Lake Bismuth I’m shipping up to Boston.

The water was shallow and unexpectedly warm. Towhee paused before resuming her drink, not entirely sure if she liked the temperature. It wasn’t exactly cooling, not that she needed a cold drink. These might be the lowlands, yet it was still winter, with the temperatures lingering just a few degrees above freezing.

After satisfying her thirst, she raised her head and put eyes on Bushtit. He circled another one of the pools before looping back in her direction. As soon as he rounded the curve, he broke into a gallop, looking like a pale Arabian colt as he flew over the gritty sands.

Whoa there, little dogie! she called out, grinning as those words evoked memories of other children.

How strange it was for her gaze to shift past her son’s racing figure and note a figure perched on a rock shelf in the distance. Towhee blinked loudly, her heart jumping into her throat. “@Alyx?” she mouthed without thinking.