Jeremy was singing softly to himself while he took the sturdy small plants from the stump and put them into the box he had made by himself with Jason's help. But he had made it himself. It was his own box.

"What is it you're doing, son?" Da asked, making the boy jump. Da hadn't been outside for a while, except for the necessary.

"Baby trees. They growed in there, but now they need more. They need air. An' room to grow."

"Just like boys?" The man looked into the hollow of the stump and smiled. "You've brewed up quite a forest in your cauldron, haven't you?"

"I din't. It growed itself. But now it needs help."

"There is not so much space for more trees. Have you a place in mind for them?"

Jeremy shook his head. "Maybe Jason will help."

"Jason's working to be removing trees, not adding more."

"When they are gone, there will be room for new ones." The boy's tone was placid but positive.

"You have so much of your mother in you," the man said, stroking the boy's hair. "You reminded me of her, with her flowers and herbs, and the singing."

Now the boy looked uncertain. No doubt he'd prefer to talk about trees.

"Tis time to come inside now, supper is nearly ready. Come in and wash up. Unless you, too, must have dirt to eat for healthy growth."

Jeremy laughed. "Not this ol' horsey town dirt. Yuck." He set his box aside and dipped water from the rain barrel to wash his hands while his father watched thoughtfully.

"Josh?" The boys were washing dishes after supper.

"What?"

"What d-did you d-do all day when you was my age?"

"Chores, mostly."

Without looking up from his book, Da snorted.

"S-seriously."

"Seriously? I dunno. When I was your age, I was snaring rabbits and trapping squirrels, or the other way around. Helping Mom find her leaves and flowers sometimes. Play with you so she could work. Lots of different stuff."

"Wish I could do lots of stuff."

"You could, if you really wanted to. I almost always ask you."

Jeremy thought that over. "I don' wanna d-do other p-people stuff. Want to d-do just one person stuff."

"There's not a lot of that to do in town."

"I know."

The father looked over the edge of his book at the brothers. The youngest so resigned, and the older empathetic. Had he cheated them by moving into town and refusing to let them return to their home except for a few random visits?

It was something to ponder.

He was still pondering long after the boys were asleep, sitting with his book closed and looking into nowhere when his oldest boy – hardly a boy – came in.

"You're up late."

"Am I? These days I barely know late from daylight. Have you inspected and locked the town up good and tight for the night, then?"

"I have. What's on your mind?"

"I was hoping you would ask."

Jason was still there, helping put breakfast on the table when the boys got up the next morning.

Jeremy let out a shriek (which startled their father) and ran to grab hold of his brother.

"Whoa there, young'un," Jason said, laughing and lifting the boy. "You'd think you hadn't seen me in a week. Or maybe a month."

"Whoever knew such a small thing could make such a big noise?" Da asked.

"Din't," Jeremy replied to Jason.

"Now, I looked in on you in bed, night before last, and tucked you in. You know that."

"Nuh-uh. I was 'sleep."

Jason looked at the boy, and he started giggling. "That's what I thought." He plopped the boy into a chair and played with his hair.

"So why didn't you run away before we got up today?" Josh demanded, seating himself. "You've been gone all day every day ever since you got back."

Was that what the boys thought? That he was avoiding them? "I've been busy."

"Busy not being here," Josh muttered.

"He's here," Da intervened, "because I asked him to stay this morning. We've been up all night making plans."

"What kind of plans?"

"After breakfast. Eat."

It was one of the quietest and quickest breakfasts ever. Jeremy didn't even fuss over being given milk to drink. (He also didn't drink it, but that was a different issue.)

Clean-up was also swift and silent, and soon they were reassembled at the table.

Silently.

They waited.

"Well," the father finally spoke. Although with reluctance. "We have been making plans the night long, and tis time to tell you of them. When we moved here I told you that twould nae be forever, did I not? That we would return to the mountain. Now I think that time has come." Jason was watching the boys.

Joshua and Jeremy looked at one another, and they each almost imperceptibly shrugged. Neither spoke.

"Now ye know that Jason has been trying to chop down all our trees and sell them for money for quite a while now, and tis also time to put that to the test. So." The man took a deep breath.

Jason noted idly that his father's accent ebbed and flowed much as Jeremy's speaking problems did under emotional stress. He wondered for a moment if that was a meaningful observation, then Da began to speak again.

"Jason and Joshua will go to start the work of building us a place on this side of the mountain, and perhaps decide where and how to begin this business. Jeremy will stay here with me until –"

"No," said Jeremy.

Da stopped and stared, then slammed his hands on the tabletop and raised his voice. "I didnae ask you, boy! Dinna be telling me No! Tis na your place to say!"

Both younger boys jumped at the slam, but otherwise didn't react to it. They weren't surprised by the outburst? Or of being shouted at? There was something wrong here!

Jeremy stood up in his chair.

Josh pulled him down.

He stood again, glaring back at his glaring father.

Jason wondered if he was having a nightmare. (Instead of the dream-come-true he had been anticipating.)

"Well?" the man said, coldly, to the child.

Jeremy's mouth worked, but no words came out. He shook his head. His mouth moved again with the same result.

The man leaned back, crossing his arms. "If you canna explain yourself –"

Jeremy pounded his fists on the table, and words erupted from him. "N-no. I b-brother, t-too. B-brothers work togedder! All ob us! Not me stay here! No!"

"I'm brother two," Josh told Jeremy. "You're brother three."

This was a time to make a joke? Had to be a nightmare. Or someone was crazy. That was a possibility, too.

Da dropped his arms. "Well now, that is a reasonable argument. One I had not thought of. Perhaps you have a point." He rubbed his forehead.

"Maybe you should sleep on it," Josh suggested.

"Mayhap," Da agreed. "Go oh, then, be aboot your business, out of here."

Joshua pulled Jeremy outside by the arm.

Jason, with a baffled look at their father, followed the boys.

"What was that about?" Jason demanded when they were away from the house.

"Da hasta go to sleep," Jeremy said. "He don' think good if he don't."

"He gets mad real easy," Josh added. "Course, he don't usually yell at Jeremy. Us'ly they sit down and cry on each other."

"What?!"

"It makes his eyes go closed, an' then he goes t'sleep an' isn't mad anymore," Jeremy solemnly explained.

"This has happened before?"

"Sometimes," Josh answered. "It was scary at first, but now we mostly just wait until he cries and goes to sleep. Then we come outside."

"Why haven't you told me any of this?"

"Not here less we is 'sleep," Jeremy explained.

"Oh." And here he had thought he was being clever, slipping out before they were awake and could involve him in their goings-on. Jason shook his head. "I think Da isn't the only one who needs to rethink things."