Cricket grimaces a little. "Where I come from, there was a strain of flu that killed thousands of people, back when I was little. Lost my mama, and my best friend lost his sister an' both his parents. If that kinda thing comes up here, we could be in real trouble."

But maybe they should talk about something else now. Cricket smiles, weakly at first but then it blossoms wider. "The apple ain't but so sweet unless you add mulling spices, but the berry sure is. Come spring, after I rebuild my stills, I'll make sure you get a chance to try whatever I make. I'd been selling to some of the restaurants and stores around, but of course the weather cut that off."

But if they just make it until Spring, everything will go back to normal. Maybe. He hopes, anyway.