Broken Boulder these frozen bones

once upon a time, alarian had been her favorite. she'd valued him sometimes even higher than her father. he knew things about her interests, he spent the most time with her, especially during delight's illness. with mama back — oh, mama! — he went entirely unnoticed.

for a moment, the french did not stick. there were still many words she did not remember, and many she'd never gotten the time to learn. but what she did know spilled from her mouth almost against her will as her mother touched her snout to solomon's forehead. oui, maman.

mama was back. she was alive. she was real. but did she intend to stay? tears welled up in solomon's eyes that did not spill over. not yet. mama, are you stayin'?