' All the same, we allowed an hour to pass before we ventured into the piggery again where we found she'd been right; the smell was now of what one m...ight call manageable proportions and I expected one would become used to it after a time. All that remained to be done now was to cover the slurry with another inch of chaff, which Jason and Robbie did. We cleared away, taking the blower back to the workshop and towing the bowser over to the big compost heap on the far side of the vegetable. She laid her hand on my arm and said, "You really impressed my parents, Curtis. I know because Papa passed up his usual third degree interrogation and Mom was clearly charmed by your good manners. The greeting in Korean was icing on the cake." They're really very nice people, Hae-Won. Thank you for inviting me to share your evening. I hope I'll have a chance to meet them again some day."She turned, slid her key into the lock and said over her shoulder, "Oh, I'm sure you will. Good night,. Alan walked into where Merlin was resting taking a cot on the other side of the room. Laying down a heavy sigh escaped his lips. Though not as powerful as Alan, Merlin could recognize and feel that Alan was exhausted more than he wanted to admit. Especially after today, Merlin had felt Alan come up against the last one he'd fought. Reaching out Merlin could now truly feel the balance of the planet starting to shift. Though he'd taken out forty-one nearly half of those here, he'd only gotten. Since the downstairs was deserted, he walked upstairs and knocked on Laura's door lightly. There was no answer. He thought maybe she might have gone to the bazaar with her mother, but as he turned to leave, muted but unmistakable sounds drifted to him from Jody's room. Pausing outside his son's room, he put his ear closer to the door. No one spoke, but the sounds were clear and evident.Shanti had finished folding some clothes and was on her way out of the upstairs bathroom when she saw Drummond.