Stone Circle It hurt you

Lemmikki never lost her own faith that her mother and father would return to her. It was only a matter of time. That something had happened to them never occurred to her. It was never an if—merely a when. So when her mother called to her, Ikki was elated! She called back, happy, and bounded toward the way the call had come from. 

Evidently she hadn’t been very far! She saw her mother, but the whippish girl could hardly stop herself in time! She greeted her mother with a dozen kisses, pausing only when she noted that her mom had come alone. 

Only then did the thought occur to her that something might have happened. The great Gunnar had perished—now it seemed possible that even her own dad could have. In their shared language, she asked, Where is…? she couldn’t bring herself to finish the question.