I ran into Awna today hunting in the woods outside town. Talk about a small world. Kid gave me a hug like I mattered to her. When I asked about her family, it made sense why. Last I saw her she was heading for a little Utah town where someone had said they’d heard some of her folk were living.

Now she’s here. She’s grown up a lot. Not in size. Skinnier maybe. But her eyes are older. She’s seen things, yet I’d reckon she hasn’t done things. Not the kind of things that leave a soul dead on the inside. She says she’s a coward. She isn’t. She has her eye on a farmhouse.

Offered to share it with me. No, she isn’t a coward. She’s smart. I might take her up on it. Safety in numbers.