there were dark circles under her eyes that i had n't noticed before . when he got back home , he was tired , muddy , hungry , and thirsty . not after what theyre seen and felt . 'you mean ... like around four o'clock in the afternoon ? ' then she brought them back into the house and arranged them around the kitchen table and ate a meal there before a neighbor dropped by . '' `` a final challenge raised its head , a final shadow to his dread . 