"I had hoped Billy would be coming. Have you talked with him?" Cathy inquired about her grandson.

"He and Sharon will both be here late tonight or by mid-morning tomorrow. Sharon called this morning. If they weren't too tired after the final matinee they were going to drive on up from Charleston tonight. Otherwise they'll wait and come up in the morning" Louie nodded his head in the direction of the Parlour. "Sounds like they're about to start without us."   

They stepped into the parlour. Joe was over by the piano, viola tuned up and ready to play. Henry, Cathy's only contemporary in the group, was showing a new fiddle tune to Sarah.    Louie settled on the couch with his guitar on his lap as Cathy moved over next to Sarah, where she had already laid out her flute, recorder, pennywhistle and panpipes. She glanced down at the flute case, with all its stickers from so many places and venues, and thought back to that cold December night so many years ago, when she had been given the flute--an answered prayer.