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running up, screaming fit to raise the dead.
    Eliza sighed, and in a voice so low only Sarah heard it, muttered, “If your sister wasn’t going through a rough time, I swear I’d take her out behind the woodshed. She’s going to have to learn to take care of this child.” Eliza picked up Moira and cradled her close. “She’s tired, poor thing. I’m going to take her upstairs and put her down for a nap. Can you finish getting the food on the table?”
    “Of course, Mama.”
    For the next few hours, the activity was non-stop. By the time the last guest left, Sarah was worn down to a nub. As she helped her mother wash dishes, she asked, “How is it that you look almost as fresh as you did this morning? I’m ready to drop.”
    Eliza smiled, and not for the first time, Sarah realized that her mother was a strikingly beautiful woman. “I thrive on these sorts of gatherings, you know that. Always have. And they always wear you out. Are you sure you want to be a teacher?”
    “Of course I’m sure. I want to be able to share my love of knowledge, of books, of learning. I want to make a difference, Mama.” She rinsed out a large pot and handed it to her mother to dry. “Kathy didn’t look quite as peaked as she did last weekend, I didn’t think.”
    Eliza sobered. “No, but she still has a long way to go before she’s recovered. Losing that baby, it’s aged her some. It’s only been three weeks, after all.”
    “I hope Randall lets her get some rest before he goes at her again.”
    “Sarah Jane Browning!”
    Her cheeks flushing, Sarah shrugged. “What? It’s true. You know how it was when they stayed here right after they got married. I don’t think any of us got a decent night’s sleep for the entire three months.” She could tell her mother was struggling to keep a stern face. “It’s a good thing we don’t live in town, or they would have been cited as a public nuisance.”
    Eliza lost her composure. She laughed so hard she cried, and Sarah laughed along with her, holding on to the sink for support. Realizing it was going to be one of the last times they’d share this special, private sort of moment for a while sent a pang of sadness through Sarah, and she wiped her hands on a dishrag.
    “I love you, Mama,” she said as she folded Eliza into a hug. During her junior year of high school, Sarah had shot up four full inches, making her two inches taller than Eliza, much as her father had predicted. She’d also finally gained some of the curves she’d so often longed for, though not as pronounced as her mother’s or sister’s.
    Eliza held on to her tightly. “Are you going for one of your walks this evening?”
    “No. I think it’s going to rain. I thought we could sit on the porch and watch the fog roll up the holler. I’m going to go on a nice, long walk tomorrow, while everyone’s at work.”
    Sarah and her mother stayed on the porch until night had fallen, then her father and brother joined them. Ira brought out his fiddle, and the music echoed across the valley, a low and mournful sound that spoke to something deep within Sarah. The fireflies were out in full force, their leisurely movements across the yard looking like nothing less than a twinkling, living blanket crossing the landscape. Sarah knew they’d be moving in a dancing swarm up at the pond, and even though she’d been surrounded by the luminescent creatures every summer of her life, their magic never failed to amaze her.
    Eliza caught her eye, her own gaze following the direction of Sarah’s. “Firefly Hollow, indeed.”
    The next day, the sun came out early and hot. Sarah slept later than she meant to. She barely got up in time to see her mother off to work. Eliza had started cleaning houses part time to have something to do.
    “It doesn’t hurt to have a little extra money from time to time, either,” she had told Sarah. “There’s always something that needs or wants buying, and it’s nice to have the pin