Lost Creek Hollow hold it everybody, apple down.

He didn't answer her affirmation, though she definitely had more faith than he did. In some ways Gannet could be an optimist - he never assumed harm was meant. But in many ways he was a realist, because he also never assumed that an outcome would be good. Everything would end up they way it ended up, and all he could do was work around it.

He'd never understood the stars. He used them every so often to find his way, but other than that, he saw none of the pictures or symbolism that others saw in them. They were stars - nothing more. He listened politely as Liffey pointed them out, but even if her directions were right, Gannet only saw points of light. You miss them? he asked, thinking of what she'd said about children leaving. Some of the names she mentioned were here, but some weren't.