Dael Knew

In the sunset, Dael saw that Ma wasn’t the only woman bidding farewell to a husband, son, or brother, that men from all the houses in the village were streaming south toward the white cliffs where, if a man stood on a clear day, he could see Brittany and Gaul where their cousins lived. Few men stayed behind - the elderly, sick, or lame, and Dael knew they thought him odd, but he knew he was doing right, staying to protect his mother.

He would make sure she was all right.

“C’mon, Ma,” he said. “Let’s have some of that supper.”