Chapter 2: Mara’s Voice
That was Mara’s voice.
Tight. Controlled. Almost breaking.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Just get here, Eli.”
I did not even shut my computer down. I grabbed my keys, told my manager there was a family emergency, and headed out the door.
The drive home felt longer than usual.
Pine Hollow Road is a narrow two-lane stretch that always makes me nervous in bad weather. That afternoon, the sky was perfectly clear: bright blue, calm, peaceful.
But my stomach felt like it was folding in on itself.
When I turned onto the dirt road leading to my property, I felt it immediately.
Something was wrong.
Land feels different when something familiar disappears.
Like when someone removes a picture from the wall and the paint behind it is still brighter than the rest.
Then I saw it… Continue Reading ⬇️