The pace of days was slow in the small town of Harlem. A few of the people there travelled by train to Anchorage for work. The rest stayed and went about their business. The air was still cold, even in summer. It was the rainy season, and the locals were happy about it. They could fill their water reserves. Light snow abruptly paid visits during summer, too. And the days were long in summer in the land of the midnight sun. But the light was steadily losing its power.
In the Hawkins household, most of the activity centered around the jarring of food in preparation for winter. There was a hike in the price of diesel, and it sent food prices soaring, especially since it had to be transported so far out. Not that Matthias couldn't afford to buy the food that was three times the price of what
