Drip.
Rocky's eyes snapped open.
"Boo? I heard a drip again!"
"It's your imagination."
"It sounded real."
"Imaginations sound real. That's why they're imaginations."
Drip.
"Boo."
"I'll check."
Boo floated down to the floor and pressed his ear against the wall.
"It's the stream," Boo said. "Outside."
Rocky listened. The faint sound of water trickling over rocks.
"Oh."
"Go to sleep, Rocky."
Rocky closed his eyes.
*****
The next morning, the sun was warm on their faces as the children finished their simple breakfast. The dishes were washed, the leftovers put away, and the cottage had that cozy, lived-in feeling that comes from good food and good company.
Lilith sat on Sable's lap, still rubbing her eyes. She had slept through the night, all the way until dawn, and now she was blinking at the sunlight like a small, confused owl.
