The silver-blue landscape beyond Randy’s front window was so radiant that Randy’s first thought was to check the sky for miniature sleighs and tiny reindeers. He lifted a hand to palm hair off his forehead and winked a couple of long, forced blinks in an attempt to clear his sleep-fogged brain. The scent of popcorn that had got just a little too close to burned-beyond-edible still hung heavy in the living room, and though the television had long ago been muted, the newscaster beyond the glass pantomimed interest in some kind of national news moment.
An odd sensation tickled the instinctive portions of Randy’s mind and told him that there was a reason he was awake. He lay still, concentrating on the hallway that led up to the bedrooms where Isaac rested in his bed, and Hannah in the guest
