["letdown" is another strangely perfect word for the feeling of their return. but the lift in Jan's spirits remains: she may be trapped here, but she's made friends with a strange, magical creature now, and that's a pick-me-up that will last her quite a while.

figuring out how to hang a picture with no ability to use hammer or nails, how to get linens on Jan's new bed, and how to silently arrange the other furniture they've brought to their new living quarters will take them quite a good chunk of the rest of the afternoon, but at least it's not an unpleasant task, and the house feels a bit more homelike at the end of it.]