Akbar heard the porch deck boards creak as Laura came out the cabin’s front door.
“Johnny?” Laura had taken to calling him that almost from the beginning; he hadn’t argued and now was coming to like it. Only his mother ever called him that but he hadn’t told Laura, because…well, because it was just too weird if he thought about it. His dad always used Akbar or Akbar the Akbar with a bit of a laugh, Great the Great. His big sister usually called him Dipwad; the nickname had been mutual in both directions since before he could remember. There was a little worry in Laura’s tone.
“Right here, Space Ace.”
It was only an hour or so before dawn. Yesterday’s heat had continued to hang on through the night, comfortable now without being oppressive. Laura was wrapped in a light blanket which was
