Chapter 6: Lanterns and Laughter

Natalie is lively and full of energy. The old West house used to be cold and empty, just me rattling around.

But ever since she moved in, it suddenly felt alive.

There were smells of cinnamon rolls in the kitchen, her humming echoing up the stairs, windows thrown open to the world for the first time in years. For example, right now—

"What are you hanging up?"

I was reading in my room, but the noise outside got so loud I had to go see what was going on.

"These are bunny lanterns Natalie made. She wants to hang them up, but the ladder’s too short, so she went to find a pole."

These bunny lanterns... honestly, they’re not much to look at.

But if she wants to hang them, let her.

There was something innocent about her crafts, a leftover from childhood. I turned to go back inside.

Suddenly—

"I’m here, I’m here, I found the pole!"

Following her voice, I saw Natalie stepping on fallen maple leaves, carrying my old flagpole, running over with a grin.

The staff in the yard looked nervous, but she was proud. "Look, I made a bunch of bunny lanterns. I thought the house was too dark—last night I almost ran into a wall coming home..."

She chattered as she climbed the ladder, using one end of the flagpole to hang the lanterns on the porch beam.

One of my guys tried to protest. "Ma’am, that flagpole isn’t..."

I stopped him. "Why are you all just standing there? Go help her hang the lanterns!"

Then I retreated back into my dark study.

Ever since my injury, I’d been gloomy, the fire I once had all but gone, like nothing in the world was worth it anymore.

Not like the front lines, where every day you had to fight to survive.

The house was silent except for the creak of the old floorboards. "Colonel clearly wants to spend more time with Natalie, so why hide in here again?"

My sergeant’s worried voice sounded behind me.

I stared out the window at her.

She was now using my flagpole to knock fruit from the tree. The pole was heavy, she could barely hold it, and hit the crabapple tree by mistake, sending blossoms raining down.

Which made her laugh like crazy.

For a second, I remembered carving pumpkins on this porch, back when my mom was still alive.

For a moment, I actually wished I could move, just to help her pick fruit, knock down apples.

Thinking about it, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.

The doctor said just surviving was a blessing.

Yet here I was, daydreaming.

If I don’t get close to her, maybe when she wants to leave, it won’t hurt as much.

I tried to go back to my book, but my chest tightened, so I reached for the pills in my drawer.

My sergeant quickly stopped me. "The doctor said you can’t take too many of those. You’ve already had three today!"

A wave of frustration hit me, just as I was about to snap, when suddenly a grinning face popped up at the window.

"Marcus, this fruit is so sweet—try it!"

Natalie dumped a pile of pears on my desk, her eyes shining with anticipation.

The fruit was cold and sticky in my palm, and her laughter filled the whole room.

For no reason, my mood calmed down.

She picked one up and took a bite, exclaiming, "I’ve never had such delicious pears!"

So I picked one up too.

But with the first bite, my mouth puckered from the sourness, and seeing my face, she finally burst out laughing. "Hahaha, got you! The mighty Colonel West, fooled so easily!"

I tried to look annoyed, but the smile snuck up on me anyway.

She tilted her head at me, her sly eyes sparkling like a little fox.

She had the grin of someone who always wins at Monopoly.