A Place to Hang the Moon

by Kate Albus

William gave her ankle a squeeze. “Mum always said her children hung the moon.”

however. It is often the case that, at times of great anxiety, when the diversion of a good story should seem most welcome, one is least equipped to focus one’s mind on reading.

No bookcase, Anna noticed. She supposed bookcases were not necessarily requirements of good parents.

Fibs, you must know, are entirely acceptable when they serve the purpose of getting one to the library.

But affection is not the same thing as proper family love. This sort of love, the children knew only from one another—and from books. Over many pages, each of them had cobbled together a sense of what the family of their dreams might look like.

While she wasn’t sure of the precise definition of bibliophile, Anna was certain that it meant something she wanted to be.

Edmund thought briefly that the battle in this field must not be too different from those in other places, other fields, far away from this one.

William smiled wistfully. “Look at that, Anna. We’ve been sent here to try and find ourselves a mum, and here you are acting like one your own self.”

Somehow, it didn’t feel awkward, the way silences often do. Perhaps librarians are more used to quiet than most.

You’ve experienced a variety of bedtime stories, I’m certain. You know their magic. A well-chosen bedtime story sets you on the path to the dream you most need to have.

As the children sank into sleep, the words of the familiar rhyming tale were comfort and tenderness, ritual and home. A sort of prayer. A sort of lullaby. It set them on the path to dreams that felt rather like hope.

Now, you may think that socks are a dreadfully dull gift. Perhaps, in times of abundance, you would have a fair point. To Edmund, Anna, and William, however, socks were evidence that Mrs. Müller had been thinking of them for quite a long time indeed. Hand-knitted socks don’t materialize overnight, after all, no matter the magic.

“I always find that a cup of chocolate makes an unpleasant task a bit more bearable.”

“I’ve had myself a wallow, and now it’s time for a proper do.”