Flynn went into the bathroom. Cliff and the farm hands had built onto their cottage. There were two additional bedrooms. They’d also extended the kitchen and put in a stove and large refrigerator. Xandra cooked a lot of their meals here, but more often than not, they joined the family. Cliff had adopted them into their own family and loved them as their own. He’d taken to Joey and Joey called Cliff, PaPap, as did all the other grandchildren.
They’d gone three days ago to pick up the flour and maze that Claus had milled for them. Flynn had been amazed at the amount of flour, there were sacks and sacks of it. Jake normally when with Cliff, but Flynn hadn’t any animals that needed tending and so had gone. He’d also wanted to look around. He rarely left the farm. There wasn’t much to see. Claus had reported seeing no one for years now. It was the same at the farm. It was as though there were tiny islands of humanity. Only a few. Life was going on, though at a slower pace with fewer humans.
Flynn turned the water on and let it hit him. He was hot and sweaty from working with the animals. He was happy too. His small family was happy and healthy and his extended family was as well. He was amazed at how fast time was passing, and the joy he felt in his life. The horror of before was now fading into the distant past. Sometimes he thought of his friend Cramer, but knew deep down the man was dead. There was no kind of life there in that dead city. Only those who could break away and find a way to survive, and then to thrive, would be the only ones to make it. He and Xandra had. He was sure and had hope, that others did too.
