Connor froze, entirely unprepared for such simple words. No scolding, no angry threat—just the sledgehammer blow of complete serenity. He stammered for a retort, but nothing came. That calm unraveled his bluster better than any punishment ever could. Her rocking chair continued creaking, the sound replacing any answer he could have given.
The others dragged him away eventually. They didn’t dare look back at the porch. Something about the stillness of her presence unnerved them more than all their pranks combined. For days afterward, the neighborhood kids pointed and snickered whenever the Nightcrows passed, clutching their stomachs in unison.