For the fifth night that week, little Edmund woke up with a heart-wrenching shriek, scrambling away from his bed like it was Charybdis about to swallow him whole. After a few brief seconds of near-complete silence, he collapsed into a whimpering, trembling heap on the dirt floor. 

    Meredith blearily came to his aid, staggering from her bed and wrapping the kitten in her body and her quilted blanket. “Hey, Eddie, it’s okay. You know it’s okay.” 

    “Meri?” Edmund whispered, turning his tiny head towards his big sister.