[Arry]

‘Now what are they about?’ asked Derufin. The roof was patched, the wooden shingles in place. He had come down to see what hand he could lend to the finishing up of the extra room in the cottage.

Ferdy stood in the midst of his pals, a ways away from the work site. Tools lay idle as Tomlin, Gil, Ferrin, and Fallon gathered round him. ‘Like a gaggle of five geese,’ chuckled Andwise, looking up from his work on the cottage’s front door. ‘All honking out their advice and slapping their big feet about in the dirt, while the one in the middle looks on, eyes wide, and ruffles his feathers uncomfortably.’ Andwise motioned for Derufin to come nearer. ‘What do you think of the design I’ve started?’ he pointed to the twining holly and ivy leaves, all carved out carefully about the edge.’

‘What’s this?’ asked Derufin. ‘You’ve changed the design here in the middle, haven’t you?’

‘I have,’ said Andwise, running his fingers over the heart he had begun to tease out of the wood. ‘You told me you wanted no reminders of your past, so I’ve put your heart here and within it,’ he continued, pointing to the small design at the center of it, ‘will be Zimzi’s sea-star.’ He looked sideways at the man. ‘What do you think?’