“It’s beautiful,” Max said as they stopped and looked out across the hills.

“It would be better without the houses,” Grace said as she passed the canteen of water to Max.

He took a gulp and shook his head. “You can barely notice them. Just look that way.” He pointed off to his right. “And you can’t see a thing except grass, sky, and trees.”

She shrugged and waved her hand across the horizon that was dotted with houses. When she lowered her hand, they were gone. “Now you can barely notice them,” Grace said with a smile.

Max sighed. “Put them back, Grace.”

She pouted and stomped her foot. With all her power, it was easy to forget she was still ten.

“Grace,” Max said again with a warning in his voice.

She turned away.

“Put them back, or I’ll tell, Mom.”

“Fine.” Grace swung her arm out in a chopping motion and the houses returned on the horizon, as if they’d never left. “Happy?”

Max squinted at the houses and finally nodded. “That will do. Let’s get going.”

They resumed walking, Grace soon forgetting that she was mad at Max. But the residents whose homes disappeared for an instance could not forget what they saw in that moment, not for as long as they lived.