"And who's Uncle Nathaniel?"

"Daddy's brother. Except, he stuck Aurum - is Elspeth's world! - when Jane breaked. For years. Got back home couple weeks ago. I not know him too much. Dars and Kez maybe do more."

"So people getting stuck in worlds is something that happens once in a while?"

"If they wrong place when Jane break. I not think she broke now, though. Mommies fixed her. Is door won't working. Jane not here at all."

"But," he says, "seems like you're stuck anyway."

"Yeah. Uncle Nathaniel gone a long time. He find a girlfriend while he gone though!"

"Did he? Good for him!"

"Mommy made a moon they live at now."

"Really?"

"Or put stuff on moon? Moon might be there before that. Dunno."

"Mm, well, putting stuff on a moon's easier than making one."

"I dunno. I not get wishes to play."

"Wishes?"

"Are a magic. Daddies make them be and Mommies wish them."

"Daddies never do the wishing? That doesn't seem right."

"Sometimes. Usually Mommies. Dars and Kez' growed enough, so now have little wishes. Not Ariel yet or me."

"If I had a way to make wishes..." He grins. "Well, I don't."

"What if?" Pen prompts. "You get to probably, when I found."

"I know I'd use 'em plenty, but I don't know what for."

Pen giggles.

"You can bet I'd think of something, though."

"Yes. I bet that."

He laughs.

Pen starts writing a list of mommies. Some of them are on the same lines as the daddies, on the opposite side of the page, and some have their own lines.

Cindy watches.