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“No, you have to be respectful”

“Whatever”

“Mo

ht?” called Kelli

“Hannah —” said their mom

“Mo!”

“Help … once you’re done the doghouses,” her mother finished

Her mom’s voice sounded weird When Hannah looked up, she saw that her mother was down on one knee, and one of the pails she was carrying had spilled across the unbroken snow, the water ly blue channel in the snow Hannah had never seen soand angry: it hampered all movement and made it three times as hard to lift her foot out of the snow and place it down again She finally ended up half crawling, half wading through the snow, using her gloved hands to break through the ice and pull herself forward toward her loves came away from her cuffs

“Mom! Mom!”

“I’m okay, Hannah”

Just breathe, just breathe, Hannah repeated to herself She reached the pond path and scrambled over to kneel in front of her mother

“Mom!”

Her mother looked up

“I’led to her feet again “I have to go refill this noant Kelli and you to bathe tonight It’s not good to be dirty out here”

“I’ll get it,” offered Hannah