The two children cried together for a long time, although they were both trying to muffle their crying into each other's shoulders. Theora could feel Danell holding on to her tight, and right then, she was glad she had come to see him. She hadn't seen her best friend in just a few days, but this was the longest they had been apart since they'd met as toddlers. Danell felt skinnier than she remembered him.
"You should have eaten more," she muttered. "You're really, really skinny...."
"I wasn't hungry. You said you don't want me to grow more anyway."
"It's fine if you grow more. I'll make you another leg..."
Danell cried a bit more. Theora's tears were slowly calming down as if she were letting Danell do most of the crying. Without thinking, she began rubbing his back like her mom wou
