Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“Our dogs are the best alarm system in the world. They are loyal and unbribable. And if someone’s ever trying to attack, we’ll have the advantage of knowing these woods,” Maximus said when he dropped me off.
That was probably true, but I missed being in my own home after a week. Meeting with Isa or Greta, or visiting my family was more difficult too, so I convinced Maximus to split my time between the apartment and his parents’ house. That way, I wouldn’t bind too many resources by staying in the apartment all the time.
Things soon calmed down, and Maximus had more time for me. We resumed our old life of living in the apartment during the week so I could spend the day with my family or friends, as I’d put my art history studies on pause for the foreseeable future, and spending one night of the weekend at his parents.
Winter had the woods in its iron grip when we went to Maximus’s parents for the weekend in early December.
Since I’d entered the second trimester, my nausea had subsided, but now sleeplessness bothered me.
And when I slept, I always lived through vivid dreams. I woke from another of those and sat up tiredly. I’d dreamed about my last pregnancy, about the baby I’d lost. It had almost felt like a message from her. I was sure it had been a girl, just like this baby in my belly right now. Maximus didn’t believe in these things, but I simply felt like I needed to go to the old oak. This felt like a monumental step toward letting go of some of my fears from my missed abort.
I crept out of bed, careful not to wake Maximus. He had worked the night shift and helped his father in the shelter during the day, so he had passed out from exhaustion.
When I stepped out into the hallway, Bacon jumped up. He always slept in front of our door when we spent the night here. I briefly patted his head when he nudged me with his nose. He and I had built a tentative bond since I spent more time here.
He followed me when I went downstairs and grabbed some of the warm clothes I kept in the house. The past few nights had been below the freezing point. The four pit bulls slept in the kitchen and living area and only briefly perked up when I walked past them. A cold gust of wind hit me when I opened the front door. It had snowed, and the moonlight illuminated the snow-covered surroundings. It was beautiful and peaceful. Just what I craved. The sounds from the cities and the craziness of our world seemed so far away.
I slipped out and tried to close the door, but Bacon squeezed out before I could. I pointed inside. “Go back in.” He stayed by my side, staring off toward the tree line. “Go.”
It was obvious he wouldn’t listen to me. Oh well. Maybe it wasn’t the worst idea to have him out here in case a coyote came by. Snow crunched under my winter boots as I walked down the steps and headed down the pathway to the edge of the woods. The dogs in the shelters, most of them were inside their big huts anyway, only watched me with silent, observant eyes. They no longer perceived me as a stranger and definitely not a threat.
Bacon trotted past me and took up my front as I followed the narrow path through the woods to the oak tree. Every time I saw the cross that Maximus had carved, my heart warmed and broke at the same time. The pain of this loss wasn’t as acute as it used to be, and its place had taken the fear of losing the baby in my belly. Frost glittered on the cross. My first instinct was to wipe it away as I sank into the snow in front of it, but it looked so beautiful that I decided to leave it be. I only briefly touched my fingertips to the cold ground and closed my eyes. Baby girl moved in my belly, making me smile. Luckily, she was an active baby, and whenever she had days of rest, I poked my belly until she woke again, just to assure me that she was healthy and alive.
I touched my belly with one hand while my other remained on the frozen ground. I felt a sense of peace I hadn’t before. Maybe this was the moment the past could finally rest.
A deep, threatening rumble came from Bacon. I jumped, having completely forgotten that he was here. When I shone the flashlight on him, I could see how every impressive muscle in his body was tautened as he stared off into the dark. Another low rumble sounded, and he bared his teeth for a snarl. I pushed to my feet, wondering if these woods harbored bigger threats than coyotes? What about bears? Or mountain lions. Maximus had never mentioned either.