Immediate understanding softened her dark eyes. She set a hand on the older man's arm and squeezed gently. "It happened to me, too."
And that explained quite a bit about his demeanor. Oh, it'd been difficult when she thought about the one she'd lost. It'd been very difficult indeed.
"You never know," she said, hoping that it was encouragement. "Sometimes they get brought back, too. I don't quite understand why, but I know at least one person who left and then came back. Although..." She paused, then sighed. "He was the first one I've heard about who came back with his memories of this place. But that just means that it's possible."
They made it to the top of the hill, then, and her cottage came into view. She gestured. "Can I invite you in for tea?" she asked, giving him a welcoming smile. "You can tell me about her."