That night, Ham had a new dream about the Lightbringer. In the dream, Ham saw the Lightbringer coming toward him. That was pretty much the same as before. But this time, he saw that there were people coming along behind the Lightbringer!
When Ham woke up in the morning, he was smiling. He didn’t know quite why, but he felt good. As he splashed some cool water over his face and dressed, the good feeling continued. It was like a small warm glow in his body, like every ache and discomfort was gone and everything felt just right.
Throughout the day, Ham found himself smiling for no reason. Not big, huge, joy-eating smiles; just small, savoring, happy smiles. Of course, the people of Wait walked wide around him, since the smiles made them nervous.
Several times during the day, Ham found Hal and Walt and June making preparations. Sometimes Rachel was with them. It seemed like when Rachel was with Hal, she leaned toward him. It wasn’t so much something you could see, so much as something you could feel. Like her energy was more on the side where Hal was.
Walt and June were carrying sacks and packs, and seemed to be getting things done. A couple of times, they asked Ham for help, or asked him to explain something that Hal could do but not explain. By the end of the day, Walt and June said they were ready. Ham went through their sacks and packs, and he, too, said they were ready.
The new group – Ham, Martin, Walt, and June – were ready to set out the next morning. That evening, Hal and Walt and June came to visit with Ham and Martin. It was a bit too snug in the hut, so the group sat outside, under the murky sky, and talked. Rachel joined them after a bit, and sat close by Hal.
