Heron Lake Plateau Cast aside for new and more

Liffey's tears slowed to a stop as Gannet spoke, not because she felt better, but because she was startled by his words. She shook her head gently, rejecting the notion that her children should go back if they wanted to stay at the Hollow. Family was supposed to stick together. She had finally learned that lesson now, and she was loathe to allow any of her children to make the mistake she had in her youth.

She couldn't find the words to argue the point, though, so she said nothing on the matter. The answer to his question didn't come quickly, but she waited for it, then waited longer still to find the words to articulate her answer. "In some ways," she said slowly, "I feel... relieved... being here. I feel like I'm finally somewhere I belong, somewhere I fit. But my kids are just so unhappy... And I'm their mother. I can't be happy if they''re not."