That gets Anna laughing, scoffing into her fingers. "Oh, yes. The most useful thing I ever learned was how to do needlepoint," she chimes in, trying and failing to sound completely serious. She's never been good with a needle in hand, never been able to embroider a cushion all that well, but she can do the things that matter here: she can run, and jump, and fight with a sword, and she can make flower crowns in the hope that they lift someone's spirits.

"I've found that boys don't tend to be very pleased by them," Anna agrees. "Maybe that's why I give them to so many of the boys around here. Their reactions are priceless."