She found the stranger sitting on the stairs of the boxcar stage, keyboard balanced on her lap. As with the previous night, the woman didn’t seem to be playing for anyone but herself. She kept her long, gray-streaked hair tucked behind her ears as she leaned over the keys, rocking slightly as if she were pressing on an invisible pedal. She was neither old nor young. She was the age of someone who had lived enough life to know what she liked and gave little thought to who was watching. Unsure of whether to approach the stranger, Zadie hung back, half-hidden behind a trellis of bougainvillea.

Without looking up, the woman said, “Hi again.”

This was the second time she had caught Zadie watching her. She must think I’m a creep, Zadie thought, flushing with embarrassment. “Hi,” she answered, stepping out from behind the trellis.

“Zadie, right?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“My wife, Nic, runs the front office during the day. I’m Ursula. I own the place.” She finally stopped playing and studied Zadie with guarded curiosity. “I hear your sister is a hit with the neighbors.”

“She has that effect on people. I’m more of an introvert.”

“Me too.” The woman smiled thoughtfully.

Zadie nodded at the keyboard. “I like your music.”

Ursula looked surprised. “Really? You don’t think it’s sad?”

“Well, yeah … but that’s kind of the point, right?” The stranger nodded. It appeared that they shared an appreciation for a good dirge. “Did you write it?”

“Yes and no.” Zadie waited for Ursula to elaborate, but she didn’t. Instead she looked up at the sky. “Have you looked at the stars yet?”

Zadie nodded—forgetting the woman wasn’t looking at her—then said, “They’re so much brighter out here.”

“That’s because there’s no light pollution. I lived in Sacramento most of my life, so I never really saw the stars until I came down here. At least not like this, anyway.” Zadie wasn’t sure what to make of the stranger. She didn’t appear sad, exactly, just distant, as though her mind were floating at the end of a tether.

The contemplative silence was broken by hurried footsteps. Zadie turned to see her sister walking up from behind. Under the black lights, she was all teeth and whites of eyes, a Day-Glo Cheshire cat. “Zadie, I heard that same music— Oh, hi,” she said, noticing Ursula’s presence. “Was that you playing?”

Ursula nodded.

“I’m Finn.”

“Ursula. Your sister and I were just looking at the stars,” she answered. “Actually, I was thinking about taking my telescope out tonight if you two are interested in joining me.”

Zadie caught Finn’s eye. It was clear by the look on her little sister’s face that the answer to Ursula’s question was yes.