Morning came with packing.
Lily's suitcase was heavier than when they arrived. She had collected things all week. Pinecones from the trail. "Special rocks" that looked like ordinary rocks but were not. A drawing Erik's wife had made of Ash the husky. A napkin from the café with a snowflake drawn on it. Three feathers she had found near the fort. Each item was essential and required its own packing protocol.
"That one goes on top," Lily directed. "It's fragile."
"It's a rock," Franz said.
"It's a special rock. It has feelings. It came from the lookout. The top of the world."
Franz placed the rock on top. Lily nodded her approval and moved to supervise Leo's packing.
