15
AS JAK GOT CLOSER to home, the change in the air and the familiar terrain beneath his tuskin’s hooves filled him with nostalgia. The old way of life that his mother clung to was in evidence all around him. Everything fit together and belonged, including himself. Ebere had been quiet most of the journey, but now he seemed to want to talk.
“The grassy plains are yellow here. I like it. The way the ground meets the sky, making you feel small compared to the world around you.”
“It’s because we are small,” Jak said. His childhood home looked small too. Smaller than he remembered. Every time he returned it seemed a bit shabbier. The roof needed work. The door still squeaked on the hinges. He’d have to deal with that sometime.
The interior of the house was dark, just a thin ray of light st
