The warm smoke gave Domenico a sense of calm. Much like when he was holding Seth or eating sweets he remembered he liked. The warmth was just as familiar, but the scent was wrong, heavier, more bitter than the air he craved. He had a vague memory of salt in the air, of a fresh, herby scent that came with pleasure. He didn’t associate much with the campfire that Seth already set up, but its warm glow was pleasant enough.

From his place at the side door of their RV he watched Seth prepare the grill for the poor piglet awaiting its fate in a small cage nearby, next to the chicken that Domenico wanted to eat just as much. They were so far away from the main road he doubted anyone would even see the fire. There were some stray trees to the right, but other than that it was all bushes and meadows. Just looking at the scenery made Domenico’s mind quiet down.