Sol looked down at the wooden floor.
"Between the houses."
Jude frowned.
"Between which houses?"
"The first house and the one we built."
Before Jude could ask another question, a faint light appeared ahead.
A small yellow light.
Then another.
And another.
They were lanterns.
Twenty of them, hanging from wooden posts along a narrow path.
At the end of the path stood a house.
Jude recognised it immediately.
It was their shared house.
Not the transformed version with roots and strange chairs.
The real one.
Its wooden walls were familiar, the windows were in their proper places, and a little trail of smoke rose from the chimney.
The front door stood open.
Jude heard laughter from inside.
His wives.
He started towards it.
Sol pulled him back.
"Wait."
"What now?"
"Look at the windows."
Jude turned.
Through the nearest window, he could see the kitchen.
Natalie was stirring a pot.
Emma was arranging plates.
