricity, right? You want clean power. Isn’t that so?”
Donner scrubs his cheek, looking uncertain. He’s probably wondering where this is going.
I was until that very moment. Now a tingle cartwheels down the back of my neck as I realize Pane’s plan.
His gaze snaps to me, and I rush to the crumpled fence, where Tallulah’s foraging for roots. I hoist her into my arms and carry her back to Pane. It also just so happens that I’ve got starfizz berries in my back pocket.
You know, ’cause you never know when you’re going to need to feed a pig some starfizz berries.
At least, that’s what I thought earlier this morning when I shoved them in there.
“Everyone, follow me,” Pane says. “Mom, you come, too. You too,” he commands the valuator.
His mother sighs, but she, along with the rest of the crowd, follows Pane to the gazebo, which surprisingly, is still standing.
He points to the string of lights. “The yurt community outside of Mystic Meadows and plenty of other off-grid communities want power, but they don’t want solar panels or wind. They need something that doesn’t intrude on their lives but is also a clean source of energy. Enter, the piggycorn.”
I pose with Tallulah like a model onThe Price Is Right, swishing this way and that.
People laugh nervously. I’m sure they’re thinking Pane’s lost his mind.
Luke guffaws. “He’s done lost his mind.”
Don’t say I didn’t tell you so.
But the townsfolk have no idea what’s coming. Hope bubbles in my stomach as I feed Tallulah a handful of berries. Her tongue slides over my palm as she snuffles up the last of the treats.
Pane points to the lights. “Tallulah, make them glow.”
Does she understand him? I have no idea. But as she finishes chewing the berries, her horn begins to shine. She snorts happily, content with the feed, and as her happiness grows, her horn shines brighter, and then the gazebo lights flare to life.
The crowd gasps. People murmur in delight. They’re surprised. Elated. Amazed.
It’s not just the gazebo lights that flare, either. The streetlamp on Luke’s side of the road flickers, and people’s cars power up as headlights blink on and radios sing to life.
Donner’s jaw drops. “Can one pig light a whole village?”
Pane’s face breaks into a handsome smile. “I believe so.”
“I’ll give you fifty thousand for her.”
