Chapter 2
The moments tick by at a snail’s pace until I feel as time is dragged through a sea of molasses. My furry friend is nowhere to be seen, so I have no one to voice my concerns to while I wait.
I knock a second time, and everything grows quiet. The sounds so abundant just a heartbeat ago are replaced by an eerie silence. No rustling in the undergrowth. No birds singing or chirping. Even the chickens stopped clucking. Nothing. It’s as if the forest holds its breath. Waits for what is to come.
Why doesn’t he answer the door? I know he’s there; his presence might be muted, but it’s still clear enough to penetrate my skin and settle in my core. It winds itself around my spine as though intending to stay forever.
I welcome it. I’ve missed it.
A third knock hushes the forest even mor
