It was simple food, but warm in a way that sank down in the stomach and made hard days more bearable. "Just be grateful it wasn't MacBeth stew," he said wickedly.

With a firm hand, he shooed Polyphemus from the counter and threw the spoon away in the sink with the est of his growing pile of dishes. When he ran out of cutlery, then he'd do the dishes and no sooner.