Ah, she liked a lot of bright colors, then. That made sense; she was a very bright girl.

The only colorful part of Malachi was, he suspected, his imagination. He was not sure if he had ever even worn any colors besides black and white. It would feel silly.

…Sillier than everything else he was agreeing to do with Mable and her brother? No. Playing fairies and making pictures out of pebbles and shells still ranked higher in that regard, but at least those things served a purpose.

Malachi slowed his steps as they neared the hotel.

“It is very pretty,” and had she been anyone else, he might have mentioned something about how merciful God was for granting them such beautiful endings and beginnings.

“I like both. Sunrises because they mark the time when everybody else wakes up, and sunsets because the world goes quiet, and still, and everyone else falls asleep.”

As much as he prolonged their journey, they still arrived at the hotel doors sooner than he had hoped.

“Well, I don’t see your brother out here. Maybe we made it back before he did.”