Nights Fall Fast

Hannah heads out again the next day.

To be quite precise, she gulps down her breakfast as fast as possible, jumps in the same clothes as the day before because nobody has time to actually pick new clothes, and she tells me, with a bright happy grin, that she can’t wait to see what Granite Falls has in store today.

She’s been here twenty-four hours, and she’s now also in love with the place — or at the very least, with exploring a new, different place.

She does consent to actually spending some time with her dad and me before running off to do her own thing, which we’re both thrilled about.

“Hannah darling, your dad and I would prefer if you were home before nightfall today, think you can do that?”

“MMssshuuure mom!”

I challenge her to a chess game — I never let her win willingly, not anymore, but she puts on a great fight!

Then she goes cloud-gazing with daddy.

Cyril is not quite sure he likes Granite Falls yet. Cleo is more adventurous. Not quite as much as Hannah, as she only ventures in a small radius around the lodge, but I can see her following in her sister’s footsteps when she’s older.

Hannah goes back to her insect-catching pastimes after she and Hugo have agreed that all the clouds really only look like weirdly-shaped sheep.

But the night falls fast in Granite Falls — and Hannah is still outside on her own.