#rivervale_lodge

"Brekke, I will talk to you later......"

She nods.

He hands the phone back.

Then she takes back the phone. "Yes, My Heart. Sleep well."

And when Frank hangs up, she does as well.

"Did I do it right?"

"Yes, Connor, you did well. It was a short conversation. He has been driving all day,"

"Would you like more practice speaking on the telephone?"

"I'm on the phone all day, so I understand." Still eying that device like some sort of strange and exotic treasure.

"Who would I call?" His brow furrows up, honestly unsure.

"Everyone I know is here."

"You could call He-Chief again"

"ALmost." He adds, and his ears droop a bit.

She nods. "Then we will practice. Let me think on how. For now...it is late, and you two should be in bed." Eyebrow.

"Oh, oh." And he leans in, and whispers something to the Chief. Well, climbs half onto her lap, then he can reach to do so.

"I can't sleep, " Jack protests "I'm too worried about bad things"

Brekke juggles a pooka as he climbs, and listens...the effect might be rather like a large blue Mrs. Claus listening to holiday wishes while Santa's taking a break.

A momentary puzzled look, then, "Ah. I will see if we can locate that number, Connor, yes. But let us speak of it more tomorrow."

She helps the pooka back down. "You both have been enjoying stories with the Mountain lately, correct?"

"Tomorrow is far away. Jack, I know how to fix bad worries." He nods solemnly. "Kerri has a magic sauce that makes them go away. It tastes like warm milk with cinnaminny-inny."

"But I bet Chief knows the recipe. She knows EVERYTHING."

And a nod about the stories.

"Yes... some good ones" Jack says "The mouse in the motorcyle and others"

"Big Stuart." He adds on. "About the giant mouse who lives with a tiny family"

"Who knew Mice were so big on books?" Jack says seeing a pattern

"Mm. I think I can manage warm spiced milk, yes. And then I will read you a story. Choose one as I prepare the milk." She nods towards a bookshelf.

And then goes into the kitchen.

"Score!" He holds up a hand for a high five from Jack.

"Maybe we can try that book about mice and cookies, and see if it actually works..."

high five and then smiles "THe Chief's the best so I'm okay with just the story and milk if she wants."

"It's turning spring so I'm learning about the gardening and stuff..well, starting to."

The Chieftain is no Kerri, so it may be a few minutes.

"What's there to learn? Plants just come from the ground."

"Winter goes and spring comes and flowers show up!"

Just like how the fridge magically gets restocked with food, and his clothes disappear and reappear in the dresser washed and folded. These things just happen.

Jack says "But it depends on the dirt.. the soil. Like, good soil and bad soil affects what plans can grow..she used some big words that I dont' quite get like arriate and ..nutri ants? I don't know but ... you can stir the soil and prepare it and fertilize it"

"Isn't dirt just... dirt? Except sand, but that's on beaches and I've never played in sand. But I saw it on TV. You have to go running across it REAAAAALLY SLOOOOOW like."

Finally, she returns, a mug in each hand. "Have you chosen?"

Jack says "Well, we were sorting through some.. but got distracted... so hadn't picked." He looks at Connor "you want the reluctant dragon? Or to get really grown up with Jungle book stores?"

Connor has no doubt heard Gerd read the Rikki Tikki Tavi story

"Oh, oh, with the snake, and the bird, and the little boy! I'm going to be a brave mongoose when I grow up."

"Until then, I'm just a silly-goose." A grin.

"We've moved from Mice to MOngoose, please Chief" He says with big eyes

"I think The Jungle Book should serve well, yes." She sets the mugs down near the big chair that Frank uses for reading with them. Then, instead of choosing a book of the children's shelves, she goes to a shelf of older books and plucks one down. It's bound in red leather with gold-leaf lettering and patters on the spine, and it looks rather small in her hands. "Now...let us get settled." She takes a seat and helps the boys clamber into her lap with their drinks.

Jack bounces up to one side of the lap and snuggles in happily.

He takes the other side, nestling in under Brekke's arm.

His eyes large "It's got heroes beating bad guys, right?"

"Shhhhhh...." He slurps his milk, ready to listen.

Jack shushes. All eager for the tale.

"It does. Now listen...." And with her accent making the words lilt, she begins: "At the hole where he went in/ Red-Eye called to Wrinkle-Skin./ Hear what little Red-Eye saith:/ "Nag, come up and dance with death!"....