"Huh? Oh. Oh yeah," she said, and cleared the paper off. "I, umm, got it matted and framed? Just so it would look like real art."

Inside was a picture of a house generated by a computer program. Big windows and skylights, with airy curtains and soft window seats. Light colors, natural wood, furniture that looked gentle and inviting. Nothing heavy or hard or sharp, no tables that lurked just at knee-height to bang and bruise.

Simple. Clean. Bright. Happy. The kind of house to raise a family in, with glimpses of a big yard through the windows.

"I threw it together in less than an hour, so..." She wasn't quite sure where she was going with that, but it felt like she was trying to apologize for something, so she swallowed it back.